[CP Story] Decision Time

[landshark]

Last night in Los Angeles Monahan banged in a rebound on a powerplay, a flick of the stick that a million beer leaguers could have duplicated. But how he got to that spot on the ice at the right time ready to flick said stick is the story, and it’s one that keeps repeating itself.

His goal in Columbus was similar. His goal in San Jose was similar, his game winner against the Devils was similar. Heck his two third period chances last night that could have been the winner were similar.


REALLY good point. SJ has been so good with team defense - opponents are getting very few chances to even get into scoring areas with the puck. The SJ D made a very momentary error by not keeping an eye on players heading to the net and the kid saw the opportunity, jumped on it and was there when the pass came in. AND he finished. That's a pro.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Drury18

Personally, I'm not worried about his contract or eligibility for UFA, we have money to burn. My concern is can he endure the ups and downs and pressure of a full NHL season?

He's our shiny new toy and we love him. What happens when the shine dulls? Do the fans turn on him?

Is he still riding an adrenalin high that hasn't sunk in yet? What happens when he goes into a slump (because it will happen)? We have only seen the good side of the kid, we haven't seen bad and I was sort of hoping to see both before having to make a decision whether he stays. Let's see what happens when he can't score for a few games, gets into a rut. Does he work his ass off to get out or does he pout? How does he handle negative comments from the media, coaches and GM? How does he handle being demoted on a line to encourage better play?

I worry that we might have another Baertschi situation where the kid comes in on a high, does everything right, scores and then the reality of being an NHL player where you have bad times and bad streaks comes into play and completely knocks the wind out of his sails and he struggles. Or that the pressure from the fans becomes overwhelming and they don't know how to deal with it. I believe to an extent that Monohan has more mental toughness then Baertschi but he's also 19 and it's excusable if he doesn't.

No.

And if any "fans" do, there is a team 300 km to the north that would love to have their support.

[CaptainCrunch]

So thinking about this and the deadline that's upcoming, there are more reasons to keep him up then sending him down

1) For the most part you send down a rookie after 9 days because its apparent that there are holes in his game that he needs to work on. These range from the physical, not strong enough, not a good enough skater at the pro level, thoughts that they can't handle the bigger stronger players. We've seen none of this in Monahan, his skating is fine for the NHL level, as is his physical strength side. He's been very good on the boards and he's been able to stay with the play at an NHL level.

2) Maybe he can't handle the schedule? We don't know that and we won't know that until we try. Its certain that he's playing with a certain mix of adrenaline and attitude. But the kid has gotten stronger as we go along, even with teams starting to put their better centers across from him, he's held up.

2) What about the contract stuff? Who really cares, the Flames are obligated to their fans to put the best players possible on the ice, we're not the Oilers here. Fact is the trend is with exceptional young players reaching the end of their entry level contracts that the so called bridge contracts aren't the same as they used to be. You might still sign them to a shorter term but your still going to pay them lots of money. Both Hall and Eberle were signed to 4 year $6 million dollar terms. Landeskog in Colorado to a 4 year extension at about 5.71. Even if he plays through his elc contract we'll still see him in Flames silks til he's about 25 which means he still has 2 years to a UFA status. So the answer again is who cares.

3) Sending him down increases his confidence right? Not really, sending him back to Ottawa is equivalent now to sending King Kong into Hobbiton, sure he'll rack is up, but is he gaining more confidence then he's got now? Doubtful. In fact if he goes down and dominates does his game really improve? I don't think it does. He might as well stay here and prove himself with a stiffer challenge.

4) What about coaching? NHL coaching is that much better then it is in juniors. Everything from proper game day preparation, to systems study, to health and nutrition is top notch in the NHL. He'll eat properly, be able to physically work out to a better result up here and learn what it takes to be a professional.

5) He's surrounded by pros. This can be good or bad depending on who's inthe locker room. In Colorado young players gravitated to Sakic, in Detroit to Yzerman (even though he had a reputation of being a bit of a raging jerk). While Calgary doesn't have that level of leadership. They do have guys like Gio, and Cammy and Big Ern and other really good professionals that can not only keep him grounded but help him absorb life in the NHL. He's also not going to ride buses, eat happy meals and party with a bunch of 18 year olds. He's going to party with mid 20's players.

6) Ottawa is a horrible team, its going nowhere, in Calgary he can take that second row this year and enjoy the game and learn to be a pro, he doesn't have to captain a sinking ship with little to no prospects. Sure Ottawa can trade him, but that leads to the uncertainty of the type of coaching and team he's going to end up with. At least here we know what he's going to end up with.

7) He gets to spend time with the teams young nucleus. Spending time with Bart and Brodie and Bouma and Horak and Colbourne while they all get to learn together and support each other is a good thing. If he was the only young guy on the team, I might argue differently. But being able to bond with young players while learning from the older players is hugely beneficial for this franchise as a whole and for Monahan.

8) More fun, this team has no expectations this year, he can enjoy his rookie year and not go through the Sequin scenario of being stapled to the bench because he's playing on a Stanley Cup contending team with huge depth. This means that he's going to see power play time, penalty killing time and all kinds of late game scenarios. This is literally no different then what would happen to him in juniors except the level of competition is higher and he'll have to learn at a faster rate.

Sure we can send him to play at the WJC where he should get the number 1 center spot and the chance to lead that team. But other then that there is very little reason to send him back down.

If we send him back because he's negatively effecting our draft position, well that's just stupid and it tells every young player that losing is ok.

If we send him back to juniors because we're losing a year of elc eligibility, that's really the wrong reason to send him down.

The best place for him is here.

[The Yen Man]

It really makes no sense to save a year in ELC but hinder his growth by a year. I'd rather burn that one for better development. Money should not be a consideration for the Flames, considering they spend to the cap when needed anyways.

[Rerun]

I'm not really too worried about him handling an 82 game schedule. Hell, he's 19 yrs old. At that age he could probably handle a 100 game schedule without burning out.

Plus, he'll have that nice little 3 week break in February.

[Stay Golden]

M-O-N-A-H-A-N, M-O-N-A-H-A-N! Doing Gelinas #23 proud.

[Jebus]

I started the season out firmly believing the best thing for this kid was to get his nine games spaced out over the first 12-15 dates, then send him back to Junior. Stubbornly, I held on to this belief for the first six games, citing that the drop-off was immenent and that dominating at a lower level would be the best for his development.

Now, on the eve of the ninth game, I am 100% convinced otherwise. Watching this kid compete at the highest level and look comfortable, poised and competative has convinced me. Furthermore, I think he has been a hugely positive influence on Sven. Taking some of the media hype and shine away from Baertchi allows him to focus on his own play, and not worry as much about all the outside focus/influence.

The drop off is still likely to come, but now I simply assume it will be temporary and that his struggles will be that of learning to be a professional night-in and night-out; not of adapting to the size/speed/tenacity of the NHL.

Time to get a #23 jersey on order. Go Flames Go.

[DionTheDman]

I agree with everything in the story except for the last part. Hudler shouldn't buy an XBox for the basement because the XBox One is scheduled for release on November 22. Alternatively, the PS4 will be available on November 15.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Biggest thing for me is he's shown he can skate a regular shift and not look out of place. Playing smart away from the puck, doing little things right, etc. Sure there are mistakes but he does not look out of his element at all. So when that inevitable drop in production occurs he can still be a contributor to the team in other ways.

Was pretty firmly in the "send him back down" camp until recently but I think he's earned a permanent spot on the team.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by Drury18

Personally, I'm not worried about his contract or eligibility for UFA, we have money to burn. My concern is can he endure the ups and downs and pressure of a full NHL season?

He's our shiny new toy and we love him. What happens when the shine dulls? Do the fans turn on him?

Is he still riding an adrenalin high that hasn't sunk in yet? What happens when he goes into a slump (because it will happen)? We have only seen the good side of the kid, we haven't seen bad and I was sort of hoping to see both before having to make a decision whether he stays. Let's see what happens when he can't score for a few games, gets into a rut. Does he work his ass off to get out or does he pout? How does he handle negative comments from the media, coaches and GM? How does he handle being demoted on a line to encourage better play?

I worry that we might have another Baertschi situation where the kid comes in on a high, does everything right, scores and then the reality of being an NHL player where you have bad times and bad streaks comes into play and completely knocks the wind out of his sails and he struggles. Or that the pressure from the fans becomes overwhelming and they don't know how to deal with it. I believe to an extent that Monohan has more mental toughness then Baertschi but he's also 19 and it's excusable if he doesn't.

I think Flames need to base a decision like this on things that are known, rather than things that might or might not happen.

[Rerun]

The Flames would have to be insane to send Money back to Juniors. I don't think insanity is a problem with Feaster and Burke.
It won't happen. I bet my pubic hairs on it.

[getbak]

I always laugh when watching Sportscentre or Connected and they say, "Monahan is making the Flames' decision tougher". Really, he's making the decision easier every game.

[Enoch Root]

I am always in the send-them-down camp as I have seen so many kids' development get hurt by sitting on the bench.

But the guy has not only been a solid NHLer, he has been one of their best players.

There really is no decision here.

[GGG]

I was on the fence until the Anaheim, San Jose, LA games. Here were 3 teams with big elite center men, on the road so they could sent out whoever they wanted against him. Against those 3 teams he excelled and was continually given important minutes. Outside of Pittsburgh we just went through the teams with the best center depth.

As long as Hartley is comitted to playing him consistant minutes and so far he has then Calgary is the place for him and it is a no brainer decision. If the quanity of games starts to be a toll on him you just sit him out of the back to backs and if he is struggling around christmas give him a vacation to the WJrs.

I think worst case this year he is a 20 goal scorer (only 14 to go in 72 games) and in no circumstances would you just throw away a 20 goal guy.

[Dion]

The kid has great hockey sense and seems to know where the puck is going to be. He's not afraid to go the net and battle for the puck and always seems to be in the right postion when a scoring chance comes up.

His passing ability is uncanny. He knows where his team mates are and has the ability to make those passes you would only see from a seasoned vet.

It's been a long time since i've seen a Flames prospect play with so much pose and confidence. Hartley clearly sees it and has played him in diffifcult situations including the PP. His minutes per game are increasing.

His over all play and hockey sense has erased any feeling I had about not finishing last and drafting MacKinnon. Our future is bright with Monahan in the Flames lineup.

[Vulcan]

Last night in Los Angeles Monahan banged in a rebound on a powerplay, a flick of the stick that a million beer leaguers could have duplicated. But how he got to that spot on the ice at the right time ready to flick said stick is the story, and it’s one that keeps repeating itself.
His goal in Columbus was similar. His goal in San Jose was similar, his game winner against the Devils was similar. Heck his two third period chances last night that could have been the winner were similar.

Reminds me a little of this guy.

He was such a master of scoring garbage goals that a common saying in Boston in these days was "Jesus saves, but Espo scores on the rebound." Stan Fischler once dubbed Espo as the "highest paid garbage collector in the United States."

http://nyrangerslegends.blogspot.ca/...-esposito.html

Of course he should stay. It'll be a WTF ? moment if he gets sent down.

[powderjunkie]

Sending him down would be ridiculous - he has proven that he deserves to stay, and he should be rightfully pissed if he was sent down. While his ELC would last a year longer, it wouldn't bode well for keeping him as an UFA long down the road.

[MissTeeks]

Eric Francis says he stays:

Eric Francis‏@EricFrancis37m

Flames will confirm Sean Monahan isn't going back to jr at 11:30. His former coach won't b waiting by phone http://bit.ly/1h80SLu #Flames

[EM11]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

Eric Francis says he stays:

Eric Francis‏@EricFrancis37m

Flames will confirm Sean Monahan isn't going back to jr at 11:30. His former coach won't b waiting by phone http://bit.ly/1h80SLu #Flames

Not surprised, but happy that it will be confirmed today. I imagine that Monahan wants to stay very badly and that's a great thing.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by dion

the kid has great hockey sense and seems to know where the puck is going to be. He's not afraid to go the net and battle for the puck and always seems to be in the right postion when a scoring chance comes up.

His passing ability is uncanny. He knows where his team mates are and has the ability to make those passes you would only see from a seasoned vet.

It's been a long time since i've seen a flames centre play with so much pose and confidence. Hartley clearly sees it and has played him in diffifcult situations including the pp. His minutes per game are increasing.

His over all play and hockey sense has erased any feeling i had about not finishing last and drafting mackinnon. Our future is bright with monahan in the flames lineup.

fyp