Good old Darryl Sutter made a shocking statement about Johhny Gaudreau
Forward Johnny Gaudreau has always been known as a pure offensive forward, hence his 530 points in 550 career points to date.
However, since his 99-point season in 2018-2019, he had lost some of the momentum in his game. You could see a Johnny Gaudreau lacking in confidence, as he has been part of several trade rumors.
However, that good old Darry Sutter took the helm of the Flames last March, and we can see that number 13 is a transformed player. Sutter is a coach who demands a lot from his players and he asks them to play well on 200 feet. If you don't buy into that style, you don't play.
Gaudreau has been able to change his style of play, which was much more finesse-based throughout his career. He still found a way to produce offensively, hence his 36 points in 30 games.
"I thought he was very consistent and he really bought into the scheme. Your best players have to show the way to play, and Johnny is one of the best 200-footers in the league right now. That says a lot about him."
Sutter is surely referring to the fact that his star player ranks third in the NHL in positive differential with +21 this season.
"If it's just about goals and assists, that's kind of where this team was, right? But when you become a team player, make plays away from the puck, position yourself well and manage the clock, that's where I think Johnny stood out."
The senior said he was very flattered by his head coach's comments.
"It's a nice compliment to hear, obviously. You like to hear good things about your game. There are a lot of good players in this league. I'm fortunate to play with one of the best players on both sides of the ice in Elias Lindholm. It makes my job a lot easier in the defensive zone."
He even admitted that he is a better player than he used to be, even though he was a point-producing machine in 2018-2019.
"I think three years ago I was cheating a little bit more on the offensive end. I had had a good season in terms of points. But if I look at my game personally, I'm much better in other aspects of the game. I'm much better in the defensive zone."
