Calgary Flames C Sean Monahan Having Late Season Surge
Since the All-Star break, Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan has had an impressive last third of the season. His overall game has seen improvement, not just his offensive production.
On a team that has had a minor amount of bright spots this season, one of the most impressive has to be Sean Monahan’s play as the number one centre. Since Feb. 21st, the third-year forward climbed to fourth in scoring in that time frame.
His scoring hasn’t been the only cause for optimism; Monahan has also improved his Corsi rating to be on par from last year. Very impressive seeing as how the entire organization has had a degree of regression this season.
Sean Monahan has recently received an accolade for leading all drafted players from 2011 to present except for Gabriel Landeskog, recording a staggering 77 career goals. The Calgary Flames appear to have found an ace in the former fifth overall pick.
After a relatively slow start to the 2015/2016 campaign, Monahan has amassed 55 points in 72 games. If he can record 5 points in the last ten games, he will have back to back 60 point seasons. For such a young player to have this kind of consistency is very promising for the Calgary Flames.
His play away from the puck in the last half of the season has been the biggest thing I’ve noticed. Monahan has become more physical and willing to go in and dig for the loose puck. His increased physicality has taken some focus away from Johnny Gaudreau, allowing the shifty winger to find space in the slot.
With all these promising stats, I can’t help but shed light on some of the improvement the possible future captain still needs to work on as a young player. He has a tendency always to try to pass first. With the shot that he possesses, occasionally just firing the puck on the net would fool the goalie and create more scoring chances. Improving his shot would make Monahan more multi-dimensional and a threat in the offensive zone.
Being one of the bigger centres in the league, he needs to learn how to use his strength and size in the faceoff circle. If he can develop these skills, Monahan could become one of the most dangerous, young centres.
Next: Calgary Flames Netminder Ortio Proving Himself in The NHL
Is Monahan becoming of the elite, young centres in the NHL? Or is he just an early bloomer who has reached his max potential already.