Quote:
Originally Posted by Aleks
That's a fair assertion, but how is it not a fair observation when skating ability gets brought up in the evaluation of many players? I agree, he's positionally sound, he's strong on his skates, he's got a great knack for being right where he can take out the trash.....but its still a factor, the game isn't getting slower. I'm just surprised it hasn't been addressed yet for one, and I also think that reduces his "eliteness" in my eyes.
|
There are a couple of things at work here:
First and foremost: Matthew Tkachuk is an elite-level winger. Period. His below average skating does not detract from that.
Second, while Tkachuk is not as good of a skater as Point or Rantanen, he does other things better than either of these players which contribute to his distinction as an elite player. So, for example, while Tkachuk does not skate as well as Rantanen, Rantanen does not have the vision nor the anticipation for the game that Tkachuk does. These individual aspects for each player are not getting played off of one another by agents and GMs—for each player they are all part of a package that contribute to their overall quality. Negotiations will centre on the quality of the player in determining his value.