Ryan Lambert article on sending Monahan down

[Goodlad]

Not sure if this is worth it's own thread, but didn't think it really belonged in the Sean "Fricken" thread. Basically discusses some of the reasons Flames should send Monahan down.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...3441--nhl.html

As a junior-eligible rookie — he just turned 19 on Saturday — has four games left in his tryout period with the Flames, at which point the team will have to make a decision about whether to keep him up with the big club or send him back to Ottawa of the OHL for another year. Given that he's point-a-game and the rumblings that he's "making it hard" for the Flames to stash him away for another year for a good week at this point, it looks for all the world as though the Flames are going to keep him.

And they absolutely shouldn't.

His personal underlying numbers (relative corsi of 9.0, fourth on the team) only seem to get better as he's sheltered from tough competition — he's facing the weakest opponents of anyone on the Flames, as you might expect — and beginning just 25 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone, and yet 48.5 percent end there. His shooting percentage is at 30.8, which almost couldn't be more unsustainable.

All those points, all those timely goals, making it pretty easy to ignore all the times he's getting hemmed into his own zone and watching as other teams score around him; not to put too much stock into plus-minus, but of the 16 goals the Flames allowed through five games (which, hoo boy that's a lot), Monahan has been on the ice for seven.

He doesn't make the team better, or at least not better-enough, to justify it. The Flames are, realistically, a good three and maybe even four or five years away from being any good at all, and based on this start might even have a little bit farther too fall before they bottom out entirely. Keeping him just serves to make Monahan more expensive sooner, and there's no reason for it at all.

The Flames are trying to sell hope even as they crash out in the standings. Monahan's goal total does that better than prudence and the promise of lottery picks to come. Maybe that's the only good business decision ownership is letting them care about

Some real gems in there. Also, this is the guy that tweeted that making Giordano captain of the team was "poor asset management".

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Didn't read...too stupid.

[WilderPegasus]

Saw the words Yahoo and Corsi. Knew it was a waste of time to read anything more.

[Poe969]

I can see his points but he still sounds like an idiot.

[MrMastodonFarm]

As a junior-eligible rookie — he just turned 19 on Saturday — has four games left in his tryout period with the Flames, at which point the team will have to make a decision about whether to keep him up with the big club or send him back to Ottawa of the OHL for another year

The entire premise of the article starts out factually incorrect. The Flames can send him back to the OHL after game 10 if they wanted. Game 9 is just the cut off for the first year of his ELC kicking in, if Monahan is totally struggling by game 20 the Flames can easily return him to juniors no problem.

Can anyone think of one instance of Monahan's line being "hemmed in their own zone"? Of course he's getting easy assignments, that's what you do with an 18 year old that's physically ready for the NHL but that you're developing.

Just a bizarre article that reads more like "Look at me, I'm saying something different!" then anything else.

[Ashasx]

Ryan Lambert is literally the worst person in sports.

[chummer]

Since when have the Flames ever been worried about financial considerations?

[Ashasx]

@twolinepass
@CraigCustance gee craig i dont know this is the calgary flames we're talking about. will they do the right thing? the calgary flames? hmmmm


He has a natural bias against anything the Flames choose to do.

[Goodlad]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

The entire premise of the article starts out factually incorrect. The Flames can send him back to the OHL after game 10 if they wanted. Game 9 is just the cut off for the first year of his ELC kicking in, if Monahan is totally struggling by game 20 the Flames can easily return him to juniors no problem.

Can anyone think of one instance of Monahan's line being "hemmed in their own zone"? Of course he's getting easy assignments, that's what you do with an 18 year old that's physically ready for the NHL but that you're developing.

Just a bizarre article that reads more like "Look at me, I'm saying something different!" then anything else.

That's how I felt about it too. He brought up several points that I had thought about regarding the decision, but did it in such an outlandish/biased way that it gives the entire article that "basement blogger" feel.

[Ashasx]

He compares Monahan in a vacuum.

No surprise he doesn't look at the advanced stats other rookies like MacKinnon, Hertl, Barkov, etc.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

He compares Monahan in a vacuum.

No surprise he doesn't look at the advanced stats other rookies like MacKinnon, Hertl, Barkov, etc.

What do their stats have to do with the decision?

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

What do their stats have to do with the decision?

My point is that Lambert is trying to make Monahan look like a bad hockey player.

I'd be surprised if any of those rookies don't have comparable advanced numbers, yet here's this article, about the Flames, and not the Avalanche.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by chummer

Since when have the Flames ever been worried about financial considerations?

Not sure if serious, but the most recent obvious example is refusing to retain any salary in the Bouwmeester trade, resulting in a worse return than we could have otherwise received.

This article was horribly written, but there are some legitimate reasons to send Monahan down before game 10. Of course, there are also legitimate reasons to keep him up. Thankfully, for the first time in a long time, I have faith in Flames management to weigh the options and make the right decision.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by gargamel

Not sure if serious, but the most recent obvious example is refusing to retain any salary in the Bouwmeester trade, resulting in a worse return than we could have otherwise received.

This article was horribly written, but there are some legitimate reasons to send Monahan down before game 10. Of course, there are also legitimate reasons to keep him up. Thankfully, for the first time in a long time, I have faith in Flames management to weigh the options and make the right decision.

Has this actually been confirmed?

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by gargamel

Not sure if serious, but the most recent obvious example is refusing to retain any salary in the Bouwmeester trade, resulting in a worse return than we could have otherwise received.

This article was horribly written, but there are some legitimate reasons to send Monahan down before game 10. Of course, there are also legitimate reasons to keep him up. Thankfully, for the first time in a long time, I have faith in Flames management to weigh the options and make the right decision.

Can you please show me where anyone on the Flames or Blues said this, and what the "better trade" options were?
Thanks.

[Geeoff]

If he keeps up a pt/game pace, I'd be very shocked if Monahan went back to junior. Flames are usually a cap team, "burning" a year of Monahan's entry level contract is not a huge concern. Probably better for Monahan's development to keep him in the NHL, if he is an NHL player.

[calgarybean]

"the stats for the whole team are horrifyingly bad and frankly counterproductive to the tanking they're meant to be doing. This is a squad that's going to hit a wall, probably soon, and the result is going to be ugly."

Ugh....it's cheap shot reporting like this that makes me cringe. The guy does have some points on areas where Monahan is weak but blanketing the entire team, come on.

The mantra has always been to put up a fight this season regardless of the outcome. Surprisingly we have got some W's out of the effort. Will we hit a "wall" when it comes to those "W" outcomes...maybe...but to make statements like the above just makes the guy junior league. The team is playing the system and grinding out where they can.

Are we lacking skill? Marquee names? Yup, but to criticize a player and team for the effort that is put into games so far....just a brutal article.

[shogged]

I respectfully disagree

[Ashasx]

@twolinepass
flames fans proving themselves remarkably dim this morning boy oh boy

[JiriHrdina]

"the stats for the whole team are horrifyingly bad and frankly counterproductive to the tanking they're meant to be doing."

Man can't believe someone, trying to pass as a credible columnist, would write that.
Idiot.