Sean Monahan, Flames Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

The Calgary Flames and center Sean Monahan reached an agreement Friday on a new seven-year contract extension.  

The Flames announced the deal on their official site. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the deal is expected to check in at around $6.3 million per season.

Monahan is just 21 and has already put up back-to-back 60-point campaigns for the Flames. He tallied 27 goals and 36 assists in 81 games last season. His scoring output ranked second on the team behind linemate Johnny Gaudreau (78 points).

In all, the sixth overall selection in the 2013 draft has scored 159 points in 237 games across three seasons in the NHL.

The previously restricted free agent stated during an interview with TSN in July that he wanted to remain in a Flames uniform for the foreseeable future, via NHL.com.

"I definitely want to be there for a long time," Monahan said. "So I would prefer a longer-term contract, but that's not up for me to decide. So I think I want to be there, I want to be in Calgary for the rest of my career, so that's something that I'm looking forward to doing."

The new contract will take him about halfway to meeting that goal. It's an ideal situation for the center, who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in what's typically the middle of a player's prime, which should mean he'll score at least one more lucrative contract, either with Calgary or another team.

On the flip side, it's a solid investment in the future for the Flames. Micah Blake McCurdy of HockeyViz passed along a look at the rising star's solid advanced statistics:

Now the focus for the Calgary front office will shift to Gaudreau. The 23-year-old winger is also a restricted free agent after forming a dynamic one-two punch with Monahan over the past two years en route to 142 points in 159 games.

Monahan's contract will set the baseline for negotiations, with Johnny Hockey likely to receive a little more in base salary. Together they will take up a sizable portion of the team's cap, but the Flames will hope they provide plenty of bang for the buck in the years ahead.