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Old 10-09-2018, 10:29 PM   #1
GreenLantern2814
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Default Sean Monahan vs Jarome Iginla - Heading into their 24-year old seasons

What a difference four surgeries makes. No longer confined to the body of a Vietnam veteran, Sean Monahan has tied Daymond Langkow for the fastest to four goals to start a season in franchise history.

Langkow is not front and centre on my mind this evening - his former running mate and the best player in franchise history is.

I will draw your attention to two sets of numbers.

393 GP 138G 143A 281P

388 GP 122G 145A 267P

The first player is Sean Monahan through the end of his age-23 season. The second is Jarome Iginla. I know, I was surprised too.

Sean Monahan has outproduced Jarome Iginla to the exact same point in their careers, and he as done it while playing centre from the moment he stepped onto an NHL rink.

Monahan had a 30 goal season at age 20 - a full three years before Iggy did it.

Sean has been used exclusively as the team's #1C since near the beginning of his sophomore campaign at 20 years old. Is he Bergeron defensively? No. But nobody is, and a massive decline is his defensive proficiency would be pretty unprecedented.

One might say 'he plays with Johnny'. Virtually every great player in the league plays with at least one other great player. You show me a star who turns scrubs into 60 point producers, and I'll show you Sid.

It's important to remember as well, Iginla didn't become Iginla until he turned 24. Then he exploded for 52 goals and 96 points. Guess how old Monahan is turning?

Everyone knows about Monahan breaking Iginla's OT winner record; I think people sleep on that because 3v3 is so conducive to stars ending games in dramatic fashion. But I don't think enough people realize that the man wearing 23 has had a better start to his career than Jarome Iginla. And he's done it while playing a harder position.

If you want to throw in playoff success, Monahan blows Iginla out of the water by this point - two playoff appearances, 11 points in 15 games, one playoff round victory. All with Hiller/Ramo/Elliot, Hartley and Gulutzan. Tell me Iginla had that much less to work with, I dare you. (I know, I know - he did. He really did. We all saw it. Still. Monahan.)

Iginla broke out at 24 and went on to score 70 or more points in six of the next ten seasons, never scoring fewer than 60. Monahan certainly has a long way to go to match that production. Yet I cannot get over the fact that to this point in their respective careers, Monahan has been better.

Does Monahan have it in him to reach that next level of superstardom? He certainly makes it look easy, but if it was easy, everyone would do it.
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