Montreal Canadiens: The Benefits Of Sean Monahan Playing In The Top Six
The trouble for the Montreal Canadiens since Kirby Dach went down is the lack of a second-line centre, but Sean Monahan has been waiting for this role.
Head Coach Martin St Louis decided that the night the Bruins raised their 1970 and 1971 Stanley Cup Championship banners, with the alumn on hand, to drop Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson out of the top six. Cole Caufield shifted up to the top line to join captain Nick Suzuki and the struggling Alex Newhook slotted in as the third piece of the top line.
Monahan found himself between two young wingers, Juraj Slafkovsky, 19 and Jesse Ylonen, 21. Slafkovsky, in my opinion, finally gets to show what he can do with a true top-six centre, which he has shown strong play with Suzuki. Ylonen had a two-goal game against the Vegas Golden Knights, which paired with the strong development of his two-way game, the Finn has been trending the right way.
The Habs’ top six certainly has a different complexion, one that truly relies on the young guys to be at their best. If the lines can find some chemistry, the depth of the Canadiens will benefit from the moves, and the bottom two lines prove that. Anderson finds himself on the third line, with Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher, and this line could be just the spark that Anderson needs. Dvorak is defensively responsible, and he can pass and shoot decently, but if Gallagher’s style can brush off a little onto Anderson, this third line could be awful to play against, especially if Anderson and Gallagher find chemistry.
The benefits of Monahan slotting into a top-six role, go far beyond the line that he plays on, they cause a ripple-down effect. Monahan’s versatility, and veteran two-way game allow him to slot in well with everybody, and they look better. Slafkovsky has been trending up, and Ylonen has shown a great two-way game, and his laser of a shot has served him well. The two will grow and develop quite well with a very smart center in Monahan.
I don’t love Jake Evans, and I think he is replaceable, but he is quick and he can win faceoffs. Those two traits slot into quite well with the undying engine of Michael Pezzetta. Tanner Pearson adds some veteran leadership and acumen to the fourth line, and he has a Stanley Cup ring and a ton of experience which should strengthen the fourth line.
The results from the game against Boston weren’t what the team had hoped for, but Slafkovsky’s confidence continues to grow. With a bigger sample size of games to analyze, I think the lines should find some familiarity and the team will benefit from the improved depth throughout the lineup.
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