Calgary Flames sending a message to longtime F Sean Monahan

Despite the success of the Calgary Flames this season, it's not been a campaign to remember for forward Sean Monahan. In fact, he's gone pointless in his past 14 games, something that would have been considered unthinkable in recent memory. 

The former franchise center has tallied a mere eight goals and 22 points in 63 games while mostly playing on the team's 4th line. And ahead of tomorrow's game against the Arizona Coyotes, Monahan skated as an extra in practice alongside veteran Trevor Lewis. 

“Not the season he would like to have,” assistant coach Ryan Huska said. “He’s used to scoring goals, which is what he’s done in the time that he’s been here.”

“He’s been challenged in different ways from missing some power-play time and taken off the power play, he’s seen shifts up and down our lineup,” Huska said. “But that’s what we need. We need people to have different roles in order for us to have success. That’s what Sean is doing right now.”

Of course, don't expect the Flames to come out and say that Monohan is going to be scratched from the lineup - at least yet. 

“I wouldn’t read anything into our lines or lineup from today,” warned Huska, following a skate in which Carpenter centred Milan Lucic and Brett Ritchie, while Monahan and Trevor Lewis were the odd men out.

“You’ve seen that over the course of the year that we change things around fairly significantly. I never said he was going to be a healthy scratch.”

So, what can Monahan do in order to prevent actually being scratched? 

"The one thing is you have to do something different to not put yourself in that position," Huska said.

Unfortunately, Monahan may not have a choice at this point.