Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan is the winner of the 2024-25 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
It’s the first time a Blue Jacket has won the award, which is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. No player in the league exemplified those qualities more than Monahan, who was voted the Masterton winner by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Monahan, 30, signed with the Blue Jackets on July 1, 2024, primarily to reunite with Johnny Gaudreau. The two were close friends after playing nearly a decade together in Calgary, so Monahan jumped at a chance to rekindle that spark as a free agent — two years after Gaudreau stunned the NHL by picking the Blue Jackets.
Instead, an offseason tragedy that took the lives of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, on Aug. 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey dashed those plans, leaving Monahan emotionally gutted. His Columbus debut began with a heavy heart, forcing Monahan and his new teammates to bond through shared grief and fond memories of Gaudreau.
“John’s someone who brings people together,’ Monahan said after the NHL announced him as the Masterton winner June 5. ‘So, going to a new team, everyone knew him well, and I said it plenty of times this year … I felt like that was where I was supposed to be, playing in Columbus. And I don’t take that for granted. Being a Blue Jacket, what it means to be a Blue Jacket and the guys I’m surrounded with every day in the organization and my teammates, it’s a real special place to play.’
Monahan became a special part of the Blue Jackets lineup while centering the top forward line and playing the critical ‘bumper’ position for the first power-play group. Together, Monahan and the Blue Jackets became the NHL’s most improved team, improving by 23 points from 2023-24, and nearly qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs under new head coach Dean Evason.
Monahan, who missed more than two months with a wrist injury, was a driving force with 19 goals, 38 assists and 57 points in just 54 games.
‘I was playing with some great players, and I was confident in my game,’ Monahan said. ‘I worked really hard to get back to where I wanted to be, and I think I’ve still got a lot to prove and a lot to prove to myself. I think we should be a playoff team every year. This year was a bit of a step forward, but we didn’t get where we wanted to, so … it’s a big summer for our group to get ready for next season.”
Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny Gaudreau’s widow, presented Monahan with the trophy in a surprise visit to his offseason home near Toronto. The NHL shared a moving video on social media of her surprising Monahan with the award, and both had tears flowing.
‘I had no idea,’ Monahan said. ‘I was kind of waiting around all dressed up for a while because I was told we were doing family photos, and my mom was here and was going to help us with the little guy (1-year old Leo) and to get set up. It definitely caught me off guard, so it was just presented in a special way, and they did a great job to surprise me.”
Runners-up to Monahan for the 2024-25 Masterton are Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who’s retiring after a distinguished career, and Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who returned in the playoffs after a three-year absence due to a knee injury.
Monahan also went through injury difficulties prior to signing with the Blue Jackets, playing just 90 games combined for the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens between 2021 and 2023 due to multiple health challenges that included two hip surgeries, a groin surgery and a broken foot. A wrist surgery kept him out for two-plus months with the Blue Jackets, while at the same time grieving Gaudreau.
‘It’s definitely special to get the award,’ Monahan said. ‘I’ve said it before. I don’t need the recognition. Everybody’s going through different things in their life, but I worked hard to get where I am, and I went through ups and downs. And to be in Columbus and be healthy and able to play the game I love is something I don’t take for granted.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached atbhedger@dispatch.com and@BrianHedger.bsky.social