Player Discussion: Johnny "Hockey" Gaudreau

[Marioesque]

I mean he's hovering around a PPG with a super young team that's devastated with injuries, without a true 1C. So I'd say he's doing well. It took him a few games but he seems to be in the zone lately.

Yeah last 3 games he has looked better on his own than he did at the start of the season. Now he's less prone to losing the puck or fumbling a pass. Just needs Laine back to be more effective on the score chart.

 

[NotWendell]

I'm ready to call it - the best free agent signing in the history of the franchise.

 

[koteka]

We are 1/3 of the way through the season. Johnny Hockey is on pace for 94 points which would be seven more points than Panarin’s single season CBJ record. He is also on pace to break Panarin’s record for assists.

 

[I3LI3]

We are 1/3 of the way through the season. Johnny Hockey is on pace for 94 points which would be seven more points than Panarin’s single season CBJ record. He is also on pace to break Panarin’s record for assists.

what’s even more impressive is he’s doing all of this with an extreme amount of less talented players than what Panarin was surrounded by.

baffling that Panarin has 1 goal in the last 19 games.

oh and johnny sure loves playing at NWA,

25 points in …. 19 games.

 

[CBJx614]

what’s even more impressive is he’s doing all of this with an extreme amount of less talented players than what Panarin was surrounded by.

baffling that Panarin has 1 goal in the last 19 games.

oh and johnny sure loves playing at NWA,

25 points in …. 19 games.

I don't think most casual Jackets fans understand just how good he is and the sad truth is most won't until we make it to the playoffs and make some crazy memorable moments



Just to highlight a few

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

I hate to break it to you all, but Johnny Hockey is just not good










HE'S GREAT!

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[koteka]

He must really like golfing. He is wearing a Muirfield Village sweatshirt.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Byrral]

^^^

That's the way I felt when Hayes went to the Blues.

 

[Youngguns80]

Gaudreau discusses Babcock, Blue Jackets changes in Q&A with NHL.com | NHL.com

Forward feels 'lot more comfortable' entering 2nd season with Columbus

www.nhl.com

 

[CBJWerenski8]

It is only one regular season game, but what is the level of concern with his play? He was lethargic in the preseason. He was lethargic at the end of last season (which we all chalked up to the team being awful), and he was lethargic last night.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

It is only one regular season game, but what is the level of concern with his play? He was lethargic in the preseason. He was lethargic at the end of last season (which we all chalked up to the team being awful), and he was lethargic last night.

8 out of 10

 

[Napoli]

It is only one regular season game, but what is the level of concern with his play? He was lethargic in the preseason. He was lethargic at the end of last season (which we all chalked up to the team being awful), and he was lethargic last night.

He hasn't been great but he is at his best when teams are hemmed in their own zone. Whatever style of offense they're trying to push, it's not effective to sustained consistent offensive opportunities. There's a lot of good players that would struggle to look good in this style of play. It's one and done shots from the outside, there's more he could do but isn't the real problem at this point imo.

 

[Monk]

He hasn't been great but he is at his best when teams are hemmed in their own zone. Whatever style of offense they're trying to push, it's not effective to sustained consistent offensive opportunities. There's a lot of good players that would struggle to look good in this style of play. It's one and done shots from the outside, there's more he could do but isn't the real problem at this point imo.

Yeah - it felt like his line never had the puck. Laine losing the majority of his faceoffs certainly didn't help.

 

[MAHJ71]

Yeah - it felt like his line never had the puck. Laine losing the majority of his faceoffs certainly didn't help.

or 29 fumbling the puck away while in transition

 

[MoeBartoli]

Yeah - it felt like his line never had the puck. Laine losing the majority of his faceoffs certainly didn't help.

He won 4, lost 6. Not good but not atrocious for his first fill time NHL center game. Now you’d have had something to decry with Bedard‘s 2 of 13 in his NHL center debut.

 

[Monk]

Not good

...right. That was basically my point - I'm not saying end the experiment now, just noting that it was a contributing factor.

 

[ViD]

He needs another Matthew Tkachuk on his line

 

[cbjthrowaway]

not really sure why people are giving johnny so much flack for last night's game.

he had a pass to laine that would've been a tap-in but it skipped over his stick by an inch, then he had another pass for a redirect late that also narrowly missed.

struggled a bit in transition but so did the whole team. he wasn't the problem last night – the team is adjusting to the new system.

it's a game of inches. johnny could've had a multi-point night last night, easily, if laine kept his stick down and the redirect at the end worked. also if sillinger's shot didn't go bar-out, i think johnny was in line for an assist there too? may be mistaken.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

not really sure why people are giving johnny so much flack for last night's game.

he had a pass to laine that would've been a tap-in but it skipped over his stick by an inch, then he had another pass for a redirect late that also narrowly missed.

struggled a bit in transition but so did the whole team. he wasn't the problem last night – the team is adjusting to the new system.

it's a game of inches. johnny could've had a multi-point night last night, easily, if laine kept his stick down and the redirect at the end worked. also if sillinger's shot didn't go bar-out, i think johnny was in line for an assist there too? may be mistaken.

It’s not all about points, that’s not what I mean at least. As you may have noticed, my initial post said nothing about his stats.

He’s not engaging. I know he’s not defensive or physical, and that’s fine, but he’s a liability. And offensively, like you said, his transition game struggled. That’s his bread and butter.

I’m not saying we need to ring alarm bells but I think it’s something to watch out for.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

It’s not all about points, that’s not what I mean at least. As you may have noticed, my initial post said nothing about his stats.

He’s not engaging. I know he’s not defensive or physical, and that’s fine, but he’s a liability. And offensively, like you said, his transition game struggled. That’s his bread and butter.

I’m not saying we need to ring alarm bells but I think it’s something to watch out for.

in fairness to johnny, all of the team's exits/entries were clunky as hell last night. last year their strategy was basically just "give it to johnny and have him carry the whole way" and i don't think that's part of their new system.

obviously you want your star players to create space and make plays, but it was also a classic torts team and we've certainly been on the other side of that plenty of times.

 

[NotWendell]

It's like the ice we were skating and passing on was bumpy and choppy while theirs was smooth and clean. I know we skated on the same ice, but it didn't look like it. What's up with THAT?!?

 

[squashmaple]

It's like the ice we were skating and passing on was bumpy and choppy while theirs was smooth and clean. I know we skated on the same ice, but it didn't look like it. What's up with THAT?!?

The Flyers were definitely struggling with it, too. It looked awful, inexcusable for the first game of the season.