How do you rank our top 4 forwards?

[Kovaz]

The last three years Johnny Gaudreau has been clearly our best forward, largely on the back of his offensive production. He's lead the team in scoring by an average of 13 points per season, and more than any other player on the roster he's got fans on the edge of their seat. Up until recently, it was also clear that Monahan was #2 with another clear gap in offensive production before the next guy. You could argue Tkachuk in that spot as well, especially with his goal-scoring taking a major step forward last year, but for the most part it hasn't been difficult to rank our top forwards.

This year, with Tkachuk taking another step offensively and adding Lindholm to the mix, I've never been less sure of how to rank them. Looking at their stats through 20 games there's next to nothing separating them:

• Elias Lindholm: 11 Goals, 10 Assists, 21 Points
• Sean Monahan: 10 Goals, 11 Assists, 21 Points
• Matthew Tkachuk: 9 Goals, 12 Assists, 21 Points
• Johnny Gaudreau: 6 Goals, 14 Assists, 20 Points

So how do you rank them? Do you value Gaudreau's offensive creativity and playmaking? Lindholm's all-around solidity in every facet of the game? Tkachuk's rare combo of grit, skill, and hockey IQ? Or Monahan's sixth sense and ability to find the right place at the right time? Likewise, which flaws matter more to you? Gaudreau's size? Tkachuk's skating? Monahan's puck handling? (I actually can't think of a significant flaw for Lindholm)

Some other random stats:
Lindholm has the most powerplay points (9) and fewest 5v5 (8)
Monahan has the fewest PP points (6) and most 5v5 (12)
Tkachuk has 7 on the PP, 10 5v5
Gaudreau has 7 on the PP, 11 5v5

At 5v5 Tkachuk has points on 90% of his line's goals (Monahan 75%, Gaudreau 73%, Lindholm 57%)

I'd probably rank them like this:

1. Tkachuk: The fact that he can keep up offensively with the other 3 while playing a shutdown role with less talented linemates is amazing. Factor in how many clutch goals he scores and his leadership and that puts him at the top for me.
2. Gaudreau: Even though the other 3 are keeping up offensively, he's still the engine that powers our offense. No one else on this roster can rush the puck close to as well as he can with as little help. I fully expect him to lead the team in scoring by a decent margin by the end of the year.
3. Lindholm: At times I think he might be our best overall forward, but I just need to see a bigger sample size of the same to bump him up. He seems to touch every dimension of our team in a positive way. His defensive play lets Monahan cheat offensively a bit more, he's an excellent PKer, a huge part of our powerplay. His chemistry with Gaudreau has been every bit as good as Monahan as well.
4. Monahan: Feels weird having him 4th, but someone had to be here. Of the four, I think his flaws as a player are the most noticeable. He definitely leans on Gaudreau in transition more than I'd like, and he doesn't create as much as the other 3 with the puck on his stick. But he's practically clairvoyant when it comes to getting open where the puck's going to be and nobody finishes those chances better.

I've gone back and forth on the order a million times, and the gaps between them are tiny. Obviously when you can't decide which of your 4 point-per-game players is best, that's a great problem to have. Curious what the rest of you think.

[Zoller]

I think it's pretty clear at this point that Tkachuk is the best player on the Flames and deserves to be the highest paid.

We're probably looking at 9+ for his next contract. Say goodbye to the Gio cap

I would say Tkachuk's passing skills are the 2nd best on the team, behind Johnny. But his shot is significantly better than Gaudreau. Obviously Tkachuck has a lot of other intangibles that put him over Gaudreau. For one I think his puck protection is the best on the team, especially on the boards.

But it's Tkachuck's hockey IQ that is probably tops on the team.

We saw glimpses of this from his last year but he has really taken a step this year.

[Vinny01]

$9M for Tkachuk? He better score 100+pts this year then

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Zoller

I think it's pretty clear at this point that Tkachuk is the best player on the Flames and deserves to be the highest paid.

We're probably looking at 9+ for his next contract. Say goodbye to the Gio cap

Yeah Tkachuk for sure, production, two way play ... and so many intangibles.

Still can't believe Treliving added a 23 year old core forward locked up for term, and a solid 22 year old second pairing defenseman for Hamilton, an expiring contract Ferland and the rights to a player that was never going to sign here. I liked the trade day one because it was one core out two in, but I didn't expect Lindholm to fit in as well as he did.

[blankall]

Gaudreau is still the best. He brings an offensive game that is very rare. If he was bigger and had a slightly better physical and defensive game, Gaudreau would be a top forward in the league.

Tkachuk is playing like #2 on the team for all the reasons you've stated.

Monahan at #3. He looks like a much more complete player this year.

Lindholm at #4. He's the top line RW the team needed. However he also benefits from having Gaudreau double teamed and playing with one of the best duos in the league. He's far more consistent than previous attempts at #1 RWs. A bonafide top 6 forward, but not an all star level player.

[Bingo]

oh and I really wanted to answer "their height" in my best Ty Webb voice (Caddyshack)

[GranteedEV]

1) Still Gaudreau - I think we're misusing him in some areas - on the PP we should be using him like Hartley did on the right, at 5v5 I think he misses Ferland's ability in the corners. He's still the most dynamic player we have and the only one in the same stratosphere as Pettersson, McDavid, Getzlaf, Kovalchuk, Kopitar, and Karlsson as far as the elite playmakers in our division.

2) Tkachuk - His hockey IQ, passing, and scoring instincts are off the charts. If he improves his skating and edgework he will be in that above tier of elite playmakers. Just not quite there yet and not able to dominate shifts the same way... yet.

3) Lindholm - I wish he played center, because he looks to have all the tools to be a number one in the vein of Toews. He's a bit guilty of forcing pucks where there's no pass to be made, and his SH% is obviously inflated this year, but he's been really impressive. Also a good example for why I think Sam Bennett has the ability to really take off, they've had similar career arcs, with some contextual differences.

4) Monahan - when he's not scoring, he's invisible and often even a liability defensively. He does score often, though.

[Bunk]

Each bring something different but something very important to the team. Nice top end of our lineup. No point ranking them, right now they are essentially tied in terms of their value to the success of the team.

[killer_carlson]

Gaudreau
Tkachuk
Monahan
Lindholm

You can't argue with monahan's production, but I can see why people who don't follow our team undervalue him

[kbvall]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Gaudreau

Tkachuk

Monahan

Lindholm



You can't argue with monahan's production, but I can see why people who don't follow our team undervalue him

I would copy/paste this.

Love that Lindholm took this next step when coming to Calgary.


Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk

[Kovaz]

I'll also add, for some context, the thing I'm most curious about is how the rest of you see Lindholm stacking up against the other 3. When we made the trade it felt like we were replacing a complimentary player in Ferland with a better complimentary player in Lindholm. I think at this point he's clearly a core player. If he keeps producing and finishes with 70+ points while being a driving force on the powerplay, elite faceoff guy, and key PKer - is he our best overall player? Obviously jumping the gun to call him that now, but his ceiling in my mind is way higher than it was a month and a half ago.

[monkeyman]

I was thinking about this last night. every other year you'd automatically assume Johnny would be the Flame going to the All star game, this year, it could be a number of, or multiple guys.

[Coach]

Gaudreau is the #1 for sure IMO. He may not end up with the most goals or points, but he is the "something different" the Flames have that isn't a conventional offensive threat. The other 3 are all great players, but they are also prototypical players whereas Gaudreau has an element that is not as defendable and his threat grows larger when he is surrounded by better players because his primary potency is playmaking.

I would say the other three are basically all equal in their impact and importance to the team (along with a few defenders). They all bring a different dynamic that is important to have in a quality team so I don't think you can really rank one over the other.

But I do think with Gaudreau this team has a player that is something no other team has. Thats obviously not to say that other teams dont have great players that are arguably better than Gaudreau, just that he has a skillset that is uncommon and is more of a "cherry on top" than a player that is a necessary piece because there are only a handful in the league and you're lucky to have one so just bloody enjoy it.

[Itse]

When points are this close, I would usually default to the rule of centers (and defenseman) before wingers. It's just a more important role.

However A, Lindholm can play center, B Tkachuk is a really special package, and C Johnny Hockey. This is a tough one.

I would however go with Monahan and Gaudreau over Lindholm and Tkachuk, for now. The former two have proven their ability to play at this level consistently, the latter two have not, yet. I fully expect it from Tkachuk to be honest, Lindholm I can see coming down to earth still. (As in wouldn't surprise me. Not that the opposite would surprise me that much either.)

Monahan might not have quite the two-way game you'd hope from a #1 center, he's still better defensively than Johnny. And again, centers are more important. Plus Monahan is pretty damned clutch, and he's shown he can do just fine without Gaudreau.

It's funny that putting our top center first is almost a contrarian move, but that's just my conclusion here
#1 Monahan
#2 Gaudreau
#3 Tkachuk, he's pretty special
#4 Lindholm, because somebody has to be last in this group.

I might rank this differently by the end of the season.

[Macho0978]

Gaudreau
Tkachuk
Lindholm
Monahan

I have lindholm ahead of Monahan because he’s a beast in his own zone and on pk.

I have Gaudreau ahead of everone still as his ability to carry the puck and gain the zone is easily the best on the team and other teams still focus on him more than anyone on team and he gets toughest match ups

[dammage79]

Versatility:
1. Lindholm
2. Tkachuk
3. Monahan
4. Gaudreau

Skill:
1. Gaudreau
2. Tkachuk
3. Lindhom
4. Monahan

Clutch:
1. Monahan
2. Tkachuk
3. Lindholm
4. Gaudreau

Grit:
1. Tkachuk
2. Lindholm
3. Monahan
4. Gaudreau

Vision:
1. Gaudreau
2. Lindholm
3. Tkachuk
4. Monahan

Skating:
1. Gaudreau
2. Lindholm
3. Monahan
4. Tkachuk

Too many tools to really bead on a proper ranking but I think it's really easy to name your top 4 FW's.

[Imported_Aussie]

Gaudreau is ahead of Tkachuk in terms of game breaking skill, but Tkachuk is more consistent and offers a much more well rounded game. You need both kinds of players to win.

[djsFlames]

1) Gaudreau
2) Tkachuk
3) Monahan
4) Lindholm

Definitely contemplated putting Lindholm ahead of one or two, but he hasn't proven yet that he can sustain this level of play over a season, so I'll reserve judgment. He has so much of everything in spades though that you can't help but salivate at the possibilities of what heights he could reach as a Flame. Tkachuk just has a couple more tools in the toolbox than Monahan, and I think as he comes into his own is becoming a very special player that just doesn't come around very often. Any club with aspirations of winning would want a guy like Monahan on their team also. Looking to be about as reliable a finisher as there is, aside from players like Laine and Ovechkin and should give Jarome a run for his money if he stays here long enough. The rest of his game is adequate but not quite as special. Gaudreau is still the Flames best player, without question. And a 4 game cold snap should not erase that from people's memories. It'll just take him getting back on the horse for a few games to shoot up in the scoring ranks to the top again. There are probably only 3-4 players in the world that are better when they're "on".

[locsofblu]

So far this year.
Tkachuk
Lindholm
Gaudreau
Monahan
Gaudreau still has probably the best skillset but he's becoming to predictable to defend as he rarely shoots the puck and always almost looks for the pass instead.
Seems also he's being targeted more physically this year.

[LWcrowfoot]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

4) Monahan - when he's not scoring, he's invisible and often even a liability defensively. He does score often, though.

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

You can't argue with monahan's production, but I can see why people who don't follow our team undervalue him

Hope the guy above doesn't follow our team. Terrible take. Borderline offensive.