Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
I think a lot of what Francis is saying isn't wrong. This team doesn't hate to lose enough.
I do struggle with Johnny. And I've been hard on him.
- I think he's the most skilled player on the team by far and has delivered a terrific season
- I think he does hate to lose and is uber competitive
But...
- I think he makes very poor decisions with little awareness about the game situation at times
- I don't think he's committing to the extent he can be to be a great pro. Thinking specifically about overall fitness and nutrition.
- He's not great away from the puck or defensively except for trying to take the puck away.
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I think this may be 100% accurate (I have no idea about his fitness, much less his nutrition) but as stated by Jiri and others this doesn’t mean anything is Johnny’s fault.
He is not getting paid like a superstar whom a championship team revolves around. I think he’s the 40th to 50th highest paid player in the league. Does the organization believe he is capable of being the best player on a championship team? Is that what they are counting on? I hope not.
Gaudreau is fine. One hell of a 4th round pick and a reasonably priced superstar. The reason you don’t trade all your draft picks is because you need more like him, not less.