Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
Gaudreau is the first real elite-level player this team has had since Iginla departed. Yeah, he is small. Yeah, the odds are against him. However, we have seen him battle those odds and succeed. The first time he falters, suddenly he isn't good enough? Suddenly the questions started arising as to whether we could win with him or not? Were we always waiting for him to fail and jump all over him or something?
Gaudreau IS a guy you win with, and added to that, he is on a sweet ass contract. You keep him and you try to add to him.
I think people are way over thinking things at times. Want a Stanley Cup Championship? You accumulate as many impact players as possible. Stop thinking of it as 'building around a player or two' like we thought with Iginla. So Gaudreau has had some tough times in the playoffs when things tighten up - well, maybe other guys should step up more, especially on different lines. Maybe the coach should be able to counter certain things too?
Maybe some of you don't really remember all that far back to that '89 team. Maybe of you weren't alive then, or were too young to remember. For those of you that were, who was the guy you had to stop? Who was the focus of the other team's defensive strategies?
I will tell you. NOBODY. Not one single player.
Sure, they tried to key-in on MacInnis at the point. However, you had Roberts, Nieuwendyk, Loob, Mullen, Gilmour, MacInnis, Suter (and then Ramage in the playoffs), plus a host of really good role players who contributed up and down the lineup on forward and defence.
Gaudreau is NOT a 'problem', and he is certainly someone that you DO win with. He - just like Gretzky and Badger Bob's playbook - can't be the focus all the time. You need to add to him.
Ward needs to figure out how to get his lines rolling. How to develop chemistry in the top 3 lines and have them all chipping in on different nights regularly. There ABSOLUTELY has to be a bona fide #2 scoring line for the Flames that can also play a 200ft game. I love Backlund, and he does fine as a scorer (though this year he is snakebitten, but hardly unique this season after you look at other players and their production). For this team to win, I argue that someone needs to supplant him as the 2nd line scoring centre with high defensive abilities, and have him become the elite 3rd line centre.
For this team to win, guys like Bennett, Mangiapane, Dube, whomever else on the team or in the pipeline - some of these guys have to take a step forward and create more out there.
The problem is not just Gaudreau. Flames decades ago managed to limit the best player ever in the game during that '86 playoff series when Gretzky managed less than 2pts/game (which was really limiting him). Was it Gretzky's fault?
Gaudreau is an elite-level talent. He doesn't seem to be a distraction to the team, or bad in the room, or 'un-coachable', or anything else. A team needs as many elite-level talents as possible, and they need to fit them under a salary cap. Gaudreau is an elite-level talent, and his contract is a bargain that helps the Flames fit talent on the roster. He is NOT the problem. The Flames just need more guys to step up and/or add to that talent pool.
Sure, I would be ok with trading Gaudreau away in a trade that sees the Flames add talent, but I just don't see it, especially with Gaudreau's cap hit. You are either going to sacrifice the cap substantially by swapping elite level talents, or you are going to do a 'quality for quantity' trade with perhaps some of that quantity being a hope and a prayer that they willl develop into elite level talents. If something really good opens up, sure, I will be fine with that - whatever helps the team legitimately improve.
I just think it is absolute hogwash that 'you can't win with Gaudreau' or that 'he is a problem'. The problem is that this team needs to find a way to step up.
|