When Gaborik is healthy, confident, and going, he's a top 5-10 point getter in the NHL and a top 5 goal scorer in the NHL.
For me, its never an issue of his talent. He has all the talent and skill in the world. And he's a good guy, and he cares.
But the compete level for whatever reason, is not always there, and he's an injury risk, for what ever reason.
All I want is for him to remain healthy, and compete hard every game.
When he does that, the entire makeup of the team is different.
I've been hard on him this season, but if part of his trouble was a concussion and his shoulder, Ill admit I was wrong. But we need him to be Gaborik. And not Kovalev.
I think he snaps out of it. If we can get a playoff berth it will be his chance to redeem a sub par season. That is what I'm hoping for. The other thing I'll worry about when I have to.
We are not stuck with him...yes he has injury history but he also has goalscoring history and that history is more important than one off season.
Now if next season is directly related to this one...then we may have an issue for our team but even then, if he has a bad year next year, He only has 2 years on the deal after that...which is managable.
Don't think that I would lable our situation with Gaborik as being "stuck"
I'm sure that he can be traded, I have no doubt in my mind that he can be traded. Are we going to get fair value for him today? Probably not, but in the summer from a team that needs a scoring winger that may have missed out on a key UFA signing? I can see it.
That said, I agree with some of the previous posters that assign some of his struggles to the shoulder injury not being 100% and if we were in a different situation (comfortably in a PO spot, or totally out of the PO's) I would probably shut him down for a little longer.
Gaborik will heal and will come back strong again next season.
I think I'd be more concerned with him if the issues that he was dealing with were groin/hip/back than shoulder.
Pre concussion Lindros was unstoppable in every facet of the game. He was more than elite, he was unique. Nobody else brought it all like that. He was a bigger, stronger, Mark Messier in his prime. Anyway, injuries happen. I don't think you can label Gaborik yet. He's a great winger, but we have no center to set him up. We got him for free. There's no doubt we could move him. Fair value for a guy you got for nothing is all profit, no matter what it is. Did we get fair value for Gomez? That deal looks like genius now. Some team will always take a chance and believe they have the players, coach, or system to turn the guy around. Unless he's completely shot, like Redden or Drury.
Close. Lindros wasn't half the player that Crosby is.
I'd take a healthy Lindros over a healthy Crosby 10 out of 10 times.
But that could be because I didn't think that Eric was as big a crybaby that Sidney is, and I like the physical style that Eric employed in addition to being supremely talented.
Total package vs. total package, I take Lindros, easily.
Supermonkey, do you watch the games? We had 7 goals on Sunday, and he was not invoved in one goal. For you to say that he is a top 5 player in the NHL is flat out a dumb statement. I can think of 25 better players right now. He is on the down slide, and will not return to elite status. Tis guy is a bum!!
Since the lockout, Gaborik has 182 goals in 332 games. That is more than .5GPG averaging out to 45 goals over an 82 game season. On a yearly basis, there are only 2-3 players who reach that total each season.
So, when healthy, Gaborik plays at an elite level, at least from a pure goal scoring perspective. There are a lot of disclaimers, but in terms of pure production he is elite.
Elite "talent" and elite "player" are two different things.
If a guy is a PPG guy, but only comes to work half the time, is he really an elite player? NO
"Elite", to me, means staying healthy and producing a PPG on a consistent basis. Normal injuries are a part of sports..but when there is a pattern, year in and year out, of missing major time, then, well...you lose the "elite" status. Plus, his head doesn't seem to be in the game, a lot of times.
Crosby is elite... Stamkos, St. Louis, The Sedins, Datsyuk, etc. Gaborik is a notch below.
As of now Crosby is nothing. Does it make him less elite?
Lindros was not elite? Some people either have insomnia or were in diapers in 1997 when he destroyed us in playoffs all by himself. We were a better team than in 1994.
Name one player who got back after shoulder injury and was able to score goals as usual. Just one, elite preferably.
You sound like we had other options and went wrong with Gaby. Unlike Gomez, Drury and Redden we didn't make any mistake signing him, simply because he was by far the best and arguably the only option available.
Shoulder injury has nothing to do with any history, it is not chronic matter like muscle injuries such as groin. Concussion is a detriment as may reoccur, but it has never happened before. Shoulder, if healed properly should not be an issue, just needs time to regain strength , a year or so. You are mixing apples and oranges with ease out of legitimate frustration here.
As of now Crosby is nothing. Does it make him less elite?
Lindros was not elite? Some people either have insomnia or were in diapers in 1997 when he destroyed us in playoffs all by himself. We were a better team than in 1994.
Name one player who got back after shoulder injury and was able to score goals as usual. Just one, elite preferably.
You sound like we had other options and went wrong with Gaby. Unlike Gomez, Drury and Redden we didn't make any mistake signing him, simply because he was by far the best and arguably the only option available.
Shoulder injury has nothing to do with any history, it is not chronic matter like muscle injuries such as groin. Concussion is a detriment as may reoccur, but it has never happened before. Shoulder, if healed properly should not be an issue, just needs time, a year or so. You are mixing apples and oranges with ease out of legitimate frustration here.
I didn't say Lindros wasn't elite; quite the opposite, actually.
Gaborik is a headcase who is injury prone. He doesn't give 100% effort every night, even when healthy.
And yes, we did have other options: It's called NOT TAKE A GIGANTIC RISK on a player who has a pattern of injuries. This is how we got into the whole financial crisis- greed and an insatiable appetite for risk. We could have not signed him, it's as simple as that. We don't have to sign the big name free agent every year, regardless of who it is, the risk involved, and how much we'll have to pay over his actual value.
Since when is Gaborik a headcase? If anything he's always seemed like one of the more level headed players I've seen.
He got banged up, and a really don't think you can take a concussion and say its the same old injured Gaborik.
A concussion happens to anyone and has nothing to do with his priors. He still can and will score goals for the Rangers. He has more talent then anyone the Rangers have, or had a chance of getting in the near future. His contract is actually pretty affordable for that kind of talent and the term is pretty nice compared to some of the contracts coming out.
I would gladly have said it then if it was ever a topic for discussion. I was against signing Gaborik since it was first rumored.
Kovalchuk produces every year. Gaborik doesn't. Kovalchuk plays a full season. Gaborik doesn't. One will end up in the Hall of Fame. Guess which one.
This nonsense of points per game is wonderful. Too bad standings are not dependent on those types of stats.
Ok so if we signed Kovalchuk for 15 years, and he put up only 30 goals (around where he'll get) you would be happy? You'd probably be ragging on him right now.
What if he started hot and cooled down (basically just reversing his production this year) what would you say then? You'd be bashing him like crazy.
Let me guess you're gonna say something ridiculous like "at least now he's scoring down the stretch when it counts." Guess what? The 2 points in the 1st game of the season count as much as the 2 points in the last game. Getting those points early eliminates the need for them late. I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.
Last edited by allstar3970: 03-08-2011 at 09:58 AM.
I love all the Gaborik bashers. They were non-existant last season when he put up 42g and 44a. Now that he's having an injury-filled down year they all pop out of the woodwork and are like "SEE! I TOLD YOU SO!"
