Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan is a healthy scratch Friday against the Arizona Coyotes.
It's the first time in his NHL career he's been scratched for performance-related reasons, according to The Athletic's Hailey Salvian.
"You gotta look at the big picture with Sean, for sure," head coach Darryl Sutter told reporters ahead of the game. "I think that he had major hip surgery last summer. And he worked his tail off to come back and be ready."
Monahan failed to record a point in his last 14 contests, and Sutter blames himself for not resting the center earlier in the season.
"I'd say his first 40 were good games, but then I think he's struggled offensively the last 20 or 25," Sutter said. "But I should've been monitoring how much he played a little bit more, meaning I should've been giving him some games where he wasn't playing, so that's my plan now."
Monahan has 22 points in 63 games this season. On a per-game basis, he's on pace for career lows in goals, points, shots, and ice time.
The 27-year-old averaged 30 goals and 33 assists per 82 games during the first six seasons of his career. Since then, however, he's averaged 18 goals and 26 assists per 82 contests.
The Flames drafted Monahan with the sixth overall pick in 2013. He's the third-highest-paid player on the team and carries a $6.375-million cap hit through next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
