Gomez will have a come back year and score 60+ points. If not, he's gone by trade deadline.
So he will score 60+ points by the trade deadline or they will wait until the end of the season to see if he has 60+ points and then retroactively trade him at the deadline.
Best Case:
his ego/pride seriously affected after last year, he has the best off-season of his life, spends time watching old videos from his best days in NJ, and remembers what it was like to actually "be" the man as opposed to just being paid like the man, and desperately wants to be that kind of impact player again... believes he can do it and is determined to show that it wasn't just riding on other players coat tails.
puts up ppg pace, while playing like an elite playmaking centre, making his linemates better and boosting the entire offense by preventing teams from concentrating on Plek's line.
Worst Case:
he has the same kind of epiphany, works his butt off, then comes out flat nonetheless. Confidence gets shattered, excuses take over, media/fans get on his case as he stumbles through the first half as bad or worse than last year... requests if not demands a trade, but PG's unable to find a suitor, situation gets ugly and becomes a distraction.
Most likely:
comes to camp in good shape, starts the season well enough, puts up points riding on wingers & Markov's coattails, production is enough to keep boo-birds at bay, he's content to be a 50-60pt player and the team does well enough and media/fans tolerate his lopsided salary-cap hit vs. contributions. PG finds a willing team to take his contract in the off-season, or even at the deadline if Eller is playing well enough & he gets a strong enough offer.
as skeptical as I am that Gomez could actually manage to pull off the "best case", as a fan that would be the absolute ideal...
imagine a 70-80pt Gomez, pushing both MaxPac/Gionta into the 30 goal range and indirectly boosting Pleks/Cammy's production, and allow Eller to thrive in a 3rd line role behind a lethal top 6... that would put us into the contender range of teams, and with all of our fwds locked up for a few years, keep us there.
it's probably a mistake to even think about how great that would be, but man oh man... imagine!
Cammy-Pleks- Cole
30 goals/ 65pts/ 25g-50pts
MaxPac-Gomez-Gionta
25goals/ 80pts/ 30 goals
DD- Eller- Kost
50pts/ 15g-45pts/ 25g-50pts
if we could get that kind of offensive production out of those 3 lines, with Pleks line playing the shut-down match-up role, and Martin's overall defensive scheme & Price playing @ top-5 level, we'd easily be challenging for the conference title and well stocked for a deep playoff run (assuming our defense stays healthy and PG adds 1 more top-4 type player).
as much as I dislike the fact that we traded for Gomez, IF he ever manages to play to his best potential with us, the impact would be profound.
Come on Scotty, make it happen like it's 2005!
There's a lot to be said about the best case scenario, He has come out and said, "Im Terrible" and hired the teams trainer to join him in Alaska to train. If hes got any intestinal fortitude hes going to work the hell out of his game in the off season and come back at least marginally better. I think he will have a bounce back year, If he screws the pooch again, All of these threads will be totally justified, I still have some faith.
But players make their luck. Scoring is inconsistent and relies on too many variables for a player to be a shoe-in for any type of season. It's all about dedication, work ethic and hustling on D, which can all be consistent and produce immediate results on limiting chances against and creating chances the other way. Gomez lacks all 3 since he's come to Montreal (or actually since he signed that contract).
I know. Just making a joke.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edsqu
There's a lot to be said about the best case scenario, He has come out and said, "Im Terrible" and hired the teams trainer to join him in Alaska to train. If hes got any intestinal fortitude hes going to work the hell out of his game in the off season and come back at least marginally better. I think he will have a bounce back year, If he screws the pooch again, All of these threads will be totally justified, I still have some faith.
He did? That would be some positive news if true. I hope the guy comes back hungry and puts up some points because he's got to be embarrassed after the season he just had. If he doesn't do anything in the off-season to step it up, I'm not sure how he can look at himself in the mirror.
Last edited by Lafleurs Guy: 07-22-2011 at 02:38 PM.
Plekanec faces much tougher opposition. Mind, Gomez isn't getting soft minutes, but Plekanec routinely face the other team's best guys.
I just wanted to point out that Gomez isn't quite a disaster defensively. He could be better, but he's still outchancing the other guys.
Definately. Plekanec is better than Gomez, but while Plekanec is playing against the top line, Gomez is playing against the second, which means he is no slouch defensively.
Definately. Plekanec is better than Gomez, but while Plekanec is playing against the top line, Gomez is playing against the second, which means he is no slouch defensively.
He had the worst +/- per 60 last year, so yes, he's a bonafide scrub.
I don't know if he's a bonafide #1 center, because we really need strong secondary scoring to stay in the NHL average for offense.
He'd be a top shelf 2nd line center but as a 1st liner he's mediocre at best. He's miscast as a #1. Unfortunately though, it's been that way for us for a long time.
He'd be a top shelf 2nd line center but as a 1st liner he's mediocre at best. He's miscast as a #1. Unfortunately though, it's been that way for us for a long time.
His ES play is excellent. If he was a tad more productive offensively and on the PP, he'd be a stud.
