Protec Verified Member Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 Golden horse-shoe or consistent winner? Tkachuk just has a tendency to be in on the goals. Standing right there on both tying and winning goals in Game 3 of the Final. Is he really that special of a player? He's a pretty good representation of a North American forward who produces without being a polished skater and while being an agitator. He was pretty good and a winner in junior on a stacked team. 107 points, 80 PIM in under 60 games. I think he looks like an MVP this year and it's worth saying perhaps it was Jim Benning's screw-up, not Brackett. Maybe... How do you miss it in the draft or more importantly if you're the Wild, find it. It's not 100% something that shows up on paper. Mark Stone is a similar guy. Big NA winger but always part of the big goals for his team. 6th rounder from the WHL. Is it pure luck or can teams draft winners? Some players seem to have a special quality like that. Brunette had it one year for the Wild, perhaps a one-off. Cross your fingers, I think the Wild need pure luck and hopefully our allotment over two decades wasn't just #97... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protec Verified Member Posted June 16, 2023 Author Share Posted June 16, 2023 https://www.nhl.com/news/matthew-tkachuk-tried-to-give-everything-for-florida-panthers-after-injury-in-stanley-cup-final/c-344893076?tid=344544256 Ek tried to play hurt too but when you got broken bones, only so much you can do. I think the Wild have tough players in that they’re not gonna wimp-out. Dumba, Ek, Kaprizov, and perhaps others have shown toughness to play through injury. BUT, the biggest difference is the 40 goals, 100+ points, and playoff clutch performances with scoring into the late rounds. When the Wild go to the draft, they need to reconsider their Euro/Elite Swede affinity. The Wild needs players who can be nearly killed and keep scoring and making an impact. I know we’ve made the point before but the draft is often a fork in the road for an organization. Whether is was Brackett or Benning who failed to take Tkachuk, or Treviling who failed to sign him long-term in Calgary, both organizations are paying the toll for poor decisions with years of mediocrity or worse. Hopefully, Rossi is doing the Happy Gilmore off-ice training right now cause it’s looking more and more like the Wild are gonna need some lucky bounces to get returns on some of their top draft selections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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