Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
To me it just shows why you don't write off star players for poor playoff performances.
Happens time and again.
Datsyuk and Zetterberg aren't playoff performers...until they were.
Ovechkin can't win the big one...until he did.
Tampa Bay Stars weren't good enough after 18/19 first round exit...then they won back to back.
In the end the playoffs are small sample sizes, and you shouldn't take too much into a player having a bad series or 2. Especially against better teams and when they are the focal point of the other teams game plan.
Over time the skill will shine through.
It's why I laugh a bit when Leafs fans are talking about trading Marner due to his poor playoff performances...while he also has 47 points in 50 career playoff games.
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I've said many times here that Iggy wasn't Iggy until he became Iggy. I'm still baffled by how many people don't get that when they look at Tkachuk here vs where he is now.
Let's look at it his evolution as a playoff guy after each of his regular seasons (his birthday is a couple months after the start of the season):
Age 18-19 reg. season: 4 playoff games, 0 points as a rookie
Age 19-20 reg. season: No playoffs
Age 20-21 reg. season: 5 playoff games, 3 points (was injured)
Age 21-22 reg. season: 6 playoff games, 2 points (Covid bubble)
Age 22-23 reg. season: No playoffs
Age 23-24 reg. season: 12 playoff games, 10 points
Age 24-25 reg. season: 19 playoff games (so far), 24 points (so far)
Seems like a pretty normal progression to me for a young power forward, especially when you consider the lack of any real, sustained playoff experience until he was 24.