To me, it just looks like the kid just isn't having fun out there and it's contributing to his lack of confidence. His legs look heavier, his passes are off, he's fighting the puck more. It reminds me of 16-17 when he looked very ordinary. He had the career year, finished top 10 in scoring and then stunk for 2/3 of the season. Then the next 2 seasons he figured it out and went a ppg and then 99 points the season after.
I know people are really down on him right now and it's certainly fair. But I actually think most star players go through this. Blake Wheeler right now is going through the same thing. 2 straight 90+ point seasons and is on pace for 69 right now and doesn't look like the same player. Crosby went through something similar, Ovechkin had a couple bad seasons, Kane saw a big drop off between his 2 - 100 point seasons (17-18). This is not a problem exclusive to just him.
I will say this though, anyone who watched AC's Gaudreau's highlights of 18-19 will notice that the majority of his goals came in the form of turnovers. As we've all seen this year, his line hasn't created nearly as many turnovers this season in comparison, thus less goals. I do wonder if the Flames stuck 2 really fast and/or very puck hungry players on his line, if that would help Gaudreau's overall game. He still has elite offensive instincts and reactions, so turning it over and giving him more touches when the defense is chaotic might be the recipe he needs to get it going again.
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