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TheScorpion · 08-08-2019, 12:05 AM

Here are some side-by-side comparisons that I found interesting:

Monahan drives offensive play at a much better rate than Ryan O'Reilly, who outclasses him defensively (but hey, he's not the Selke winner for no reason). Monahan is more proficient offensively than O'Reilly, with similar numbers in shot assists (passes that set up shots) but much better numbers for zone entries.

Here's the 1C from another recent SCF team:

Monahan is as good or much better at driving play in basically every way.

Once again, very comparable offensively, but in this case, Monahan is much, much better at generating plays from the defensive zone.

The much more experienced Giroux is slightly better at driving play in the offensive zone and at breaking out from the defensive zone, but it's not a league of difference by any means.

This is the best comparable, I think. Both players have displayed killer instincts in the playoffs in the past, and both players drive play at an almost identical rate in the offensive zone, with Monahan faring ever-so-slightly better. But Monahan's two-way play is substantially better than Couture's, here. He generates breakouts at a substantially higher rate.

Monahan is not some sad-sack outlier who refuses to drive play while all of his peers outclass him in that regard. Just simply stating that he "doesn't drive play" without citing any reasons for why isn't a compelling argument. Monahan is part of a very vast tier of centremen who are a shade below the elites (Crosby/Malkin, McDavid, Aho, Scheifele, MacKinnon) but who still can drive play very well and put up big numbers.

And it's not like the Flames are stuck in neutral until they find a better centre, because Gaudreau is one of the very, very best play-drivers in the entire NHL, up there with all of the guys listed in the elite tier above.

08-08-2019, 12:05 AM	#71
TheScorpion First round-bust Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: speculating about AHL players Exp:	Here are some side-by-side comparisons that I found interesting: Monahan drives offensive play at a much better rate than Ryan O'Reilly, who outclasses him defensively (but hey, he's not the Selke winner for no reason). Monahan is more proficient offensively than O'Reilly, with similar numbers in shot assists (passes that set up shots) but much better numbers for zone entries. Here's the 1C from another recent SCF team: Monahan is as good or much better at driving play in basically every way. Once again, very comparable offensively, but in this case, Monahan is much, much better at generating plays from the defensive zone. The much more experienced Giroux is slightly better at driving play in the offensive zone and at breaking out from the defensive zone, but it's not a league of difference by any means. This is the best comparable, I think. Both players have displayed killer instincts in the playoffs in the past, and both players drive play at an almost identical rate in the offensive zone, with Monahan faring ever-so-slightly better. But Monahan's two-way play is substantially better than Couture's, here. He generates breakouts at a substantially higher rate. Monahan is not some sad-sack outlier who refuses to drive play while all of his peers outclass him in that regard. Just simply stating that he "doesn't drive play" without citing any reasons for why isn't a compelling argument. Monahan is part of a very vast tier of centremen who are a shade below the elites (Crosby/Malkin, McDavid, Aho, Scheifele, MacKinnon) but who still can drive play very well and put up big numbers. And it's not like the Flames are stuck in neutral until they find a better centre, because Gaudreau is one of the very, very best play-drivers in the entire NHL, up there with all of the guys listed in the elite tier above. __________________ Need a great deal on a new or pre-owned car? Come see me at Platinum Mitsubishi — 2720 Barlow Trail NE Last edited by TheScorpion; 08-08-2019 at 12:09 AM.