[united]

Definitely Gaudreau playing almost exclusively outside the dots and with predictability. While he's never been one to camp in the slot or crash-and-bang the crease, his danger was always created off forcing defenders high and into uncomfortable switches, manipulating defenders' feet, creative slip passes, forcing lateral movement between the dots and distributing the puck into space.

This season he almost exclusively drives wide and button-hooks for the trailer, or drives low and tries a poor-angle shot. Previously he had the double- or triple-threat of button-hooking and hitting the trailer or driving laterally and into the middle into the home plate area; driving low and hitting a teammate moving into space with an against-the-grain pass or skating behind the net to cause havoc; crossing the blueline and immediately moving laterally drawing defenders with him and creating false gaps.

Predictability is the hallmark of average forwards. Gaudreau needs to get back to his confident and deceptive ways.

Aside from him, everyone else has been more or less as expected in evaluating all-around play not solely counting metrics. He is the large outlier for me.