Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaudreauvertime
Is there any doubt that he is an elite offensive player? All star winger for years to come?
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No doubt he's an elite offensive player. He is also a below-average defensive player, for reasons that are not his fault and cannot be remedied. The fact that he's not an actual liability in the defensive zone is a testament to his skill – but he won't get a whole lot better than that unless he has an unprecedented growth spurt in his 20s. That tends to reduce his market value.
Again, there's no doubt he's a winger who deserves a spot in the All-Star Game. However, he has never been named to the NHL All-Star Team, and has some pretty tough competition to get there. (Last year, he was beaten out by Benn and Ovechkin.) So it depends on which definition of 'All-Star' you use. And not everybody who plays in the All-Star Game is worth $8 million a year.