Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSquatch
Yeah, fair, Tkachuk is genuinely dangerous.
Yes, I am leaning hard here, and perhaps ridiculously so, although if that's the case it's not intentional.
The Flames had a great season. Moreso, they did it on top of a goaltending performance that was... well, kinda awful early one. We were all happy to play the Avs (instead of a team like Dallas, for example, who have successfully stifled the Flames for years). And then got trampled. Absolutely trampled. And you can say it was overtime, and you can say it was a post away or whatever, but the truth is, big picture, the Flames had no answer for a fast, hard-nosed game. They were shell-shocked, as a group.
Monahan's part in this is that he did nothing in the playoffs. He got a goal from the slot. Woo. I thought his play after the break was half-hearted (actually I was convinced he was injured). Same in the playoffs- watching him actively avoid hits, failing to engage in battles... I'm watching him thinking "This guy doesn't like hockey." James Neal played the same game. Perimeter game, waiting for the puck, or ... something.
So I'm stuck at "This guy has a knack for popping in shots from 3 feet out." That's not trivial. 30 goals. But he doesn't have a knack for back checking, doesn't have a knack for getting to deep pucks first, doesn't have a knack for knocking snot out of people.... like, there's a long list of stuff he really should be better at, no?
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You're definitely leaning hard here, but I find it harder and harder to argue against with Monahan. Why do we as fans expect players like Johnny (turnovers) and Bennett (stone hands) to improve aspects of their game but for some reason think it's fine for Monahan to just be what he is?
He's handsomely compensated to be one of the best in the league and if he can't train in the offseason and start evolving his play into what this team needs, he isn't worth the material his name is written on. He plays with one of the most skilled players in the league - he should be eating this up, squeezing every ounce out of his potential and I just don't see it. Many players would kill for the role he's carved out with the Flames.
Monahan has been abysmal in the playoffs for too long. Yes he scored 4 goals against Anaheim 2 years ago, but it was the same terrible, uninspired play that we saw this year for the most part. I would rather he gets 0 points if he actually plays hard at both ends and shows a will to win. Without a clear change in approach, it will just be more of the same cream puff hockey that real players eat up from him the next time around, most likely with a similar result.