How about off-season acquisition Sean Monahan?
When president and general manager Don Waddell signed Monahan over the summer, he sought strength down the middle in a player who could handle face-offs, play in the top six, and score goals.
#CBJ GM Don Waddell was excited to get a leader and an accomplished center in Sean Monahan. Plus, Monahan had Columbus on his radar. pic.twitter.com/VHbtNuqwmY
— Dave Maetzold (@DMaetzMedia) July 1, 2024
"He said Columbus has been a destination for his all along," Waddell said after signing Monahan.
Enter the 30-year-old from Brampton, Ontario.
Monahan, a point-per-game player for Columbus as we approach Thanksgiving, is tied for the team lead with 20 points. He's second on the club with seven goals and second with 13 assists.
Fun fact: Sean Monahan is just the third player in #CBJ history with at least 20 points in his first 20 games with the club. The others are Andrew Cassels and his dear friend Johnny Gaudreau.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) November 24, 2024
Monahan also leads the team with three power-play goals and has a face-off percentage of 51.5%.
The Athletic's Aaron Portzline released his Blue Jackets report card today, grading the players at this point in the season.
Not surprisingly, Monahan gets an A+.
It’s really hard to overstate how much of a stabilizing force Monahan has been, both on the ice and in the dressing room. He’s anchored a highly effective and dangerous No. 1 line, and when’s the last time you could say that in Columbus? He’s also winning 51.5 percent of his faceoffs and playing more than 18 minutes a night.
The Blue Jackets' first-line combination of Monahan, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kirill Marchenko has resulted in a dangerous combination for the Blue Jackets, and for opponents to contend with.
| Corsi For/Against | Shots For/Against | Scoring Chances For/Against | High Danger Chances For/Against | Goals For/Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73/53 | 39/22 | 39/22 | 21/10 | 7-1 |
"It's a lot of fun," Monahan said after Saturday's win. "Got a good group. Fun to be around. Fun to come to the rink. When you're winning games, it makes it even better."
Alongside Kent Johnson, Monahan helped set up Marchenko's game-tying goal in the waning minutes of Saturday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes before the Jackets came away with the shootout win and two points.
KIRILL MARCHENKO!! Tie game in Columbus!! pic.twitter.com/CrhKN4cVKU
— NHL (@NHL) November 24, 2024
Monahan is riding a three-game point streak (one goal, five assists) into Wednesday's Thanksgiving Eve matchup with the Montreal Canadiens. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
He'll also see another former team when the Blue Jackets battle the Calgary Flames on Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
