It appears you can add Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan to the list of players shutting down for repairs with their team out of the playoff hunt.
The Calgary Sun reported Friday that Monahan was done for the season. Flames coach Glen Gulutzan confirmed that Monahan has been playing hurt.
“I don’t know how much longer Sean Monahan can play,” Gulutzan told reporters after Friday’s practice at the Saddledome. “He’s been playing through two significant injuries here. He’s been gutting it out. He’s been injected in two places for the last three weeks, just to get him through the games. He hasn’t been practicing.
“So we will see where he’s at health-wise, but you never want to put your players at risk when they’re going through daily injections to play.”
Monahan scored 31 goals and added 33 assists in 74 games this season as the No. 1 center with the Flames, primarily playing with star winger Johnny Gaudreau. During his last four seasons he produced 247 points as one of the NHL’s steadiest offensive performers.
The Flames were already missing power forward Matthew Tkachuk and defenseman T.J. Brodie due to upper-body injuries. So wish the Flames good luck for the rest of the season.
ELSEWHERE AMONG THE ALSO-RANS
Fantasy players hate the final weeks of the regular season because lineups become so unpredictable. Also-rans shut down players and contending teams rest players who are nursing minor injuries or battling fatigue.
Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has stepped aside with an upper-body injury. Officially he will be reevaluated next week, but the Blackhawks have been eliminated from the playoffs. Why rush him back?
The Carolina Hurricanes have shut down two of their key players, center Victor Rask and defenseman Brett Pesce. The Detroit Red Wings sent offensive defenseman Mike Green, soon to be an unrestricted free agent, away for back surgery.
CONTENDING TEAMS REST UP
Among the contenders trying to get healthy, no team has more guys missing than the Boston Bruins. They have been missing much of their core group for a variety of reasons: center Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, David Backes, Torey Krug, Rick Nash, Anders Bork and Jake DeBrusk.
And yet they are still a handful. That bodes very well for postseason play.
