Quote:
Originally Posted by howard_the_duck
The bolded is laughable.
What coach not named Geoff Ward would pair a shoot first (read: shoot-only, but limited range) center like Monahan with a triggerman like Ovi? I can tell you where Monahan would slot in the Caps lineup and it's not in the top 6 with their center depth.
Perhaps we just have different ideas of what makes an elite center. I say Monahan is (at best) a second line center on a contender that's paid like a top center. I would say Kuznetsov is an elite 2nd line center on a contender, and an undisputed top line center on ~10 other teams.
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Laughable? I think not. Monahan is a very good puck distributor in the offensive zone. He’s on his typical .75 PPG pace right now, even without scoring, and if you haven’t noticed, he’s made some very nice setups to Gaudreau as trigger man. You think Ovechkin wouldn’t bury those passes?
As for where Monahan would slot on the Caps, the assumption is that Kuznetsov, who is currently their 2C, is not on the team. So where now? You say Kuz is an elite 2nd line centre (whatever the hell that means) but is a 1C on 10 teams. I’d bet Monahan is 1C on most, if not all of those as well. Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Columbus, AZ, NYR, Ottawa, Anaheim, Minnie, Vegas.
I’ve said that neither Gaudreau or Monahan are guys who you fear in the POs, hence a need for a strong alternate line around Lindholm. But Monahan is still underrated for what he can do, which is not just shooting. His game is underrated. Gaudreau’s is a little overrated here, as well.