Sean Monahan or: Should we Learn to Stop Worrying and Love our #1C

[FanIn80]

There are a few threads in which conversation has revolved around whether or not #23 is a "legit" #1C. So for kicks, I went and grabbed some stats for every C in the NHL who has taken at least as many faceoffs as Monahan has this season.

In a very black or white sense, the number of faceoffs a C takes (relative to his peers) should determine his status as a literal #1C. The grey area; however, is in the word, "legit." How do we qualify that word? What are the things we're looking at when we take a player who is clearly our team's #1C and decide if he's "a" #1C or not?

Well it turns out that only six players in the NHL this season have taken more faceoffs than Sean Monahan, so at least we have a manageable sample size to look at, if we're interested in quick comparisons...

Source data:

Spoiler!

[stone hands]

Moneyhands is about legit as you can possibly get in the NHL

We are insanely lucky to be able to watch him every night

[Bezer]

Honestly when we drafted Monahan I thought he was gonna be slotted as our second line center long term..

He has sure impressed me, not only with his scoring touch, but his poise too. I think you win with guys like that on a team.

[GoJetsGo]

I remember some talk of him turning into a Daymond Langkow type and it seems very fortunate for us he's blown that out of the water - and done so in just the infancy of his pro career.

I think he's a No. 1 Centre now by definition, but will be a top tier one when he hits his eventual peak.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Thanks for the statistical summary. I think everything there really demonstrates how legitimate a number one centre Monahan is. Hard to argue with everything he has accomplished at the age of 21.

We are fortunate to have him on the Flames.

[FlamesAddiction]

Yeah, IMO he is a legitimate No.1 center.

If a chance comes along to upgrade, you have to look at it of course. But at this point, I don't think it should be an active priority. I think he is arguably in the top 10 to 15 centers in the league. Most, if not all of the ones ahead of him who are better are almost certainly untouchable (or would cost a ridiculous price to acquire).

[GranteedEV]

Mikko Koivu is a #1C?

What are the things we're looking at when we take a player who is clearly our team's #1C and decide if he's "a" #1C or not?

#1C, #1G, #1D... these are terms to refer to where guys slot on elite teams.

Is Karri Ramo a #1G? No.
Is he our #1G? Technically.

Was Jay Bouwmeester ever a #1D? No.
Was he ever our #1D? Technically.

Is Sean Monahan our #1C? Technically.
Is Sean Monahan a #1C? Still debatable and I'm sorry if you disagree but I need to see more and I need to see it more consistently. All I've ever personally argued is that, barring a sweetheart long term deal, we should bridge Monahan so it's very clear what he is.

[Enoch Root]

# of FOs probably isn't the best measure of #1 Cs. Lots of 3rd or 4th line guys are FO specialists.

Also, why cut it off at Monahan? If you're going with FOs, take the top 20 (or whatever)

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Mikko Koivu is a #1C?

Yep. And not an elite one anymore. He averages 19:57 to lead the Wild forward in TOI/game. Who else would you have thought their #1 centre was?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett are about as complimentary of a one-two punch as you can get down the middle. We get caught up in labels way too much as fans. Some games and some stretches Monahan and his line will be the number one trio, some nights it will be Bennett and his wingers leading the charge.

Back-to-back seasons of 60+ points and his 22nd birthday is still half a years away.

Pretty good, pretty, pretty pretty good.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

We're set at centre. It's great. Flames were searching for a #1 centre ever since trading Nieuwendyk and we've finally found two. We have two future #1 centres and a legit #2 centre who slots in on our 3rd line. That is contending centre depth when Bennett is developed.

Now we need to add a goalie and some size and skill on the wing. Pretty close to being a very deep team IMO.

[TheScorpion]

Sean Monahan is an elite #1 centre.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett are about as complimentary of a one-two punch as you can get down the middle. We get caught up in labels way too much as fans. Some games and some stretches Monahan and his line will be the number one trio, some nights it will be Bennett and his wingers leading the charge.

Back-to-back seasons of 60+ points and his 22nd birthday is still half a years away.

Pretty good, pretty, pretty pretty good.

Agreed.

Going forward there will be nights when Bennett is the #1 and Monahan is the #2.

The ability to put out either of these two players will hopefully make Calgary a very difficult to team line match and play against.

[foshizzle11]

Out of all the stats on there, I would love to see him leading in hits per game, start using that bigger frame of his.

I agree with some above, he is an elite #1C in this league and will only get better. Seeing his stats compared to the rest above is fantastic. My first jersey with a name and number on it was Monahan in his first season and I knew then that I would never regret it and it is a retro. He is great, quietly great.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Sean Monahan is an elite #1 centre.

Not yet he isn't. But he's well on his way. He's got the scoring down and his defensive composure grows every season. But he's got a ways to go. He doesn't drive the offence as much yet, and isn't the most physical guy. He's got a ways to go before he hits the heights that the true elite guys like Kopitar, Bergeron and Crosby are at. But at age 21 he's well beyond most other young centers in the league.

He's a true #1 to me. One a true contender he might slot in as a #2, but only because true contenders are teams like LA and CHI that have elite #1s.

The fact that he's a pure goal scorer makes it even sweeter. I never thought of him as a sniper when he was drafted, but he very much is. The team has desperately needed snipers since Iggy and Cammy have left. It brings quite the dynamic to a team when it's your centreman sniping them. To me that's what I find most intriguing about him.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by stone hands

Moneyhands is about legit as you can possibly get in the NHL

We are insanely lucky to be able to watch him every night

It's crazy how good he is away from the puck already in his young career.

What will take him to the next, elite offensive level is being a little more assertive with his offensive game i.e. generating another 40-50 shots on goal per season.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Sean Monahan is an elite #1 centre.

I agree that Monahan is a legit top line C but people throw around the word "elite" just a little to easy. Sidney Crosby is an elite #1 C.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Sidney Crosby is an elite #1 C.

OK.

So is Sean Monahan.

[Huntingwhale]

Trolling much? Sean Monahan is not on the same tier as Crosby. Don't even pretend.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Trolling much? Sean Monahan is not on the same tier as Crosby. Don't even pretend.

At worst, he's one tier below. At age 21, he has 63 points.