Quote:
Originally Posted by zukes
To me, when a junior aged kid makes the club, he should be ready to play in his projected role. Right now, people seem to be saying that Monahan would be the 3rd centre, traditionally that is a checking role. Monahan, while projected to be decent to good defensively, is an offensive player, a top 6 forward. If he is not ready to be a top 6, let him go dominate the OHL, play the WJC, play in the playoffs/potentially the Memorial Cup and have him ready for next year.
There is no rush.
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Agreed that there is no rush, but if the player is NHL ready & has outplayed most others in the organisation then there's no reason to not reward him with a roster spot. Rushing a player is detrimental when the player is not ready, but I don't see any benefit to his development by allowing to hone his skills with the big boys.
Also, looking at the Flames group of forwards, I would argue that our 'first line' (Glenny/Stajan/Stemper) is actually our best defensive line. Monahan as the 'third line' centre means he'll likely have Hudler, Bærtschi & Cammalleri as his line mates over the course of the year. His abilities in the dot & knack for clutch goals would indicate he could be used in all situations.
Should Monahan pass his 9-game audition I could see him having a Logan Couture or Jeff Skinner style rookie season.