A season not many could have imagined getting worse for Calgary Flames centre Sean Monahan just did precisely that. After having a rough, slow start to the season that saw Monahan look like a shadow of his former self, it was announced today that his season will be cut short. Monahan will have season-ending hip surgery, according to General Manager Brad Treliving, ending another disappointing season that saw Monahan fall to the fourth line and become a healthy scratch at times. This year, it has been a struggle to get Monahan going as the 27-year-old former sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft has only eight goals and 23 points through 65 games. This is a considerable drop-off from the first seven seasons of his career that saw the talented goal scorer record 20 goals or more every season, including 30 goals plus three times. Injuries over the last two years have set Monahan back, as now he has to look forward to the 2022-2023 season to get back on track and re-establish himself as a goal scorer in the league.
This is the second straight season that Monahan has cut short due to hip surgery, as last year, during 2020-2021, Monahan had surgery on his other hip. When confirming the season-ending hip surgery, GM Brad Treliving said, “He had his other hip, his left hip, done last year, and it feels great. He’s doing wonderful with it. This is now sort of the next challenger for him. So he’s got a lot of time to get it addressed before next year, but no question. A great deal of disappointment.” This is a massive setback for the 27-year-old as he will now be placed on long-term injured reserve and has most likely played his last game in a Calgary uniform as he will probably be traded in the off-season to free up cap space.
