The whole partying too much theory can be pretty easily disproven considering Johnny has been partying since his rookie season. My friend has the pictures with him to prove it. His partying certainly didn't effect his impressive performance last year nor did it effect his World Cup performance or All Star Game performance as well.
I have quite a few of last seasons games PVR'd and I've watched a few of his old shifts to see what might have changed this season; and from what I've seen, the Gaudreau-Monahan line were consistently creating plays off the rush more often last season.
For whatever reason, Gaudreau has been alone on the rush a lot this season which has lead to him trying to do everything by himself. This has lead to an increasee in turnovers and frustration. If I was to venture a guess, it may be the new system or it might have to do with Monahan looking visibly slower this year, possibly because of the weight he added in the summer.
But whatever it is, the kid has proven to be amongst the most talented forwards in the league and still has the ability based on what I've seen in the WC and All-Star game. The chemistry just needs to be found again.
|