Quote:
Originally Posted by Kovaz
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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Great post and pretty much how I feel about him too. He's not a guy who fits the typical #1 C profile when you start listing attributes that most #1 Cs have. Nobody thinks of him as this big beast who forces his way through players and powers it to the net. He's not a fast skater, not a guy who mixes things up a lot in scrums.
However, he's proving himself to be among the very best snipers in the game which is the hardest thing to do in the NHL. He's also a good passer, good defensively and very much a go-to guy.
But at the end of the day, you are defined where you are in the line up (top line, top 6, bottom 6, etc) by your production. Monahan is without question, a top line C based on his production. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs a slap in the teeth and a time-out to smarten themselves up.
He's only 23, on a sweetheart contract, and has great chemistry with an Art Ross contender. The Flames are lucky to have him, and I have faith in him that he could be the #1 C on a Flames cup winning team.