Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cobra
One, it doesn't happen to every player, but it does happen
But usually when player have a bad year, there is a reason. There doesn't seem to be one with Johnny.
And it's not just that his points are down.
He looks like a completely different player, a shadow of his former self.
At this stage, he looks closer to becoming a 40 point 2nd line one dimensional winger than a top 3 scorer.
And it's just not internet gossip.
There are a number of posters here who have actually witnessed such going ons, or had close friends who have witnessed certain things. There is a ton of smoke here. Has some of it been exaggerated? Likely, that's the nature of the beast. But it would be pretty much impossible for all of it to be untrue. Especially since the "gossip", as you call it, started well before his "slump". If anything, the slump which started half way through last year seems to validate the stories.
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Almost every star player you can think of has had an off year between really great years. Ovechkin had big drops in goals from 50s to low 30's and then back to 50's. Kane had a 70 point season between his 100 point seasons. Malkin has seemingly to alternated from a great season to an average season throughout his entire career. Closer to home, even Iggy had his fair share of elite seasons followed by 60 point stinkers. Then a pile of others like, Tavares, Stamkos, Benn and etc, etc. This is not a problem exclusive to just Gaudreau.
I don't think you can ever say why a player has an off season and the nature of the speculation seems like gossip from a tabloid. Sometimes players just have bad seasons with no rhyme or reason.
I would implore every to watch Gaudreau's highlights from AC last season. A lot of that line's goals came by the way of the forecheck and turnovers. This same line and the most of this team is having an incredibly hard time turning pucks over right now. Thus, the goals have dried up. I think it's an entire line problem, not just #13.