Quote:
Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache
Some people liked Akim Aliu for being noticeable when a couple of pucks bounced off his ass and he ran guys who just wanted to get through a meaningless game without getting hurt.
I think Gaudreau's upside is higher than Aliu's but one game will be adrenaline, a handful of games will show promise (Sven) but to contribute at that level for 82 games against the best in the world is another story altogether.
NHL ready? In some aspects perhaps.
I enjoyed watching his debut, and a few nice plays and a goal that he may or may not have intended to score in his first game are a nice story. Nobody is as good every night as their best game, and small guys need a lot of compete, smarts, and other things to deliver night in and night out.
I like the enthusiasm. Let's leave it there.
|
Glad you brought up Akim Aliu as a comparison because he is the perfect example of why you don't judge a player based on one game - adrenalin and circumstance.
It is also exactly NOT like the Gaudreau situation. Gaudreau didn't impress because he was running around hitting everything in site, he impressed because his hockey smarts (which we have seen every single game in college) were clearly on display against NHL competition. Everything we have seen from him for the last 3 years was evident again in Vancouver.
It was not 'one game'. It was showing that what he did at every other level he can also do at the NHL level.