Quote:
|
Johnny Gaudreau probably should have shot the puck when he got it, and honestly I don’t know what Sean Monahan was doing when he took the Gaudreau pass.
|
IMO it was a microcosm of everything wrong with him this year.
He is trying to think about how to play the game instead of just playing the game.
In years past he would get a puck on his stick and boom...it was gone. Now, and this includes every aspect of his game at this point, he takes that extra millisecond to think about what he is going to do instead of just doing it. It happens in his passing, in his shooting and even when deciding to turn up or back down the ice.
Obviously he isn't the same physically as he was but his issues are far bigger between the ears which is affecting every other part of his game. His effort is there, but not much else. The one spot where thinking before proceeding works is in the circle, and his FO% is pretty damn good.
No idea if its fixable at this point because its apparent how deep into his own head he has gotten, but he looks like a guy who is tracking to be done at the NHL level beyond being a bit player.