I hope Monahan's late season and playoff issues can be significantly attributed to his broken thumb. I'm certainly willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I really can't stand the armchair criticisms of players "not tough enough" to play through injuries. Doubt you guys have ever played sports. There are some injuries you can play through because they just cause some pain or discomfort, and there are others that dramatically affect your ability to utilize the skills that make you a useful player. A broken thumb counts as the latter. More significant and painful issues, even something like a herniated disc could be played through with less impact on performance but make you miserable off ice post-game and may diminish your quality of life once your career is finished.
From everything I have read and heard about the matter, it seems like Monahan has the same Neanderthal approach as some of you advocate. To the detriment of himself and the team, he has tried to play through injuries, accumulated more injuries and his injuries have got to the point where he required surgery to recover from them.
I get why he isn't a fan favourite in terms of showing energy, passion and hard-nosed play, and I wish he'd engage a little more too, but I don't think he's soft. If he plays at the same pace he played the first two-thirds of last season and through the playoffs, I think it puts to bed the notion that he isn't a first-line centre.
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