Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
Gaudreau at age 21 was 2nd on this team at 29th in the NHL in scoring. Hudler was a fair bit ahead of him at 8th but most of us felt that was an anomaly as Gaudreau tended to be the better play driver while Hudler got his stick on a lot of tips that year and by most accountd overperformed.
Tkachuk at age 21 is, give-or-take, 4th on this team 27th in the NHL in scoring. Gaudreau is way ahead on the team at 4th and has a legitimate shot at the Art Ross if he heats up again.
I'm not sure Tkachuk is or has been "better" than Gaudreau at the same age. First of all there's an entire line soaking up the top matchups. I'd wager Gaudreau was already seeing top pairings by the end of November in his 21yo season. Tkachuk sees mostly second pairs. Next there's the whole thing about four other PPG players on this roster who all play on the same PP unit as Tkachuk. Tkachuk is a vital part of that PP but when everyone is scoring, it tends to diminish the value of every individual.
But I do think objectively speaking the fact that Tkachuk is over a PPG and in the 27-30 range in scoring, while Gaudreau had 64pts and finished 29th, should highlight the difference in scoring this year vs 2015.
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While the NHL ranking is important I think it is irrelevant to talk about team scoring. Gaudreau was 2nd on a team that clawed to the playoffs with 97pts. Tkachuk is 4th on a team in 2nd place overall on pace for 110pts.
If we look at rookie seasons perhaps we go back and look at what Tkachuk did as an 18 year old. Gaudreau and Monahan has their worst statistical seasons as a tandem this year and if it was not for the 3M line the Flames do not make the playoffs. The key element that turned the Backlund-Frolik line into one of the leagues best was adding Tkachuk who at 18 was already going up against the best players in the league. Johnny’s 5th year in the league and we are just hearing now how he can hold his own defensively against the leagues best. Tough to compare though as Gaudreau turned 21 a few months before the season started and Tkachuk turned 21 halfway into this year so much of what he has done was as a 20 year old.
Both are great players and we are lucky to have them. Johnny is currently a franchise player and Tkachuk has very similar amazing numbers around the same age so I believe he is also tracking to be a franchise player. Tkachuk brings the intangibles that have people calling him the next captain of the team. Gaudreau doesn’t wear a letter. Having said that I really am concerned this will cause the thread to go off the rails and turn into a Gaudreau vs Tkachuk debate. In my mind no question Gaudreau is the best player on this team today and the next several years but Tkachuk is 4.5 years younger and still possesses more upside.
If the Flames somehow add a Mark Stone at the deadline e I can’t wait to see what he does with Tkachuk and Backlund.