Ron Rolston wasn't fooling around when he said on Tuesday that Buffalo Sabres center Mikhail Grigorenko has some more work to do with his game. Rolston wants to see more "urgency" in his game.
Based on the reported lines at this morning's skate, Grigorenko will be taking a seat in the press box tonight. Johan Larsson looks to be taking the 19 year old's place in the Buffalo lineup.
John Scott and Alex Sulzer join Grigorenko as the extra skaters
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Four games into the young NHL season, the Calgary Flames are the most intriguing, noteworthy team in the NHL. They are defying all odds with their 2-0-2 record. Heading into Thursday night’s games, the Flames are tied for the Western Conference lead with San Jose, St. Louis, Colorado, and Vancouver. The Flames have just as many points (6) as the heavyweights in their conference. How are they doing it? How can a team win in the NHL without a household name goalie, without a true #1 center, and without notable defensemen?
Line combinations and D pairings from the Flames @ Leafs game on Wednesday night:
Glencross - Street - Jones
Galiardi - Backlund - Hudler
Baertschi - Monahan - Stempniak
Bouma - Colborne - McGrattan
Giordano - Brodie
Russell - Wideman
O'Brien - Butler
MacDonald
I’ll tell you how: Sean Monahan.
The sixth overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft is inspiring his team of misfits and castoffs right now. The Flames would be stupid to send Monahan back to junior after his nine game NHL tryout. He’s their MVP right now. Without him, their team would be in the same place that the winless Buffalo Sabres find themselves in right now: dealing with the growing pains of a youth movement.
Monahan is making the most of his first foray in the NHL. He’s listening to his coaches. He’s making plays for his line mates, and he’s letting his natural hockey instincts guide him.
The kid is a pleasure to watch play hockey. He does everything the right way. He pressures the puck with authority. He wins face offs. When he loses draws he competes like a cage fighter to get the puck back. He shares the puck. He communicates well on the ice. Most importantly, he shoots, and scores.
After he scored his third goal of the season and added an assist in Calgary’s win over Montreal last night, Monahan told NHL.com:
"I think just to continue to be a good pro, and that's what I'm trying to do right now, the little things on the ice and off the ice and just be an everyday pro," Monahan said.
His head coach Bob Hartley is pleased with Monahan’s growth and maturity
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"I just, sometimes, pinch myself wondering if I need to check his birth certificate," Hartley said. "The poise that he's showing for an 18-year-old kid ... he's having fun. He's bringing passion, he's bringing excitement and he's learning. He's a pretty special kid."
Hartley is increasing Monahan’s minutes and touches every game he plays. In his first game vs. Washington, he skated 11:40. Against Columbus he skated 13:20, then 13:42 against Vancouver. He played a season-high 15:41 vs. Montreal.
Its hard for me to get my head around the fact that this 18 year old (will turn 19 on 10/12) Brampton native is leading the youthful Flames in scoring right now. Maybe its because I’m watching Mikhail Grigorenko struggle to play consistently in the NHL right now. By comparison, the NHL game seems to be agreeing more with Monahan at this point than it is with Grigorenko, who may be a healthy scratch in Buffalo tonight. Grigo had a 25 game head start on Monahan by virtue of his time spent in Buffalo after the lockout had ended last season. He should be experiencing the same type of trajectory after having played in the NHL last season. Not so. Makes me wonder if Grigo’s path is the normal one that 18 year olds experience in their first NHL experience? Or, is it that Monahan is just a freak of nature that was born to play in the NHL?
Monahan has 3 goals and 2 assists. I’m not surprised that he’s lighting the lamp and creating plays because thats all he did for his three seasons with the Ottawa 67s.In his final two seasons in junior, Monahan scored 33 and 31 points, respectively. He finished with 78 points in in each of his final two seasons in the OHL. His ability to light the lamp combined with his vision and play making abilities were the two chief reasons that the Flames invested their 6th overall pick in the 2013 entry draft in Monahan. The Flames nabbed Monahan two picks before the Sabres scarfed up Rasmus Ristolainen.
Here’s the preseason scouting report on Monahan:
One of his greatest strengths is his hockey sense. The 6’2”, 195 lbs. center reads the game at a level rarely seen in an 18 year-old and can adjust his play mid-way through a game, period or even shift, giving him a leg up on his opposition. When things don't go as planned, he adjusts quickly and effectively.
His high hockey IQ makes him quite the threat offensively. He is a creative playmaker with high-end passing skills but also possesses a pro-level shot that can handcuff goalies with its speed and accuracy. His strong offensive abilities make it extremely hard to defend against him and he regularly frustrates his opponents as they try to hem him in.
Monahan has been lauded for his character and leadership skills. A prime example of his commitment and dedication to his team came in the 2012-13 season, when the Ottawa 67's were on the cusp of being eliminated from playoff contention. The Brampton, ON native hurt his back in a game and the team didn't even bother to bring his equipment to practice the next day, expecting him to be out of action for awhile. He refused to settle for sitting on the sidelines when his team was in such dire straits and suited up for the next game, scoring twice.
Bang on analysis. Monahan is playing as advertised right now.
Monahan’s 25% shooting percentage is the stat that leaps off the computer screen at my eyes. He’s taken 12 shots in 4 games and three of them have gone into the enemy cage. There’s something to the old adage: “the more you shoot, the more you score”.
Four games into the NHL season, the 18 year old is defying all odds and is leading his re-building team, by his examples on the ice. He’s captivated the imaginations of Flames fans, and for the time being, they are asking themselves: “What youth movement”? The Flames have scored 15 goals and have allowed 15 goals. Not a bad sign for a young, re-building team to score a goal after every one that their goalie has allowed to enter his net. On the other hand, the Buffalo Sabres have scored just 4 goals in 4 games while allowing 10 goals against. Buffalo’s –6 goal differential is the worst in the NHL right now. The Buffalo goaltending has played extremely well in the early stages of the season, however, the Buffalo offense just can’t seem to lift the voodoo curse that’s been placed on the hockey sticks.
Maybe the Sabres should watch all four Calgary Flames games from this season for inspiration on how to win against all odds during a re-building period.
Watching Monahan play the game cannot hurt either. The kid plays the game the right way. Everyday.
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