Quote:
Originally Posted by combustiblefuel
Why is that??
Every othe top talen in the NHL does it . McDavid, Crosby , Malkin, Taveres.......
Is it because he is a small player? St loius did ..Fluery did.. Gerbe did ..Byron does it .. Gallagher you name namr it another small player has done it.
The one thing that drives me nuts about Gaudreau is the way he shys away from shots and contact . He is pushed of the puck waaayytto easy.
I know its hard to argue his flaws when he racks up points but it is also pretty easy to neutralize him if the team just takes the body instard of trying to match his foot speed.
The point being is no player on a team should be allowed the exception of not blockimg shots or being physical.
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Every player on the team should be expected to put in maximum effort. But expecting Gaudreau to be physical and blocking shots accomplishes nothing IMO. That is not his game, and I'm not sure other similar elite talents are playing that way. And as much as I love Gaudreau, he is not in the Crosby, McDavid category and if the team needs him to play as well as those guys to win, then we are doomed to eternal disappointment.
I am generally happy with Gaudreau's compete level and I see a player that hates to lose. Yes he can be moved off the puck rather easily when someone can get close to him, but it would help to keep our expectations to check. Last I looked, he was about the 40th highest paid player in the league.