A lot of praise has been going Mr. Gaudreau’s way, and rightfully so. As of today, he is 7th in the NHL in scoring at 15 G, 30 A, 45 PTS with 35 games played. That’s insane! Then again, with the league is seeing a uptick in scoring not seen in years, it would stand to reason a silky cat of Johnny “Ham and Cheese”s ilk would be on pace for his first 100+ PT season in his career.
Captain Mark Giordano has been nothing short of stellar as well. Tied with John Carlson at 35 PTS (6 G, 29 A) and one point behind Morgan Riley and Thomas Chabot, El Capitan, also on pace for a career high in PTS, is finally starting to draw the recognition that he’s been deserving of for years and seems to be a front runner for the Norris Trophy this season.
Here comes the but…
But, in spite of Gaudreau and Giordano’s incredible point totals and play this year, the guy that’s been “stirring the drink” for Calgary has to be Matthew Tkachuk. His 40 PTS (15 G, 25 A) don’t tell the whole story. He is what Dave Dameshek refers to as a “Jenga Piece.” For those unfamiliar with the brilliant NFL.com writer, every year he goes through the entire NFL and determines one player whom, should they fall out of the line due to injury, suspension, etc., could collapse the entire season for each team.
In the case of the Calgary Flames, that is Tkachuk. The ‘17-’18 season bore this out as the Flames wen 4-9 with him out of the lineup. With this in mind, the Pacific Division leaders better keep their fingers crossed that their “Jenga piece” doesn’t get pulled out from underneath them for any extended period of time this season.