Sean Monahan’s first foray into unrestricted free agency ended with him putting his signature on a five-year contract with the Blue Jackets.
It was signed and announced July 1, 2024, and Johnny Gaudreau was the primary reason.
The two met as Calgary Flames teammates at the start of their NHL careers, spent nearly a decade becoming close friends and were eager to reunite in Columbus after spending the previous two years on different teams — Gaudreau with the Blue Jackets and Monahan with the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets.
“For me, personally, I was coming to a new team,” Monahan said. “I went through being a UFA for the first time, and obviously 90% of the reason I went there was because of John. It was a time in my life and time in my hockey career where probably I was the most excited I’ve ever been.”
Two months later, their NHL fairy tale became a nightmare.
Gaudreau and his younger brother, Matthew, were killed riding bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, not far from their family’s home. Their younger sister, Katie, was set to marry her high school sweetheart the next day, and they were going to be part of the wedding party along with Johnny’s wife, Meredith, who revealed at their memorial service that she was pregnant with the couple’s third child.
An alleged drunk driver, who remains behind bars awaiting trial, struck the Gaudreau brothers while trying to make a pass on the right shoulder of a two-lane road, causing their deaths and grief throughout the NHL and hockey world. Blue Jackets and Flames players were especially gutted, none more than the one who had just signed in Columbus to play with his best friend.
Monahan met most of his new teammates and coach Dean Evason during an emotional vigil at Nationwide Arena in the days after the tragedy and the week before the memorial service near Philadelphia. Two weeks after that, the Blue Jackets opened a somber training camp without a dear friend, teammate and their leading scorer.
“There’s no manual for that situation,” Monahan said. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen for me. It took a lot of different things just to get me to the rink. I was getting pushed by my wife, by Meredith and other teammates, and when I went … I felt like the moment I stepped in that rink, it was the place I was supposed to be.”
That feeling never waned.
It lasted throughout his first season in Columbus and was a two-way street with grieving Blue Jackets fans, who gave Monahan a warm ovation before his first appearance in a preseason game. It carried into his play as the team’s top center, where he spurred a line missing Gaudreau to become one of the NHL’s most potent combinations.
Monahan clicked with Russian wingers Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko, prodding each to utilize their size and skills to increase the line’s possession time and output. They were so good that Marchenko, a jovial breath of fresh air who scored 31 goals, gave Monahan a new last name with a Russian twist: “He’s Monahanov now.”
Monahan also slid into a key role for the top power play as a sorely missing spark plug, instantly bringing out skills in the group that were too often dormant. He became so vital that a strong argument could be made that Columbus would have earned a playoff spot had he not been forced out of the lineup for two months with a severe wrist injury in January.
They finished two points short, one regulation win, and weren’t eliminated until after they had played 81 of 82 games. Meanwhile, off the ice, Monahan bonded with his new teammates in a season that was therapeutic for all of them. Monahan also found joy in helping his wife, Brittany, with their baby boy, Leo, who was born May 27, 2024.
Gaudreau’s locker stall, where his jersey hung on game days, was situated right next to Monahan’s, and photos of Gaudreau adorned the walls at Nationwide Arena. Monahan felt at home.
“It’s a special place to play hockey,” he said. “That was something Johnny convinced me to do, and I’m so happy he did because I got to hear so many stories from when we weren’t playing together.”
Monahan’s efforts to assimilate to Columbus amid tragedy earned him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.”
Meredith Gaudreau joined forces with Monahan’s wife, Brittany, to surprise him at home with a recorded trophy presentation that brought tears to his eyes. Gaudreau and his family remain in Monahan’s heart and on his mind, but each new day brings reminders of why his friend said he should sign with the Blue Jackets.
“It was just day-to-day,” Monahan said. “You’d wake up in the morning and just do what you had to do to put your best foot forward. I tried my best to be the same guy I always was, but it was a tough time. Thankfully, we had so many good teammates and people around Columbus to help us get through it all.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social