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Originally Posted by Plaedo
That makes sense why you didn't analyse Monahan's play in such a detailed way, but this may be partly why people are frequently jumping on the homeristic-defensive.
I agree that the clip of the Rangers is an example of Barkov taking over. Would you say that he has done it more times/more consistently/to the same or greater extent than Giordano has? I was responding to the question of whether Barkov would be the best player on the ice, not strictly compared to Monahan.
As for my stance, like some others, I would give the slight edge to Barkov over Monahan at this point, with Barkov's longevity/"grit", and Monahan's developing defensive play to be determined. Were Barkov's injuries just outliers and not indicative of his future health in seasons to come? Is Monahan's defensive play still developing and going to improve incrementally more than Barkov's will? Is the disparity in their defensive play attributable to Barkov having a greater focus on defensive play during his developmental years playing in Finland and with men, while Monahan was in the OHL, and thus might still learn that area of the game to the same extent as Barkov?
Will either of them learn to play as a physical force and use their size like they have the tools to? Just some of the questions that might affect who I would take in the future.
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That's a lot of questions to answer, but I will do my best.
If we're talking about the frequency of taking over a game like Giordano has, then yes, Barkov has done it as frequently if not more frequently. He's not on the level of Crosby or others just yet, but he exerts his will more often than not. Like any player, there are nights where he's simply good and not exceptional. Considering he's still only 21 years old (Sep. birthday), I am projecting him to be one of the absolute elite players in the game in a couple of years and so it is my opinion that he will eventually be in that top tier of players. I would already be comfortable comparing him to Kopitar in terms of style of play and effectiveness.
I have no idea whether Barkov will continue to deal with injuries, but lets' not forget that Backlund struggled to stay healthy for many years before he finally found his groove. Much of that had to do with getting physically stronger for Backlund. Barkov is still filling out his large frame, so he's a bit more fragile at this age than he will be once he reaches his final weight. I will say that injuries have affected his play upon return at times, at least enough to make his numbers look worse than they could be if he stayed healthy for the full year.
You could make the argument that playing in a men's league pushed Barkov's on-ice awareness ahead of Monahan's development, but he's still improved defensively every single year in the NHL too. Not that Monahan hasn't improved from his start (he clearly has and I'm confident he still has room to grow in this regard) but Barkov has improved more rapidly and seems to be a sponge in this regard. That's why I think his upside defensively is among the best, possibly at a Bergeron level once he's done developing.
I think both players are going to be comparable with regards to their physical play. Monahan has learned how to stake his claim in front of the net and battle for pucks there. Barkov has focused on the board battles and working off the cycle. Neither player will hit guys hard, but I believe both will become more effective over time by using their body to protect the puck (Jagr has helped Barkov a LOT in this regard) and winning puck battles in scrums.
Like I said, they are comparable players in many many ways, but the possibility of Barkov reaching Bergeron levels of defensive play along with high end offensive abilities gives the edge to him in my mind. Sure, injuries have been a problem so far, but Monahan has battled through some injuries as well. He just didn't miss as much time, but a bad back really affected Monahan's play to start last season.
I will say that Monahan's performance in last year's playoffs make me think he's primed to become one of those players who really brings it come playoff time. If that happens, well then forget everything I've said in this thread, because high end playoff performers will trump great regular season performers every time.