Confirmed Signing with Link: [CBJ] F Sean Monahan signs with the Blue Jackets (5 years, $5.5M AAV)

[viceroy]

When you take all things into consideration:

Monahan >> Laine.

Well the Habs got 2 1sts and a 2nd for taking on Monahan and Laine. So we don't care, we got paid both ways.

 

[HuGort]

Wish Monahan had re-signed in Montreal last summer. Habs dumped Dvorak. Dvorak decent but Monahan would be great as third line center. If Dach doesn't get injury Habs been powerful down middle. Considering Evans doing a Danault imitation.

Beck as fourth line center next year.

 

[Peasy]

Wish Monahan had re-signed in Montreal last summer. Habs dumped Dvorak. Dvorak decent but Monahan would be great as third line center. If Dach doesn't get injury Habs been powerful down middle. Considering Evans doing a Danault imitation.

Beck as fourth line center next year.

3C on a bottom feeder team?

Bros playing exceptional hockey as a 1C on a team ahead of the habs.

 

[thebus88]

When you take all things into consideration:

Monahan >> Laine.

Interesting comment that I must reply to. As a CBJ fan, it’s very interesting to look at and compare these 2 players, for many different reasons.

The 1st aspect would be to look at how the vast majority of CBJ fans (and fans in general) looked at the additions of each player, their “hype” factor, and how most people thought things would go for the players and team moving forward. To add to that, also to look at how most people or hockey fans will/would/and some still do look at them as hockey players, and/or who is “better”.

From not really following Monahan the last few years and seeing how he’s been pretty up and down recently, I didn’t really know what to expect from him coming in. While he might break down moving forward in a few years, even after 1 year, he’s quite clearly one of the best UFA signing the organization has ever made. From a timing, skill, and simple team need standpoint.

Talking the Monahan/Laine comparison/relationship, it’s fascinating to look at them when looking at their “physical attributes” and/or “skills”, while also weighing their “mental attributes” and the way they THINK the game, into things.

The 2 players are a PERECT example to show that it doesn’t matter how big you are, how fast you can skate, how hard you can shoot the puck, or how flashy you can be. It matters how good of a HOCKEY PLAYER you are and how well you can think the game. Along with putting in the effort.

With Laine (and players like him) it got to the point I didn’t even want to watch CBJ games. With Monahan leading our young forwards breaking into the league, I don’t want to miss a game.

 

[Shark Finn]

When you take all things into consideration:

Monahan >> Laine.

 

[andora]

Probably just means that he is a much better fit for the Columbus group

 

[blankall]

He’s always been a very solid player, he just absolutely derailed himself in Calgary by playing through injuries. It’s on the staff in Calgary at the time to some degree for letting it get so out of hand. Then Treliving for some absolutely inept cap management before jumping off the train he lit on fire.

Anyone who had followed his career closely wasn’t surprised by what he did in Montreal and Winnipeg. A segment of Flames fans tried to downplay him once Lindholm arrived, but Monahan was always just as good a player, when healthy.

Monahan had an injury that can't always be improved with surgery and he'd also had 4 surgeries a few years prior. I can see why people weren't so quick to rush into surgery again.

Monahan also broke his ribs, which is an injury that is very painful but typically just gets better in it's own.

In Montreal he broke his foot and then made the personal choice to keep playing on it, which led to the groin injury.

I don't think it's fair to put so much of the blame on the staff, when it's really just bad luck. A player doesn't want to be missing year after year with surgeries.

Then there's the other elephant in the room, that Monahan was really messing with the chemistry of the team. He was great with Gaudreau, but wasn't able to find a place on any of the other lines. He's no good as a shut down or energy player. Monahan's presence delayed the decision to stack that top line of Gaudreau, Lindholm, and Tkachuk.

Looking back on things, the poor decisions, were likely with coaching and how that treated Bennett. It would have made sense to push something like a Monahan-Gaudreau pairing and a second line with a Bennett-Tkachuk pairing. But was Monahan healthy enough to do that?

Anyways, I'm really happy for Monahan, but I don't see the Flames mismanagement of him as a major issue. He just had the unfortunate luck of having a bunch of nagging injuries. Fortunately, for him, unlike the majority, he recovered from those injuries with many surgeries but also time.

Let's also keep in mind he's always been a less than ideal #1 center and a much worse depth center. He's found a place in Columbus where he can do that. Is Monahan the #1 center on a contending team though?

 

[stevo61]

Monahan had an injury that can't always be improved with surgery and he'd also had 4 surgeries a few years prior. I can see why people weren't so quick to rush into surgery again.

Monahan also broke his ribs, which is an injury that is very painful but typically just gets better in it's own.

In Montreal he broke his foot and then made the personal choice to keep playing on it, which led to the groin injury.

I don't think it's fair to put so much of the blame on the staff, when it's really just bad luck. A player doesn't want to be missing year after year with surgeries.

Then there's the other elephant in the room, that Monahan was really messing with the chemistry of the team. He was great with Gaudreau, but wasn't able to find a place on any of the other lines. He's no good as a shut down or energy player. Monahan's presence delayed the decision to stack that top line of Gaudreau, Lindholm, and Tkachuk.

Looking back on things, the poor decisions, were likely with coaching and how that treated Bennett. It would have made sense to push something like a Monahan-Gaudreau pairing and a second line with a Bennett-Tkachuk pairing. But was Monahan healthy enough to do that?

Anyways, I'm really happy for Monahan, but I don't see the Flames mismanagement of him as a major issue. He just had the unfortunate luck of having a bunch of nagging injuries. Fortunately, for him, unlike the majority, he recovered from those injuries with many surgeries but also time.

Let's also keep in mind he's always been a less than ideal #1 center and a much worse depth center. He's found a place in Columbus where he can do that. Is Monahan the #1 center on a contending team though?

Noone puts him as a high end 1C but he's been a very significant part of a team on pace for a 14 point improvement when they had many reasons built in to fail again. He's not dynamic but he's very intelligent and plays a very good puck control game with our Russian wingers and heavily outscores the other team. He brings a calming presence to a young team that really needed it.

 

[blankall]

Noone puts him as a high end 1C but he's been a very significant part of a team on pace for a 14 point improvement when they had many reasons built in to fail again. He's not dynamic but he's very intelligent and plays a very good puck control game with our Russian wingers and heavily outscores the other team. He brings a calming presence to a young team that really needed it.

I think ideally Monahan would show the most success on a team with a legit #1 line and then enough depth to have the luxury of having a high end offensive winger on line #2 (to play with Monahan) and to have the third line center act in the shut down role.

Monahan's has elite positioning and puck release but lacks a lot of other physical abilities that you want in a #1 center.

 

[stevo61]

I think ideally Monahan would show the most success on a team with a legit #1 line and then enough depth to have the luxury of having a high end offensive winger on line #2 (to play with Monahan) and to have the third line center act in the shut down role.

Monahan's has elite positioning and puck release but lacks a lot of other physical abilities that you want in a #1 center.

This level of Monahan is a proper 1C and the whole line works very well. The whole idea was to add a veteran center until guys they drafted like Fantilli/Lindstrom are ready to take the next step. Fantilli is suffering from a pretty bad sophomore slump so the fact Monahan is exceeding expectations is very welcome.

Assuming Fantilli takes a jump in the next year or 2 that gives them a good 1/2 punch at center with atleast for now some combo of Marchenko/Johnson/Chinakhov/Voronkov as wing options

 

[japhi27returns]

Monahan vs Laine is a comp that never needs to happen. No need to be so tribal fellas.

Happy to see Monhan doing so well in CBJ, absolutely loved what he did for MTL, on and off ice. And his legacy here, the two firsts, will play out for a long time.

The only loser in any Monahan discussion is Calgary fwiw. Both Laine and Money seem to be in the right seat on the bus and both teams are better for it (and have lots in common = not NHL desirable city’s, trouble attracting / keeping FA’s). Smart moves by both GM’s.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

Monahan, so far, has been one of the rare players that make his linemates better. We've had good players, but we haven't had a guy like him in forever. He's a breath of fresh air. Plus, he fits our roster and system perfectly.

 

[Flair Hay]

I think ideally Monahan would show the most success on a team with a legit #1 line and then enough depth to have the luxury of having a high end offensive winger on line #2 (to play with Monahan) and to have the third line center act in the shut down role.

Monahan's has elite positioning and puck release but lacks a lot of other physical abilities that you want in a #1 center.

Ironically this describes Winnipeg perfectly. Just didn't work out the way we hoped in the playoffs at all.