lol, that's not true. A 60 point winger is still a 1st/2nd liner on every team in the league. Comparatively speaking, though, I get the reason for your hyperbole. A drop off from top 5 winger in the league to top 30 is HUGE. We're talking about the difference from Iginla and Clarke McArthur, basically.
lol, that's not true. A 60 point winger is still a 1st/2nd liner on every team in the league. Comparatively speaking, though, I get the reason for your hyperbole. A drop off from top 5 winger in the league to top 30 is HUGE. We're talking about the difference from Iginla and Clarke McArthur, basically.
That comment more or less came from my impressions from Gabby's crappier games this season... He just gets nullified so easily... Doesn't always make the opposing team' defensemen work very hard to contain him... Makes some bad decisions with the puck along the boards, etc.... You look at how attentive our team has to be to contain Kovalchuck, who skates himself into shooting lanes and open space with the puck on his stick, and it leads me wanting a lot more from Gaborik... I wish he would stop using that same ineffective 'push the puck around the defender' move that never seems to work for him.... Deviate from his normal tendencies and dump the puck in and use his speed to beat the defender to it and look to set up in the offensive zone or feed somebody with a pass.... He's got to change things up and go outside his comfort zone if he's going to find some results while he's struggling.
Of course he makes a difference. If Gaborik is the same Gaborik we saw all season, it's gonna be tough. If Gaborik is real Gaborik, then we're one of the biggest threats in the playoffs.
IDK, if Gaborik is playing at the top of his game, he's a game changer. He will score goals with his lethal shot from just about anywhere. However, when he's off his game, he's as worthless as a goon.
He looked better tonight, but if he's not generating offense or scoring goals, it's all for naught anyway.
Gabby's a sniper and is obviously at his best when he is scoring goals. He's not a Jagr-type that can be effective by controlling the offense and carrying the puck when he's not scoring goals. He needs to capitalize when he gets a good scoring opportunity.
I wouldn't get too attached to the idea of him scoring a lot in the playoffs. There are real, legitimate reasons as to why his numbers are down. None of those reasons have gone away, and the bad teams are all out of the picture.
If you want Gaborik to put up goals and points, then you'd better hope that the Rangers make an effort to put him in a position to do so next season. But then again, the changes that need to be made to help Gaborik are the changes that need to be made to help the team as a whole. Otherwise, it'll be another year of Gaborik not making an impact, and the team barely making the playoffs...or not making them at all.
I feel like just because Gaborik put up 42 or whatever goals last season that people expect him to pick the puck up behind the net, dangle through 2 defenders and roof one top cheese every other game. Obviously this is an exaggeration but he's never been that type of player and he never will be so why are we bumming out so hard when he's not scoring? Look at his linemates. Tonight he was on a line with Vinny and Anisimov. I love both those guys, but Vinny isn't getting any younger and isn't an elite talent to begin with and Anisimov is still developing. Gaborik is an elite talent-but not by himself, and I thought the exact same thing last year even with his monster stats. Gaborik takes advantage of bad goaltending, period and unfortunately for him there hasn't been much of that this year outside of Toronto and Edm and there definitely won't be any now.
As much as I hate to say it, Richards next year really is the next step for this team to be elite. Gaborik is very rarely the type of player these days that creates his own offense. He rarely has the puck on his stick for more than a few seconds and he has the creativity of Jed Ortmeyer. What he does have though, is a shot that anyone in the NHL would kill for. Get this man the puck in high % scoring areas and you SHOULD get your goals out of him (I say should because I wanted to cry after he didn't bury that shot 3 feet in front of Neuvirth tonight). Richards is the guy that will do that and is IMO the perfect compliment to Gaborik. God help us all though if he pulls a Redden when we throw the world at him this offseason.
I feel like just because Gaborik put up 42 or whatever goals last season that people expect him to pick the puck up behind the net, dangle through 2 defenders and roof one top cheese every other game. Obviously this is an exaggeration but he's never been that type of player and he never will be so why are we bumming out so hard when he's not scoring? Look at his linemates. Tonight he was on a line with Vinny and Anisimov. I love both those guys, but Vinny isn't getting any younger and isn't an elite talent to begin with and Anisimov is still developing. Gaborik is an elite talent-but not by himself, and I thought the exact same thing last year even with his monster stats. Gaborik takes advantage of bad goaltending, period and unfortunately for him there hasn't been much of that this year outside of Toronto and Edm and there definitely won't be any now.
As much as I hate to say it, Richards next year really is the next step for this team to be elite. Gaborik is very rarely the type of player these days that creates his own offense. He rarely has the puck on his stick for more than a few seconds and he has the creativity of Jed Ortmeyer. What he does have though, is a shot that anyone in the NHL would kill for. Get this man the puck in high % scoring areas and you SHOULD get your goals out of him (I say should because I wanted to cry after he didn't bury that shot 3 feet in front of Neuvirth tonight). Richards is the guy that will do that and is IMO the perfect compliment to Gaborik. God help us all though if he pulls a Redden when we throw the world at him this offseason.
I agree with you on the top cheese thing, but Gaborik was an elite talent on his own. He has never played with other elite talent. In Minnesota, it was like PM Bouchard and an inconsistent Demitra, and last year he had Christensen and Prospal. Gaborik has always been able to find the lanes, and his speed and shot helped him. Unfortunately, both seem somewhat off this year. Maybe Torts needs to let him cherry pick a bit, i dunno, but he looks like garbage. I may even be open to having him traded for a cheaper guy (maybe Mike Cammaleri)?
I just hope Brooks Laich doesn't kill us this series or else Sather will definitely sign him...for 4 mm, and then I'll cry.
And for Dubinsky, he is the perfect complementary player, but he won't do it on his own. When he is on the ice - he gets no room. He needs a linemate that can command the puck and carry the line. Unfortunately, I truly believe our best chance was Kovalchuk last year.
Its unfortunate Gaborik teased us for one year - because we would have Kovy if it wasn't for us having Gaborik.
Neither Dubinsky nor Gaborik showed up last night.
This team isn't doomed they got badly out played and hung in there mostly because of Lundqvist but if they could get back to playing how they did in mid march when the beat the Habs and won 5 in a row they would take this series no problem.
All aboard the Gabby Excuse Train! Plenty of room for everyone!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sting36e
There are real, legitimate reasons as to why his numbers are down. None of those reasons have gone away, and the bad teams are all out of the picture.
If you want Gaborik to put up goals and points, then you'd better hope that the Rangers make an effort to put him in a position to do so next season. But then again, the changes that need to be made to help Gaborik are the changes that need to be made to help the team as a whole. Otherwise, it'll be another year of Gaborik not making an impact, and the team barely making the playoffs...or not making them at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WojtekGoalski
I feel like just because Gaborik put up 42 or whatever goals last season that people expect him to pick the puck up behind the net, dangle through 2 defenders and roof one top cheese every other game.
I wonder how Richards will help Gaborik when Gaborik has 2 POINT BLANK chances and yet again cannot score. He won't. Because Richards can't make New York not be New York. And Richards can't turn a playoff game in to a Tuesday night game in November.
If you want to pay a guy $7m to stick lift or reverse the puck in to the corner to no one, you got the right guy, because he might be the best in the league at it. But he's not going to score in a big spot. He will never be a go-to guy in a big spot. Not because he's not that kind of player, it's because he lacks the mental fortitude (nuts) to get it done when the spotlight is on him.
Gaborik's game is the polar opposite of the identity the rest of the team has carved out. Hes never going to be a force on the forecheck, and hes never going to be a player that imposes his will every shift. Hes always been a stealthy type player...issue is, he was cashing in on the handful of chances he got per game last year and hasnt been doing it this season.
Those expecting him to be a dominant force throughout any given game are going to be disappointed. He can best serve this team by potting a goal here and there out of nowhere on the rush and/or being a force on the powerplay. He hasnt been able to do either all season, so heres hoping he can do it in the playoffs...didnt happen last night.
Gaborik is “thinking” too much and when a person with his natural talent has to think about what always was
Instinctual, they falter. He either shoots the puck as soon as it’s on his stick, or he holds on to it too long and the scoring chance is gone. He under/over skates in the offensive zone. He’s not playing confident for one or more reasons. His shoulder may not have ever regained full strength and he is unable to adjust his game? Torts’ system?
I wouldn't get too attached to the idea of him scoring a lot in the playoffs. There are real, legitimate reasons as to why his numbers are down. None of those reasons have gone away, and the bad teams are all out of the picture.
If you want Gaborik to put up goals and points, then you'd better hope that the Rangers make an effort to put him in a position to do so next season. But then again, the changes that need to be made to help Gaborik are the changes that need to be made to help the team as a whole. Otherwise, it'll be another year of Gaborik not making an impact, and the team barely making the playoffs...or not making them at all.
Sting, I agree in regards to Gaborik needing a running mate like Richards who will better put him in positions to succeed. But at the same time, I struggle with validating that thought given he scored 42 goals basically by himself last season being primarily centered by Erik Christensen. Whether that was an abberation or not, hes proven he can go at it alone here in New York.
It leads to excuses/wild speculation that'll make your head spin. Is he injured? Is he overthinking it? Has the identity this team didnt have last season torpedoed Gaborik's effectiveness? Whatever the case may be, the simple solution is to pair him with an elite playmaker like Richards - if he underperforms then, there can be no excuses.
Sting, I agree in regards to Gaborik needing a running mate like Richards who will better put him in positions to succeed. But at the same time, I struggle with validating that thought given he scored 42 goals basically by himself last season being primarily centered by Erik Christensen. Whether that was an abberation or not, hes proven he can go at it alone here in New York.
It leads to excuses/wild speculation that'll make your head spin. Is he injured? Is he overthinking it? Has the identity this team didnt have last season torpedoed Gaborik's effectiveness? Whatever the case may be, the simple solution is to pair him with an elite playmaker like Richards - if he underperforms then, there can be no excuses.
I agree about the last part, but I will continue to contend the following: part of the difference is very likely nagging injury, but a big part of is simply increased attention from opposing defenses. Now, virtually every game, teams have a guy stick to him like glue, and with the cellar dwellers out of the picture, it's only going to be more of that from this point on.
Absolutely, you have to get him a center that can pass the puck so that he only has to worry about using his speed to beat a defender to a spot for that one or two seconds that a playmaker needs to feed him the puck. And yes, if that doesn't work, then you can pile on Gaborik all you want. But until that is the case, I don't see how blame can be directed at him.
I had absolutely no desire to see the Rangers sign Gaborik. I tried to stay positive about it, because he is a very talented player, but I thought it was a mistake from day 1. I wanted money saved instead for Kovalchuk. But I'm not going to blame Gaborik for the team's errors. It's hardly the first time Glen Sather has put together a team without considering how the pieces do or don't fit together.
