Quote:
Originally Posted by dissentowner
Well we don't know that at all. We know when he first entered the league his diet was bad and yet he seems to have turned a corner. He came back from the break in great shape and when he talks food now it seems to be high protein meals. He talked about getting into the gym right away in his exit interview and I am sure his fiance being a nurse could have had a huge influence on his diet and fitness as well. As for the fall in play we saw his offensive numbers come down while his backcheck vastly improved. Everybody's offensive numbers fell off as the system was changed. He is one season removed from 99 points. If his play has fallen off then so has Monahan's, Lindholm's, Gio's, and even Tkachuk's to a degree. When you have a skilled offensive player told to play a chip and chase backcheck game his numbers are going to suffer. I am not sure what the buying UFA years point is. Should we trade Tkachuk too when his contract is up? Just recycle for young talent where we can bank cheaper RFA years? That doesn't sound like a way to ever win to me.
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I suck at calculating age so if this is wrong someone can correct me
- Johnny is 27 now, and will be 29 when the current deal expires. A 6 year deal takes him to the age of 35.
- Tkachuk is 22 now, and will be 24 when the current deal expires. A 6 year deal takes him to the age of 30.
That right there is a huge difference in terms of my willingness to commit big bank over the long-run. I see Tkachuk as being a pretty safe bet. And he's a more complete player.
I think Johnny improved on his back check but his offensive game suffered as a result, and when in his own zone, once the play was set up - he was still very poor.
Which is OK. He's not going to be a complete player. But this year he was an adequate offensive player and a below average defensive player.
In the past he was a premiere offensive player and a below average defensive player that netted out to the good overall, during the regular season.
I don't want to commit big long-term dollars to an incomplete player, who hasn't shown the ability to deliver in the playoffs. It just comes down to that.
I think franchises should be very focused on how their key core players are and move the other parts around to support and maximize asset value. Johnny to me is one of those.