Good lord no. You don't put Gaudreau on the PK where he can break any number of bones blocking a point shot from the likes of Weber. That's what the Bouma's of the world are for. Even so, he's physically overmatched, and you need guys that can dig along the walls and out-battle guys for pucks on the PK. Yes, he's quick and crafty with his stick, but I'd be surprised if you EVER see Gaudreau out there on the PK. Just not a good fit.
Not only should he PK, he should play goal too. Throw the C on him as well.
The guy backchecks like a beast. I mean, sure, he doesn't have the size to lay anyone out, but there are other forms of defence, and I would argue that he has one of the best defensive sticks in the league.
Not to mention the heart of a lion and a toolbox the size of Texas.
We need one of those AC videos on his defensive plays and his "play away from the play" plays.
Not an AC video but watching Johnny here is great:
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I love seeing Johnny do this and it shows what a gamer he is. I don't expect him to make this a big part of his game though because I don't think his body would stand up to playing much of a physical game. I like how he gets back into his defensive positioning, when he isn't gambling, and gets in the way of opposing players but that's all I expect from him.
I actually think Gaudreau would be great to have on the ice for the last shift of a PK in the second period, with the long change. His mission would be to get possession of the puck (with his mad pickpocket skills), and as soon as the 5th man is sprung from the penalty box, hit him with the pass and go up ice with speed. A lot of beautiful goals have resulted from that play over the years, and I believe Gaudreau would be one of the best at setting them up.
Apart from that special situation, no, I don't see him as a fit for the PK. You want him playing his minutes in the attacking zone as much as possible.
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Watch Gaudreau in this video. I mean for the entire thing, don't take your eyes off of him. It's literally got to be one of the most perfect shifts I've ever seen from a hockey player, just in terms of his decision making, effort, playing in all three zones, etc etc.
I truly believe that if he was 6'2" 200lbs and playing the same way, he'd be labeled one of the most complete players in the game.
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Watch Gaudreau in this video. I mean for the entire thing, don't take your eyes off of him. It's literally got to be one of the most perfect shifts I've ever seen from a hockey player, just in terms of his decision making, effort, playing in all three zones, etc etc.
I truly believe that if he was 6'2" 200lbs and playing the same way, he'd be labeled one of the most complete players in the game.
Incredible CV endurance. I've noticed he's always one of the fresher guys at the end of a shift, period, game and so on despite not being an obvious gym rat.
Watch Gaudreau in this video. I mean for the entire thing, don't take your eyes off of him. It's literally got to be one of the most perfect shifts I've ever seen from a hockey player, just in terms of his decision making, effort, playing in all three zones, etc etc.
I truly believe that if he was 6'2" 200lbs and playing the same way, he'd be labeled one of the most complete players in the game.
If you're eating pizza with a buddy who can't hear, and he's eatibg all the pizza while saying "Bing, Bing, Bing.....", And you need to hold up a sign for him to stop making the hing sound but he can still eat the pizza. What do you write?
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