Quote:
Originally Posted by dissentowner
I have watched more then a few Jackets games this year and I strongly disagree with a lot here. Gaudreau looks checked out and out of shape to me. He looks gassed halfway through a shift, he throws pucks away, and he doesn't drive play or has that spark he had here. Unlike Huberdeau who clearly gives effort every night I rarely see that from Gaudreau. He doesn't even remotely look like the Gaudreau that was here. I don't know if that is because he is unhappy with the team or he just does not prioritize hockey anymore but I would not trade anything for him at this point including Huberdeau.
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So first off, I didn’t say he was playing hard or playing with passion, I actually said his lack of effort shouldn’t be excused and implied that his benchings were fair. My exercise was simply about analyzing his attributes to conclude whether his poor play was due in part to something mental or physical (i.e. lost a step) and whether or not his game could translate elsewhere, that’s all.
I also suspect that rival scouts are already doing this, seeing if he’s a possible buy low candidate ala Ryan O’Reilly. It wasn’t that long ago Ryan was lamenting about how he lost the love for the game while playing for the Sabres and then finished the season with a -23.
Then he gets traded to the Blues and proceeds to win the Stanley Cup, Selke and Conn Smythe the following season. That’s pro sports, sometimes losing a lot affects you mentally and in turn your physical performance, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a good player there which I believe he still is. To finish off my point though just in case there’s any confusion, I don’t think a Huberdeau-Gaudreau trade will ever happen.