I think it's really easy to have a grass-is-greener perspective about a player like Monahan. Monahan in particular has a really polarized skill set. His strengths are incredibly strong. He's got maybe the sneakiest release in the league, and he might be the best player in the league at finding holes in D coverage. That skillset is so rare and so unique, and it's a huge part of our team's success.
That said, the majority of other top Cs in the league are much better puck carriers than him, which is I think the biggest source of Monahan criticism. Most other top guys have either great skating and stick handling allowing them to weave through defenders and find space; or size, strength, and balance allowing them to shield the puck to create space. Monahan doesn't really possess either in spades, so he has to rely on having a linemate like Gaudreau to handle the puck-carrying responsibilities. It works, but if Gaudreau is a little off his game their line as a whole really suffers.
He really doesn't fit the #1C archetype and it's easy to want a more typical center in that role, but Monahan is every bit as good as the players we'd covet as a replacement. Just in a different way.
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