Sean Monahan: Will this be the year he moves into the "elite" center category?

[Rubi]

Last year, Monahan played most, if not all, of the season injured. Finally after 74 games the Flames shut him down and he went under the knife. He had four separate surgeries.

4 surgeries for Flames' Sean Monahan since being shut down - Sportsnet.ca

Calgary Flames forward told reporters Monday at the team’s locker clean out that he has undergone four separate surgeries since being shut down for the season in late March.
Monahan first had left wrist reconstruction surgery, followed by two hernia surgeries and a groin procedure. The wrist injury in particular is something the 23-year-old said had been bothering him for a long time.
“I felt like I was playing with one hand for a while,” Monahan said. “I lost all my grip strength in my hand. It definitely limits you. At the end of the day, you try to go out there and perform at the best ability you can.”

Despite being injured for most of the season he still was able to score 31 goals and assist on 33 others.

This year Monahan is finally healthy and the score sheet reflects that. He's in 6th place in total points among centers and he's in 11th place in Pts/GP among the league centers.

Click to read more...

 

[Filthy Dangles]

No he's a good player but he's not elite.

 

[Haatley]

No he's a good player but he's not elite.

If he finishes at the top of every statistic, you simply saying "he's not elite" will hold no real value in anyone's mind.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

If he finishes at the top of every statistic, you simply saying "he's not elite" will hold no real value in anyone's mind.

Cool. He won't. It's a small sample size. Plenty of centers have gotten 18 points in a 15 game span before. It's nothing special. Like I said, he's a good player but he isn't elite.

 

[talitintti]

Nope

 

[blankall]

Huge Flames fan, but Monahan just doesn't have the playmaking ability or skating to be considered elite. He is one of the best goalscorers in the league. He plays with one of the best playmakers in the league, in Gaudreau, who Monahan is a perfect fit for. Basically, Monahan is an elite goal scorer, but not an elite player overall.

The Calgary scenario is atypical, as the winger is the main playmaker and the centre is the complimentary piece. This is simply because Gaudreau is too small to play centre.

 

[Ainec]

OP do you want @WhiskeyYourTheDevils to have an heart attack?

 

[Tkachuky]

OP do you want @WhiskeyYourTheDevils to have an heart attack?

Just wait until @OvermanKingGainer comes in. Get your popcorn ready!

 

[East Coast Icestyle]

Huge Flames fan, but Monahan just doesn't have the playmaking ability or skating to be considered elite. He is one of the best goalscorers in the league. He plays with one of the best playmakers in the league, in Gaudreau, who Monahan is a perfect fit for. Basically, Monahan is an elite goal scorer, but not an elite player overall.

The Calgary scenario is atypical, as the winger is the main playmaker and the centre is the complimentary piece. This is simply because Gaudreau is too small to play centre.

Mony isn't fast, but he's not as slow as people always say. He also has good playmaking skills, it's just simply not the focus of his game.

That said, if he scores 40 goals this season I consider him elite regardless of an assist total.

 

[Foppberg]

Nah, good goal scorer and can be a #1C, but isn't an elite one.

 

[Regal]

Nope. He won't keep it up and he doesn't drive play outside of his goalscoring enough to be among the elite. Good player, but he'll continue to be a borderline top 20 center

 

[TheGoldenGod]

Nah.

ROR is better and he's labeled a high end 2C.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Mony isn't fast, but he's not as slow as people always say. He also has good playmaking skills, it's just simply not the focus of his game.

That said, if he scores 40 goals this season I consider him elite regardless of an assist total.

Is Wild Bill elite? If Monahan somehow is ever a 40 goal getter it will probably be on the back of an inflated Sh% and won't ever be repeated, just like Wild Bill last year.

 

[flamesforcup]

No he isn't. He is great but without Gaudreau he is more of a high #2C. Not to take anything away from him cause he has proven alot of us wrong but i just dont think he can drive a teams offense like u would expect an elite player to do

 

[blankall]

Mony isn't fast, but he's not as slow as people always say. He also has good playmaking skills, it's just simply not the focus of his game.

That said, if he scores 40 goals this season I consider him elite regardless of an assist total.

To be an elite centre, you really need that high points total with either the playmaking or the power forward type game. I just think Monahan's game is too one-dimensional to be considered a truly elite all around player. You have to remember he's being compared to other first line centres, and to be an elite first line centre, you really have to be top 5 in all around game.

Like you say he's not slow, but when compared to other first line centres, his skating is below average. Like I said before, that's fine. Monahan is one of the best trigger guys in the game, and he's perfect for a line with Gaudreau, who is an elite playmaker.

 

[blankall]

Is Wild Bill elite? If Monahan somehow is ever a 40 goal getter it will probably be on the back of an inflated Sh% and won't ever be repeated, just like Wild Bill last year.

I like how you make it seem like it's some kind of unlikely improbability that Monahan reaches 40. He had 31 in 74 games last year, playing with injury on a team that gave up. He's currently on pace for over 40, on a team that typically starts very cold.

 

[JPeeper]

Nah.

ROR is better and he's labeled a high end 2C.

ROR is not better than Monahan. In 9 years Ryan O'Reilly has one season where he matched Sean's career high in points. Sean has 3 seasons better than Ryan's next best season. O'Reilly has never broken 30 goals, Monahan has twice. Mony has 10 more GWG in 4 less seasons. O'Reilly averages are 4 more assists per season, but is no where near the same goal scorer. Other than face-offs, Monahan is a better player in every aspect.

 

[Mickey Marner]

He's good, but not elite. Clearly inferior to the average cup winning 1C. A poor man's Auston Matthews.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

I like how you make it seem like it's some kind of unlikely improbability that Monahan reaches 40. He had 31 in 74 games last year, playing with injury on a team that gave up. He's currently on pace for over 40, on a team that typically starts very cold.

Because it is.

Monahan rides and gets by on high Sh% to begin with. He doesn't shoot enough volume to ever score 40 goals. Johnny G sets him up on a platter for at least 5-10 goals per year so he's gotta bank on that for his production too.

In short, I doubt Monahan will ever pot 40. If he ever does, it will be a fluke.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

He’s in the 20-25 range of C’s. Not elite but very good.

 

[DJJones]

One of the best scorers in the game, if healthy I think he's a 35G/70 point guy but he just doesn't tilt the ice enough in way that other elite centers do.

 

[jetsforever]

Doubt it

 

[Bonzo111]

Great draft pick. If I recall he was a reach at 6th overall in that draft.

 

[Regal]

I like how you make it seem like it's some kind of unlikely improbability that Monahan reaches 40. He had 31 in 74 games last year, playing with injury on a team that gave up. He's currently on pace for over 40, on a team that typically starts very cold.

It's not improbable, but it's not going to be his norm, and is likely going to require a bit of luck and an inflated shooting percentage. 31 in 74 games is still only a 34 goal pace, and he had seasons of 31, 27 and 27 in full years before that. There's lots of players than can score in the 30-35 goal range but don't end up hitting 40.

 

[Bond]

Monahan has actually been playing better defense since that 9-1 blowout and actually caused some goals by creating turnovers. If he can do that and score 40+ maybe he will get there.