Quote:
Originally Posted by bigrangy
Monahan can finish but he cannot be relied upon to drive a line, especially a first line. Perhaps it is GG's system but Monahan has never taken over a game this year. Gaudreau takes over games and uses Monahan to put pucks in. He is a very good player but I believe Backlund and Tkachuk coould generate more offense than him if given the same opportunity.
Ferland is a good player too but this will almost surely be his career season, and Janko is too old to get a lot better than he is. The #1c in waiting aura is definitely not there anymore.
I set the post before Kulak and Janko were drafted. They're both NHLers but not even close to being impact guys. The 2013 draft was a total failure (though the other players available are not world beaters), 2014 was awful.
2015, 2016, 2017 look alright, but none of the Flames drafted there are looking like impact guys. Maybe Andersson and Valimaki., but knowing the Flames I'm not liking their odds.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames_F.T.W
This is hilarious for its accuracy.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kovaz
That sells Monahan short, but it's still kinda true.
Monahan can find an opening like nobody I've ever seen. If the D makes even a slight mistake, he's in position and capitalizing before they can blink. But he doesn't force mistakes any more than the average player, so if the D stay in position and their coverage is good, he doesn't create anything.
Gaudreau on the other hand forces mistakes all over the ice. He beats guys one-on-one, pulls a defender out of position before moving the puck into the hole they created, and changes the angle of attack with his skating before the D can reposition.
It's why they're such a deadly combo: Monahan needs someone to create an opening, and he finds that soft spot in the coverage every time. And Gaudreau creates opportunities for his linemates every time the puck touches his stick, but his linemate still needs to be there to finish. Pull Monahan away from Gaudreau, and he doesn't get nearly as many dangerous shots and his scoring will go down. But pull Gaudreau away from Monahan, and you'll see a ton of plays where his linemate doesn't see the opening, or doesn't get his stick on the puck, or can't finish an open chance.
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Guys, scoring in the NHL is probably the hardest thing to do. It's why GMs pay a premium for it. Money scores the best kind of goals; the game winning variety. This means he is most productive when the team needs him the most.
If it was as easy as lining up with Johnny, then bricks like Lazar, Bennet and Brouwer would be productive on the top line.
That takes nothing away form Johnny.
This line of thinking sells Money and Ferland short.
I'm not even touching the chemistry thing, which you could also argue given the top line drop in points since Ferland's injury.