Fair point. I think they're similar outside of that though in terms of skill.
Monahan is a lot more skilled than Backes already. Selling him way short on that comparison.
He's better offensively, and better with his stick defensively. Backes has him on hitting and that's pretty much it (aside from FO%, which everyone has over Monahan ATM).
EDIT: On the note of of "where is the love"... where is the recognition of Monny's offensive ability?
I was intriged about the potential trade of 6, 22 and 28 for #1 and draft MacKinnen. I think I'd now rather have Mackinnen over Monahan, Poirier and Klumchuk but you can't go wrong with a 25/50 two way center.
Monahan had 62 points this year and is tracking for 63 this year after a slow start. Not sure where the 25/50 is coming from?
He is only10 pts behind MacKinnon all time in a handful more GP.
If Poirier or Klimchuk amount to anything the Flames are better off without that deal IMO.
Still lots of development and upside, but he is not flashy, but effective. His hand/eye coordination is instant. Very good reflexes and a great skater.
Trade playing the body for playing the puck, and Monahan is the current equivalent of Jeff Carter, and better than Backes by a stretch.
That's not "at his peak," that's "this exact moment."
A not-as-good-skating and less finesse version of Carter is what I see also. When Monahan was drafted, the last thing I expected him to be was a shooting center like Carter. But look how well that has turned out for us. I fully expect him to score 40 one day. And in this version of the NHL, that's means he might be one of the best snipers in the league one day, especially playing with Johnny
And call me crazy, but I'd have a tough time trading Monahan straight up for Mackinnon, let alone the other 2 first rounders. While Mackinnon his the higher offensive ceiling, we NEEDED a 2 way C like Monahan for the longest time. I think the Mackinnon vs Monahan debate is much closer then some people think.
Last edited by Huntingwhale; 12-16-2015 at 07:07 PM.
