Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntingwhale
Players are going after Gaudreau hard. And with him getting crush seemingly every game, it's going to continue as players now know they can run him hard and he'll go flying.
But a lot of that has to do with Johnny seemingly being less agile and elusive. He's going into corners hard and playing like he's 6 feet tall. I've noticed he seems willing to collide and take players head on. It's good in theory that he's engaged that way. But that's not what makes Gaudreau the star he is. It's the elusiveness and the way he avoids contact that's given him success.
Before this season you could count on 1 hand the number of big hits he's taken. This season, it's at least a couple of hits a game and he's often slow to get up. Part of me thinks it's because he did so well avoiding checks for so long, that maybe he figures he can play a bit more physical and still get away with it. Almost like he's tempting fate because he got away with it for so long.
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Yes, this is it, except that many times offense comes from defense, so if he steals the puck in the corner it could very quickly lead to a goal. It looks like he is trying to take the next step to increase his productivity, i don't think he is less agile, its just something he is trying to add to his game. Is it worth it? Who knows?