He's playing third line ES minutes with Gallagher and Pearson, 1st PP unit with Caulfield and Suzuki, and second PK unit with Pinard. It's a similar deployment to how he likely would have been used by Calgary if he wasn't traded.
This is healthy Monahan doing health Monahan things...win draws and find open spots in the offensive zone. The negatives are still there, like his inability to carry the puck, mediocre skating, and risk of injury.
However, Montreal's success early success isn't sustainable. They are 28th in xGF, they have a negative goal differential, and they're 2nd in the league for limiting high danger chances despite a really shaky defensive crew (i.e. Matheson, Savard, Kovacevic, and Harris are leading in TOI).
It's nice to see Monahan doing well, but both Montreal and Monahan also started hot last year before reverting back to expectations.
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