Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
Gaudreau is one of the most predictable players in the league. Watching games from home, even I know what he is going to do most of the time. He very rarely catches any anyone off guard anymore. He still has the skill to baffle average defenders, but when up against more elite and mobile defensive players, his effectiveness is limited.
Gaudreau is a very smart player though and I wouldn't be all that surprised if he adapts. Hopefully Sutter can help get him there.
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Umm, dead wrong. Couldn't disagree with you more. These kinds of responses are why I think Gaudreau is so under appreciated. Gaudreau is one of the most unpredictable players in the league, that's why he's been one of the most prolific scorers since his arrival. He can juke left, juke right, curl back, hard stop, cut left, cut right, spinoramas, toe drags and etc. You never know if he's going to pass or shoot because he uses deception so well. He has an incredible arsenal of tools and that's why he makes players around him better.
Just look at the goals he scores as evidence. They're not just shots from the slot or cleaning up in front of the net. He can score off the rush, breakaways, from the flanks, from the side boards, wrap arounds, from 5 feet out, from the slot. Gaudreau is one of the few players on this team that can actually create his own high percentage shot and this team needs more of that, not less.
He might be more predictable playing on the Flames, but that's not his fault, that's this team's fault for poor slotting. If he played on say a Pittsburgh or a Toronto, he'd probably be a perennial 100 point player. Much like Phil Kessel who can score 90 points on a Pittsburgh playing on a line with Malkin, but he's never going to come close to that in Arizona playing with a Derek Stepan or Clayton Keller.