Quote:
Originally Posted by TOfan
I think a lot of people seem to forget the two seasons prior to his UFA season. Below ppg production and plenty of poor body language. If Gaudreau’s playing at that level, I would have had a hard time signing him for 8x8, or whatever was his side was requesting.
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Nobody forgets this point, they mention it all the time and I constantly have to respond to the exact same retort every time. You have to know your players and their true value. It’s one of the most important aspects a GM’s job. Even with Gaudreau’s so called “down seasons,” he was still a top 10 point getter amongst all NHL forwards after his rookie season ahead of notable superstars like Alex Ovechkin, John Tavares, Anze Kopitar and etc. Does that sound like a guy who should be receiving “embarrassing offers” from his GM?
Also, I don’t even consider 2021 a bad season for Gaudreau. I thought he looked like his old dynamic self for the vast majority of that season minus that one month adjustment period when Ward was fired and Darryl arrived. He had fixed his breakaway issues and looked absolutely spectacular with his new line mates in Lindholm-Tkachuk at the tail end of the season. If the team wasn’t so handcuffed with dead money, they might have been able to afford better depth players than Dominic Simon, Josh Leivo, Brett Ritchie and etc.