Quote:
Originally Posted by dissentowner
What do you want him to do at 5'6 and 140lbs with his equipment on? He is a skill player, they shy away from contact. If you watched the Jets you saw Ehlers shy away from contact. William Nylander, same thing. Gaudreau is not Theo Fleury.
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I find this fanbase has an obsession for size and toughness for whatever reason. This team for the longest time tried to build a big, gritty, heavy team that was probably the toughest in the league and they managed to find new ways to lose in the 1st round every year or just miss as to ensure that we ended up in the worst position for many years.
Obviously, watching your highest scoring winger shy away from contact in the playoffs isn't ideal. But I think the big picture question is why? Why is he being put in a position where he has to constantly try to avoid 2-3 hits every time he has the puck and to me the answer is pretty simple. We don't have a puck dominant center.
Sean Monahan looks to get rid of the puck as quickly as he can and let Gaudreau do all the work of exiting and entering the zone. So it becomes really easy and predictable to defend because you just have to overload the left side and pretty much shut down that line. If the Flames had a more puck dominant center like most elite teams have; then at the very least you could have him carry the majority of the load and dish off to Gaudreau at more opportune times so he could then spin and deke and shoot or dish off.
But alas, the Flames do not have that guy. So we're stuck with what we have and it'll be the exact same song and dance for the top line over and over again in the playoffs. Gaudreau will carry the puck up the ice, multiple defenders will hone in, he'll have no space to move or to find Monahan or Lindholm, a turnover will occur and everyone will be too slow to get back and they'll all end up with the minus next to their names. Rinse, wash and repeat.