Quoting: Ledge_And_Dairy
What? Gaudreau played quite well this series. Also Hanifin was a lot better than Forbort. I dont know if you noticed this year but Gio had a pretty massive regression from last year. What if that happens again and we trade Hanifin. Then we instantly suck. At least with Hanifin he is atill 23 and improving so he can step up and skate first line minutes with Ras. Valimaki is not ready for that.
I have loved Gaudreau for years. Bought a jersey before his first game with CGY. Have loved watching him grow over the years. Have felt that he could be CGY’s Patty Kane for the long term. And he’s been proving he can be a game breaker during the regular season, and put up 99 points last year!
9 points in 11 games during his first playoff experience....5 years ago. Since then, he’s been much, much worse when it matters.
3 points against WPG. The assist was a forced passed that took two bounces off feet and sticks and eventually found Monahan at the top of the crease to bury it. And one goal was an empty netter...so basically had the one solid play (PP goal) in the series that impacted the scoreboard.
I cannot believe some of the comments coming from TV and Twitter analysts about how he looked good this series. He didn’t. He looked terrified. He looked like he was hiding an injury. Please go back and watch his shifts. He isn’t entering the zone well off the rush with the puck (his biggest skill add), and he’s doing less than nothing defensively.
I used to be his biggest fan. And over the past two years his playoff performance has completely changed my view. Kane plays better in playoffs. 5’10” and finds a way to drive play without taking hard hits. Why can’t Johnny use his vision and agility to do the same? Mangiapane and Dube are similar size and aren’t scared of contact — their game improves during playoffs. And the best example to compare: Spurgeon plays top pair minutes on defense and doesn’t look scared of anybody. 5’9” and plays defense without fear of contact. It’s like Johnny has 10% confidence during playoffs, even with Tkachuk, Lucic, and Bennett on his team to impose size on other teams.
Johnny needs to work with a sport phsychologist and Gary Roberts to build the mental and physical confidence required to compete in playoffs. And I personally don’t think he’s willing to make the changes to strengthen his game based on his performance. And that’s the issue. Give him a change of scenery and it might be just what he needs to level up. But I don’t think it’s happening in CGY.