I've taken some time to think about this signing and try to research why Monahan's last few seasons went the way they did. I know some folks are concerned with a degradation in his play/point production over the last few years.
Before that timeframe, people on this board would have been clamoring for a guy like Monahan on CBJ. In fact, I seem to remember him coming up as an option a few times, although it may have been as a reclamation project during his rough injury stretch. Either way, after my research and drawing on some of my own hockey playing experience, I want to tell folks why when Monahan says that he is back to 100%, I believe him.
Monahan's decline started in the 19/20 season, but really got bad in the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons. He had labrum surgery on his left hip after 50 games in the 20/21 season. I believe that this injury was affecting him through both the 19/20 and 20/21 seasons, and this is one of the injuries he attempted to play through.
I had this same injury playing hockey in high school. Obviously I'm not a pro athlete, but motions such as ice skating/skiing are the activities that aggravate this injury the most. This injury makes it nearly impossible to skate at maximum ability, or process the game for that matter, due to the pain. But, it won't necessarily hurt all the time or even in every game, which is why I'm guessing Monahan tried to play through it.
Eventually though, it becomes apparent that it needs to be fixed. They would have stitched up his labrum, and also rounded the ball joint at the top of his femur, as the labrum tears are caused by a bone spur on that ball joint, or just not completely rounded bone. After this surgery his hip should be as good as new. Many NHL players have had this same surgery and been fully recovered for their whole careers afterwards.
After the following season, 21/22, he had the same surgery on his other hip, which means that he had the same exact issue in this season as the prior seasons, albeit on the other side. As such, his skating and processing abilities would have been severely limited this season as well. This was the season that led to him being scratched many times and eventually traded to the Habs as a cap dump, after only 23 points in 65 games.
Starting in 22/23, he finally had 2 healthy hips and played decently well for the Habs, playing at a 55 point pace before suffering a foot injury and a groin injury, which was said to be as a result for compensating to play through his foot injury, and then was out for the season.
Obviously, this past season he had a resurgence and was fully healthy. I believe after his hip surgeries, he is not the player that he was during that tough period from 2019-2022. Due to my personal experience with the same injury, I am 100% convinced that his decline in play was due to these hip injuries, and that now he probably feels just like his pre-2019 self.
5 years is still pushing it at his age obviously, but I truly believe that we got a serviceable 1C in Monahan at a reasonable price with a rising cap. And I am not at all worried that he regresses back to what he was in that 2019-2022 period. Maybe I eat my words, but I seriously doubt it. His hips should be 100% healthy and he shouldn't have to worry about them for the rest of his career. Just don't let him play through any more injuries!
