Friendship that was formed in Calgary and was set to grow in Columbus is yet another heartbreaking chapter in death of Gaudreau brothers.

Hughes was willing to take Monahan and the final season of the injury-prone forward’s contract with a salary-cap hit US$6.375 million so the Flames would have the money to sign free-agent Nazem Kadri to a seven-year, US$49-million deal. In exchange for taking Monahan and his contract, the Canadiens received a conditional first-round pick at the 2025 NHL Draft.

Hughes took another gamble on Monahan after he was limited to 25 games during his first season with the Canadiens because of a broken foot and a groin injury that required surgery. This time, the GM signed Monahan to a one-year, US$1.985-million contract for last season.

That gamble paid off for the Canadiens and Monahan, who posted 13-22-35 totals in 49 games with Montreal before being traded to the Winnipeg Jets, where he had 13-11-24 totals in 34 games. It marked the first time the 29-year-old played a full season since 2016-17. The Canadiens received a first-round pick at this year’s NHL Draft from Winnipeg that was used to move up to the No. 21 spot and select centre Michael Hage.

Monahan cashed in on last season as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, signing five-year, US$27.5-million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

A big reason why Monahan signed with Columbus was so he could be reunited with Johnny Gaudreau, who was his teammate in Calgary for nine seasons. Monahan and Gaudreau became very successful linemates and great friends in Calgary.

“I am really looking forward to being teammates with Johnny again,” Monahan told NHLPA.com after signing with the Blue Jackets. “Johnny (who signed a seven-year, US$68.25-million contract with Columbus as a free agent two summers ago) is motivated to have a big season and be a huge part of the team and I’m excited to have the opportunity to reignite the chemistry we had for close to a decade. He is an amazing teammate, person and friend. I’m looking forward to these next five years.”

The friendship between Monahan and Gaudreau is yet another sad and heartbreaking chapter of what happened last Thursday night in Salem County, N.J. Gaudreau, 31, and his 29-year-old brother, Matthew, were killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bicycles after a wedding rehearsal for their younger sister, Katie. The Gaudreau brothers were supposed to be groomsmen for the scheduled wedding on Friday.

Instead of holding a wedding, the Gaudreau family is now planning funerals for the two brothers.

Monahan isn’t the only Canadiens connection to Gaudreau. Pascal Vincent, the new head coach of the AHL’s Laval Rocket, was head coach of the Blue Jackets last season and was an assistant coach during Gaudreau’s first season in Columbus. Patrik Laine played with Gaudreau the last two seasons before being acquired by the Canadiens on Aug. 19. Cole Caufield played with Gaudreau on Team USA at the IIHF World Championship in what sadly ended up being Gaudreau’s last game — a 1-0 loss to Czechia on May 23 in Prague. Mike Matheson had both Gaudreau brothers as teammates at Boston College.

While much of the focus since last Thursday’s tragedy has been on Johnny, sister Katie paid tribute to both her brothers in an Instagram post on Monday.

“To know these two was to love these two,” Katie wrote after her wedding was called off. “There are absolutely no words I have to express the bond my family shared. The entire world knows there would never have been John with Matty or a Matty without John. The absolute best big brothers a little girl could have asked for. This will never be a goodbye post because I will never stop saying your names and honouring you both. I’ll take the best care of mom, dad, Kristen, Mer, Madeline, and your babies.”

Matthew was head coach at Gloucester Catholic, the New Jersey high school he and his brother both attended. Matthew’s wife, Madeline, is pregnant with their first child, due at the end of December. Johnny had two young children with his wife, Meredith — a daughter, Noa, and son, Johnny — who both were born during his two years in Columbus.

While they were teammates in Calgary, Monahan convinced Gaudreau to get a Goldendoodle just like his so that the two dogs could play together. Monahan and his wife, Brittany, welcomed their first child on May 27, a son named Leo.

Only days before the Gaudreau brothers were killed, Monahan was a guest on the What Chaos! podcast.

“Johnny’s one of my best friends,” Monahan said. “To go full circle, kind of start when I was 18, 19 with him and come back to be able to play with him again is pretty cool. We both have sons that are two or three months apart so they get to kind of grow up together. Just an awesome, all-around guy. Great dad, great friend and, obviously, a special player.”

The amount of heartbreak surrounding the death of the Gaudreau brothers is overwhelming.

RIP, Johnny and Matthew.