What's Up With Matthew Tkachuk?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Yep, exactly this.

This team has a culture problem, and if the team has a problem with Tkachuk's approach? You give the "C" to Chucky and move on with him as the leader.

C - Tkachuk
A - Andersson
A - Mangiapane

Those are the players I want leading this team going forward. I don't care about being nice to refs or whatever hell - this team needs an enema to drop the non-competitive culture that has been here for far too long. Giordano and Backlund don't do enough to drive a competitive culture, and with this being a year in and year out problem it's time to make actual change.

I think Dube is competitive, I think Mangiapane is competitive, Andersson too. I also think Gaudreau, Gio and Monahan are. Backlund is as well. But they put their competitiveness into play when it counts more - before the whistle.

I think Tkachuk is sometimes, but I don’t think things like his fit over Muzzin are examples. Those aren’t “I want to win”. Those are “you’ve insulted me”. And like any fits of anger, they lose their impact the more they occur. To me it’s a selfish display, and getting mad that teammates who didn’t see it and were already off the ice didn’t somehow know and rush back on is just weird. He wasn’t hurt, he wasn’t threatened. he was just “disrespected” which IMO is always a stupid saying anyway.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I forget who said it the other day but if they told him to settle down - shame on them. If Tkachuk has reacted by quitting on his team - shame on him.



Trade 'em all.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I forget who said it the other day but if they told him to settle down - shame on them. If Tkachuk has reacted by quitting on his team - shame on him.



Trade 'em all.

Maybe. If it's as bad as the rumours might suggest though, I have a hard time blaming Tkachuk.

If you have ever been in a toxic work environment, it's very difficult to feel like anything you do is going to be appreciated by others, even if you are making millions of dollars.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I think that's letting him off easy.
He hasn't been good this entire season.
He wasn't good in the playoffs when he played.

He's part of this. And if he's quit - he's part of the mental make-up.
(Though overall I suspect the entire thing has been overblown).

[Ashasx]

You know if we keep bringing in new players and the results are still the same I have a hard time believing that the issue isn't systemic, and trading two or three core pieces isn't going to change anything.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I forget who said it the other day but if they told him to settle down - shame on them. If Tkachuk has reacted by quitting on his team - shame on him.



Trade 'em all.

That was Warrener.

Not that either are excusable, but I understand the perspective of Tkachuk much easier than I do of milquetoast players complaining about his stirring things up. Especially when it's a consistent problem with this team. Move them first and see what happens.

[CroFlames]

I don't know, but I searched my feelings and the Force is telling me something isn't right.

This isn't just a slumping team.

This is a team that has problems between the players and/or coach.

[JTech780]

I don't think Tkachuk has quit and I think he is trying, but if he has been asked to change the way he plays then I think makes sense why he has struggled. He has played on the edge his whole career, and now he is being asked to not do that, so I can see why he is struggling to figure out how to play without being a pest and doing what he does best.

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Just wondering though if Friedman is overselling this Tkachuk closed door meeting thing, which he has been known to do lately because this is so ridiculous to me.

Anyone else getting tried of Friedman?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Anyone else getting tried of Friedman?

It's been a while for me and it started when he began to transition to a guy who was just reporting on HNIC to a guy that was on the panels and trying to be an analyst and personality. That's been a long time. Now, the added TMZ stuff has been building for the last several years. Adding to that is his total washing his hands of stuff he says when it becomes controversial. He knows what he says, he knows what the reaction will be, it's not his first time.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

You know if we keep bringing in new players and the results are still the same I have a hard time believing that the issue isn't systemic, and trading two or three core pieces isn't going to change anything.

We've yet to trade a true core piece to see what that would look like. Unless you count Dougie who didn't seem to fit from day one and I don't know if he was considered a core piece.

I'd say core is Gio, Gaudreau, Monahan, Backlund, Lindholm, Tkachuk and maybe Brodie when he was here?

That's what I think of as the core anyway and a trade of a couple of those guys would shake up the team.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Anyone else getting tried of Friedman?

Used to be one of my favourites. Not any more. No credibility, little in the way of insider info. Just another Sportsnet talking head now.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Anyone else getting tried of Friedman?

Idiotte needs to be taken out to the wood shed

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I forget who said it the other day but if they told him to settle down - shame on them. If Tkachuk has reacted by quitting on his team - shame on him.

Trade 'em all.

Agree with this for the most part but I'm going to play devils advocate for a second for the sake of it.

What does Tkachuk getting into stuff after the whistle every single shift achieve?

Maybe he helps motivate him and get his fire going, but is it actually beneficial to the team as a whole?

Look at those games with the Leafs, especially the second one, if anything it looks like Tkachuks antics just made them want to win more, and at some point I'm not sure it's helping the team if the Flames and Tkachuk are the other teams target every night and teams are getting amped up to "Stick it to Tkachuk".

I could actually see why it would be annoying if you are Monahan, Gaudreau, Backlund, etc and every time you are on the ice with Tkachuk for a whistle that a scrum starts and you have to go in there and get punched in the face or facewashed for no reason.

Sure maybe in the odd case you get somebody to take a stupid penalty (Kassian) but I question if it actually benefits the team. If you're Johnny you probably end up feeling that other teams just end up taking more liberties with you then too because Tkachuk got them all riled up.

If the teams message was "Pick your spots better, we are happy to have your back but you don't need to start a scrum every single shift" then I can kind of see their point, what are you achieving other than just wasting your energy by doing it every single shift. Personally I'd rather see all of this team work harder between the whistles than get into any of the after the whistle stuff.

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Just wondering though if Friedman is overselling this Tkachuk closed door meeting thing, which he has been known to do lately because this is so ridiculous to me.

And this is most likely the case.

Media and fan base is probably talking about this a lot more than the actual players in that room.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Agree with this for the most part but I'm going to play Devils advocate for a second.

What does Tkachuk getting into stuff after the whistle every single shift achieve?

Maybe he helps motivate him and get his fire going, but is it actually beneficial to the team as a whole?

At this point it doesn't seem to even motivate Matthew. Seems to totally take him off his own game and make him ineffective.

I agree he has to learn to pick his spots. And more importantly he needs to start making smart plays and getting some points. Ultimately that's why he's being paid $7 million.

He shouldn't be in the captain conversation right now. Let's see if he can mature into that role down the road if that road has him signing here long term.

[Derek Sutton]

I don't mind Friedman, and his morning call today, with him literally shoveling while being on the air was kind of funny I thought.

Going back a bit here, what is the timeline for the Bennett trade request? Did it come before or after the Muzzin puck flip/ team meeting in Montreal?

[Lanny_McDonald]

Yeah, I played with a guy with guy that was Tkachuk in minor pro and his #### got so tiresome the team checked out on him. He continued his crap until one of the guys who had to answer the bell took him out back behind the woodshed and tuned him in to what he was doing by the rest of the team. Problem solved. The rest of the league views Tkachuk as a piece of ####, and I don’t think they are that far off. The kid needs to grow up and pick his battles.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by New Era

Yeah, I played with a guy with guy that was Tkachuk in minor pro and his #### got so tiresome the team checked out on him. He continued his crap until one of the guys who had to answer the bell took him out back behind the woodshed and tuned him in to what he was doing by the rest of the team. Problem solved. The rest of the league views Tkachuk as a piece of ####, and I don’t think they are that far off. The kid needs to grow up and pick his battles.

It's like that friend/acquaintance that everyone had when we were younger that just had to pick a fight every time you went to the bar. At first you would stand up for the guy and you go into that battle with him, because he was you friend or you knew the guy.

But after a while you actually just don't want to hang out with him anymore because you just don't want to have to deal with his ####.

Really Tkachuk probably just needs to find that balance because in some ways he really was becoming "that guy".

I'll be honest if I was Tkachuk I'd be a lot more frustrated that nobody stepped into help me when Kassian was spinning me around after a clean hit, at least that was something that happened between the whistles.

[DeluxeMoustache]

The problem with Tkachuk getting the odd sub plot going is that there are only 6 opponents this year

Do we really need to see him round out the feud card with every team you are going to play all year?

He has Doughty’s pal Muzzin in Toronto, Kassian when he is dressed in Edmonton...

I guess Tkachuk was just invisible against Vancouver (no points, but no new sideshow)

[CalgaryFan1988]

I have a hard time to believe that Tkachuk would quit on the team, but people saying that can understand if he did...... wtf??