John Frickin Gaudreau!

[Itse]

If you can consistently push the game into the other end of the ice, that's actually the best defense.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Itse

If you can consistently push the game into the other end of the ice, that's actually the best defense.

But there is the aspect of this statistic that is much more reflective of team play than the individual player. Plus-minus can be useful, but it needs to be weighed comparatively for individuals to their team-mates. Gaudreau looks like a decent defensive player, given that he leads the Eagles in plus-minus, but more tellingly, the margin of difference between him, his line mates, and then the rest of the teams is pretty vast. Gaudreau is + 31. Arnold is #2 on the team at +28. Hayes is a distant third at +23, and is one of four BC players with a rating above +20. If Gaudreau ranked closer to his teammates, then I would have some concerns about his defensive game.

By way of analogy, Nail Yakupov sports the worst plus-minus in the entire NHL, and he owns this number because he is minus-7 worse than the next-worst forward, and he is worse than the next-worst forward on the Oilers roster by eleven goals.

[GreenLantern]

I thought it had been established in this thread already that JG was praised for his three zone play?

Great at breaking out, neutral zone turn overs, and finishing. I don't want to spend the time to look backwards but I thought this horse was already beaten.

[Azure]

Yes, lets knock the kid because he plays the majority of his game in the offensive zone.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Azure

Yes, lets knock the kid because he plays the majority of his game in the offensive zone.

No one is knocking him. People are just saying he might need time in the AHL before he is NHL ready

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by fotze

Sick of all these posters thinking that Johnny is so ordinary that he loses the puck often and has to play actual defence a lot.

This is just posters trying to limit their own expectations of Johnny. Because lets be honest, there hasn't been anyone like Gaudreau in the Flames system in an extremely long time, if ever.

It's hard not to bite on the hype around him, really is.

I for one don't care about plus-minus. But I do care about his stats, and it's hard to argue those.

[albertGQ]

So if JG wasn't so good at controlling the play with his puck possession and played defense in the defensive zone scrambling without the puck, he'd be a better player?

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by dammage79

This is just posters trying to limit their own expectations of Johnny. Because lets be honest, there hasn't been anyone like Gaudreau in the Flames system in an extremely long time, if ever.

It's hard not to bite on the hype around him, really is.

I for one don't care about plus-minus. But I do care about his stats, and it's hard to argue those.

Fleury had 160 points in 65 games his final season of junior. Then put up 81 points in his first 42 games in the AHL. Management still didn't expect him to have more than a cup of coffee in the big show.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Fleury had 160 points in 65 games his final season of junior. Then put up 81 points in his first 42 games in the AHL. Management still didn't expect him to have more than a cup of coffee in the big show.

Different era. Totally different era. Two aren't even comparable I'd say.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Different era. Totally different era. Two aren't even comparable I'd say.

So leading the WHL in scoring wasn't a big deal in 87-88? And 20 year olds routinely scored 2 pts a game in the AHL back then?

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

So leading the WHL in scoring wasn't a big deal in 87-88? And 20 year olds routinely scored 2 pts a game in the AHL back then?

Where's your proof on the managements position back then?

[neo45]

Originally Posted by dammage79

This is just posters trying to limit their own expectations of Johnny. Because lets be honest, there hasn't been anyone like Gaudreau in the Flames system in an extremely long time, if ever.

It's hard not to bite on the hype around him, really is.

I for one don't care about plus-minus. But I do care about his stats, and it's hard to argue those.

He's the teams third best prospect.... Maybe tempering expectations is what you should do. Nothing wrong with optimism of course but it is rare for players to go right from college to full time NHL

Baertschi put up 2.00 PPG in the WHL two years ago. So Johnny isn't the first guy with crazy offensive skill we've had

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by neo45

He's the teams third best prospect.... Maybe tempering expectations is what you should do. Nothing wrong with optimism of course but it is rare for players to go right from college to full time NHL

Baertschi put up 2.00 PPG in the WHL two years ago. So Johnny isn't the first guy with crazy offensive skill we've had

Putting up 2.0 PPG in the NCAA > Putting up 2.0 PPG in the CHL

[neo45]

Originally Posted by DOOM

Putting up 2.0 PPG in the NCAA > Putting up 2.0 PPG in the CHL

Yes, but Sven did it right after being drafted so he was about a year and a half younger than JG is now. I didn't say it was equal but it's similar to Mantha's production this year for sure

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by neo45

He's the teams third best prospect.... Maybe tempering expectations is what you should do. Nothing wrong with optimism of course but it is rare for players to go right from college to full time NHL

Baertschi put up 2.00 PPG in the WHL two years ago. So Johnny isn't the first guy with crazy offensive skill we've had

I'm assuming here you would rank him third behind Monahan and Gillies?

Sven needs a little more output for me to rank him top two.

If we were to rank Prospect NOT playing in the NHL right now:
1. Gaudreau
2. Gillies
3. Poirier.

difference of opinion I suppose but what Johnny is doing right now is pretty remarkable. So much so in fact that it's getting far more recognition continentally than what Sven was doing. I'm tempering my expectations somewhat on him making the jump right away to the NHL but I think it's fair to be very excited about what he is doing and what it could mean for this franchise.

[neo45]

No i'd definitely have him behind Sven and ahead of Gilles. Goalies are a crapshoot to predict really, and Gilles is going to spend a lot of time in the minors before he is ready

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by neo45

No i'd definitely have him behind Sven and ahead of Gilles. Goalies are a crapshoot to predict really, and Gilles is going to spend a lot of time in the minors before he is ready

Really? Gillies ahead of Gaudreau? First time ive ever heard that.

Edit - Misread.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by DOOM

Really? Gillies ahead of Gaudreau? First time ive ever heard that.

You misread his post. He has him ahead of Gillies.

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by dammage79

You misread his post. He has him ahead of Gillies.

Thanks, haha, yea misread that for sure. Makes more sense now lol.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

So if JG wasn't so good at controlling the play with his puck possession and played defense in the defensive zone scrambling without the puck, he'd be a better player?

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

Nah, all it means is that we don't have a read on his defensive play yet.