Quote:
Originally Posted by wretched34
As you just pointed out, in 2018-2019, when all 3 forwards forechecked, and played the puck, they all saw a huge increase in production.
Does that not essentially drive home the point, that when Monahan makes plays, the entire line reaps the rewards, where as when he is stuck waiting on Johnny to make something happen, less and less actually happens.
This is why a Line of Hall-Monahan-Tkachuk could be incredible.
All 3 have size, some snarl, and a tonne of skill.
Any one of those 3, at any given time could win a battle below the goal line, and know full well, that if they threw the puck to the slot, someone will be there. As it stands now, Lindholm is the only one on the top line that can battle below the line, because if Monahan does, there is no one in the slot.
Having Johnny float along the boards creates a huge disadvantage for the line because it means his teammates are limited to what they can do. This is why Monahan plants himself in the slot, and nothing else.
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Well they were successful for a few months, but the exact same system this year and even parts of last season yielded little success. The opposition has made an adjustment and that line became neutralized. The biggest problem I've been seeing is that all 3 players struggle with pace, none are particularly fast, especially Monahan, so their forecheck is generally pretty ineffective.
What I'd love to see is a Mackinnon-Gaudreau duo who we saw with team North America. They were probably the best combo on that team which included the likes of McDavid and Matthews together. I think Gaudreau would play better if he's a guy not constantly asked to drive the line. But obviously, the Flames aren't getting a Mackinnon or a player of this ilk, so at this point, I'm open for a trade before his contract is over.