Monahan’s downfall has everything to do with the way opposition teams are playing him. Sort of like James Neal in a way, you keep a man on him, keep a good gap and he’s neutralized. On the flip side, you let Monahan and Gaudreau play run and gun and it’s lights out, that duo will kill you ever time. Problem is, there’s a book on the Flames now and teams are exploiting it. Clog the middle and there’s no answer.
Another issue is. Monahan’s shot is good, but not elite, that’s why he scores most of his goals in front of the net. If he had a little bit more Ryan Smyth in him he’d probably be able to dig and hound the front of net better. But alas, that is not his game.
Some of the positives is that he’s been a better playmaker this season and there is more noticeable push back in his game. He’s harder on his one vs one match ups, but I’m not sure that’s actually translated to less goals against. He just really needs to start burying on the chances he gets, because this team needs goals from him more than anything else right now. The process without the production doesn’t show up on the scoreboard.
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