Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
Tkachuk is an elite complimentary player. He's an elite playmaker. He's elite at going to the net without the puck. He can play with highly skilled players and make them better. I don't see how Marner setting up his goals is a bad thing at all. We have Gaudreau, Monahan and Bennett who all look like elite playmakers/finishers like Marner is. Marner looks better in that video because of Tkachuk. Tkachuk dishes off to Marner, crashes the net and takes two defenders with him. That opens the ice up for Marner. Tkachuk screened for many of the Marner goals. At the NHL level you often cannot score without a screen. When Marner has the puck, Tkachuk gets open on the side of the net, he shows excellent instincts for both receiving and setting up passes across the crease and in the slot.
Think for a minute about what type of player you'd want to play with Gaudreau/Monahan. You don't want someone who wants to hog the puck. You do want someone who will drive the net. You do want someone who will win board battles. And that someone needs to be highly skilled in order to set up Gaudreau/Monahan and finish when they set them up. It's not always easy to find a player who compliments two highly skilled guys and will do the dirty work for them. We tried almost everyone possible on the roster and arguably Ferland looked the best. Well Tkachuk is like a much, much more skilled version of Ferland, probably less of a hitter. Gaudreau can't win many board or net front battles. Monahan doesn't excel in that area either. Tkachuk does. His strengths are their weaknesses. He would compliment their skill set.
The video proved my point just fine. Tkachuk is not a low skilled player who only picked up points because Marner and Dvorak were on his line like some are suggesting. He contributes a lot to that line's success. Now maybe you just don't appreciate complimentary players to the degree you should?
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He does seem to be hanging around the net a lot in that Tavares-ish area