Player Discussion Brady Tkachuk (LW) - Part XI

[armani]

brady wastes a lot of possession trying to score when the pass is a better option.

hopefully he improves because power forwards like him who rely on their physical attributes so much decline a lot when they are less able or willing to play the same game.

and too many times people say that they would not trade him for anyone short of mcdavid. when there are a shit load of players between mcdavid and brady.

I agree, both Brady and Stutzle need to learn identify when passing is a better option. It’s part of the change that I am sure JM is professing as well. Right now both are snake bit and the team’s losing.

Tkachuk holds a lot of value in trade market. Currently, he is the anchor around whom the roster is being built. Stutzle is typically the best player, but Tkachuk likely holds as much value in the trade market as a power forward.

I won’t trade either.

 

[Dan Patrick]

and too many times people say that they would not trade him for anyone short of mcdavid. when there are a shit load of players between mcdavid and brady.

This is your second straw man in as many posts.

Sorry to hear hypothetical people are living rent free in your head. They’ve got a name for that illness.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Last game was a good example of how Brady is trying to be better defensive player.

He was below the goal line battling several times, he was blocking shots, and he was back checking.

A few things that make some of the typical defensive play a bit more challenging at the moment for Brady are:

- that he isn’t the most agile player, so he has to work on his positioning in the D zone. Given that the team doesn’t really practice at the moment, and he won’t have had much time to make sweeping D zone changes, you see a lot of effort that doesn’t always translate into solid play because it lacks efficiency and systematic second nature for Brady, and all the guys around him.

He needs coaching here, they all do, and it’s a major adjustment to the defensive zone system and transitioning system. Guys don’t know where to go, where other guys should be because they haven’t ingrained the new system. This is what Brady looks like when just trying to ‘play D’. They need the rest of the season and off season with the new coaching staff.

- he plays really deep in the ozone for most of his offensive shifts, is constantly battling physically with other players and is usually bagged by the time the puck is turned over and back checking is necessary. Those battles take a huge physical toll, and no one else does it on the team like he does. He is usually last because he’s the deepest, and the most spent which makes sense. He needs to make sure he has a last burst to get to the bench for fresh legs. We can’t really expect a guy to work his ass off for a shift like he does, and then have the gas for a huge back check. He needs coaching here to fine tune the timing.

The effort is there, but the confidence is low because he doesn’t know where he is supposed to be and what he is supposed to be doing second nature right now. They just transitioned from several years of one style of play, to another style without practice time or an off season to make it gel with the team. When panic sets in guys resort to their second nature schemes, or try to do a bunch of new stuff under pressure. Neither look great for obvious reasons. To me it seems clear that Brady is putting more emphasis on playing D, getting back, blocking shooting lanes, and trying to battle to regain possession in the D zone. Heck, even just being at our net enough to see the pokes and slashes is more than he used to be, and shows how deep he is playing.

But doing D things and playing D in a 5 man unit are two different things. I think the guys are trying to do better with the former, and haven’t had nearly enough time to do the later with anything that resembles cohesiveness. Coaching will make a huge difference to how this team performs. The desire and determination isn’t the issue with Brady, but he probably needs the most coaching time since he is the guy moving from the blow the zone option to battling deep in the D zone for puck retrieval.

It sucks, but these guys need time with the brand new top end of the organization to become what they can be. These are issue that every single skater on the team suffers from to varying degrees right now. The only question is which HC will be the guy tasked with rebuilding the play style of this team going forward.

 

[arian487]

I've been a Brady hater since the signing and while he has flashes I maintain that he isn't a good enough player to warrant his contract.

Negatives I see:
- he can't create his own shot
- he can't create for others
- he is a bit slow
- his bad skating leads to being exploited consistently on D

If you watch him, opponents are consistently getting good chances when he is on the ice and from what I can see a big reason is his slowness and his inability to control the offense (leading to opponent rushes).

His type of offense has value but in today's NHL you need speed and dynamic offense, and he provides neither.

If you look at stutzle for example, hes had a bad year but his bad defensive plays are rarely due to being exploited. It's because of a bad giveaway due to doing too much, or some other similar reasons and that to me is a more fixable problem.

I maintain that we are going to have a hard time being good while Brady is a top guy on this team.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

naw but he hits so all his massive flaws are forgiven and you just don't value physicality or something.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Great.

 

[Loach]

naw but he hits so all his massive flaws are forgiven and you just don't value physicality or something.

I'm surprised you're the first comment.

 

[StoicSensFan]

So when Brady makes mistakes it's the other team exploiting his defensive weaknesses, but when Stutzle makes similar mistakes it's not because the other team is exploiting them.

This is garbage and makes zero sense.

 

[Dan Patrick]

“I hated him before and I still hate him!”
-Arian463

Thanks. Did this need to be a whole new post.

 

[umma gumma]

Where was this post last year? Amazing how people like to single out one player when it goes beyond one person.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Solid player with some flaws in his game. Not worried

 

[Alf Silfversson]

He sucks defensively because he's never been taught how to play defense at the professional level. That doesn't happen overnight. It will take time.

He absolutely creates offense on the forecheck and off the cycle and he makes goals from the point more likely by being a huge pain in the ass in front of the other goalie.

This is a player who has serious flaws but also some really valuable qualities. It's a shame that he was allowed to do nothing defensively for 4 years, but I have faith that he can become a passable defensive player.

 

[jbeck5]

So when Brady makes mistakes it's the other team exploiting his defensive weaknesses, but when Stutzle makes similar mistakes it's not because the other team is exploiting them.

This is garbage and makes zero sense.

I think he's saying they get chances on stutzle due to mental mistakes(such as trying to do too much and fumbling the puck) , whereas they get chances on Tkachuk due to physical limitations, (such as not quick enough to stay goal side of the man he's trying to cover)

Whether I agree with that take or not, it makes sense as a hypothesis.

 

[StoicSensFan]

I think he's saying they get chances on stutzle due to mental mistakes(such as trying to do too much and fumbling the puck) , whereas they get chances on Tkachuk due to physical limitations, (such as not quick enough to stay goal side of the man he's trying to cover)

Whether I agree with that take or not, it makes sense as a hypothesis.

It's so biased to think that Stutzle's defensive woes are more accepted because they're all mental but not physical... Bobbling the puck, getting knocked off the puck easily, falling down all over the ice - is that mental? I think the team as a whole is learning to be defensive first and both Tkachuk and Stutzle are struggling mightily with it - physically and mentally. I know they'll both pull through though.

 

[Hale The Villain]

naw but he hits so all his massive flaws are forgiven and you just don't value physicality or something.

It's amazing how many people in management for NHL teams fall for this as well.

Dubois is another example. He gets overpaid because teams think he's a player you can win with because his big and occasionally physical, ignoring that he's lazy, one-dimensional and doesn't make his teammates better.

I hope Brady can figure out the defensive side once he gets a legitimate head coach for the first time in his career.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

We had some success with Mike Hoffman in the lineup and he was often clutch in the ways he did contribute. It can be overcome with the right lineup. He'll be fine.

 

[Sting]

The issue with Brady is that he's a very effective support player. If you put him on a line with two drivers, he's going to do very well. He can't carry a line because imo he lacks elite speed, hands and IQ.

Is he worth his cap hit? He's probably in the range he deserves. I don't know if the problem is so much Brady because he is what he is. What this team lacks is the players around him.

I take issue with naming him captain so early and making poor decisions, but the team's problems are much much deeper and it's mostly roster construction.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Every single player on this team can improve defensively some more than others obviously.
My biggest concern with Brady right now is his leadership through changes being made and particularly the new coaching and tactics being stressed. He is a huge part of the team and has a huge voice and other players around him are affected by his attitude which is part of why he was made Captain. His attitude has to be positive with the evolutions that are taking place and will take place. Players play , Coaches coach, Managers Manage. He is a player and we definitely do not need any sulking .

 

[Bileur]

Brady needs to be better defensively, there is no doubt about that.

That said, suggesting Brady doesn’t create offense for others is the flip side of the coin and is just as ridiculous as people saying Karlsson is the worst defenseman in the NHL.

Brady doesn’t create offense for others through nifty dekes or carrying the puck, but he does create offense for others by doing the dirty work around the net, digging pucks out of corners, pressuring the defense, and has severely underrated vision. Having Brady on the ice draws attention and creates a lot of space for the dipsy doodlers to do their thing.

It’s not the conventional approach, but it’s nonetheless effective.

 

[Big Muddy]

I'm surprised you're the first comment.

Hmm. It does seem awfully familiar & similar to another poster in here, doesn't it. LOL.

 

[Big Muddy]

It's a team game. Some might wonder if Tkachuk's somewhat off year (less productive) aligns with either Stutzle's or Norris's off year (thinking of past year versus this year for Norris). Maybe there's a correlation there and not just a coincidence.

There's too much emphasis on individual players imho versus lines and pairings (combinations of players). A rising tide lifts all boats.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

It's a team game. Some might wonder if Tkachuk's somewhat off year (less productive) aligns with either Stutzle's or Norris's off year (thinking of past year versus this year for Norris). Maybe there's a correlation there and not just a coincidence.

There's too much emphasis on individual players imho versus lines and pairings (combinations of players).

of course it does.

brady last year was the third best player on his line and was able to cherry pick on the blue line for offense so he had a "good" or at least productive year.

now Brady has no line he can be the 3rd best player on and he's actually being told that he has to play d.

 

[Big Muddy]

He sucks defensively because he's never been taught how to play defense at the professional level. That doesn't happen overnight. It will take time.

He absolutely creates offense on the forecheck and off the cycle and he makes goals from the point more likely by being a huge pain in the ass in front of the other goalie.

This is a player who has serious flaws but also some really valuable qualities. It's a shame that he was allowed to do nothing defensively for 4 years, but I have faith that he can become a passable defensive player.

Brady also has a pretty good shot. He can rip it and be pretty lethal from the slot as well.

 

[armani]

of course it does.

brady last year was the third best player on his line and was able to cherry pick on the blue line for offense so he had a "good" or at least productive year.

now Brady has no line he can be the 3rd best player on and he's actually being told that he has to play d.

Tkachuk's not at his best atm. But even when he was at his best last season offensively, his defensive game was definitely lacking. But the same can be said about Stutzle, Batherson, and Norris (especially this season). They will all need to get better for this team to compete. The forwards have a responsibility of slowing down the forecheck, not allowing the other team free lanes to sprint past backed up defencemen and shoot howitzers at the goalie.

Chabot, Sanderson, Zub, and Chychrun have had their own issues.

These are expected top performers who need to be their best when the puck's not on their sticks.

The core needs to buy in, and that starts with Captain Tkachuk. He has all the physical tools to be able to at least be effective in slowing the pressure down just by using his size and positioning.

 

[Big Muddy]

of course it does.

brady last year was the third best player on his line and was able to cherry pick on the blue line for offense so he had a "good" or at least productive year.

now Brady has no line he can be the 3rd best player on and he's actually being told that he has to play d.

I think you missed the point but seized the opportunity to pump your narrative. Brady and his line mates all need to improve and share responsibility for the current bad results. Playing better defensively is part of that. They can all play better, and when they do, we will see better results.