Playoff numbers
Another big reason fans are big on Tkachuk is the regular season numbers. In 2021-22, he put up a career high in goals and points.
Tkachuk had a fantastic year. 42 goals and 104 points.
Those numbers would have been atop the Blues list in every category – goals, assists and points. Who wouldn’t want those numbers on their team?
104 points? Yes, please.
42 goals? Fantastic.
Those all sound great and we’d all be crazy to turn that down. However, where are the numbers in the playoffs.
People will sugarcoat it, because they like Tkachuk and his tenacity and the fact he’s considered from St. Louis. The bottom line is the numbers disappear in the playoffs.
Prior to 2021-22, Tkachuk had three goals and five points in 15 career playoff games. That’s not great.
He had zero goals and zero points in a sweep when he was 19. Even if you give him a pass on that season due to his inexperience, that’s three goals and five points in 11 games. That’s barely a goal every three games and only a point every other game from a guy you depend on.
Many fans will say to look at 2021-22, which was his career year to date. He still only had four goals and 10 points in 12 games.
Guess who had more goals in the same amount of games. Vladimir Tarasenko had six goals in 12 games for the Blues.
If you want to the whole “oh but…” thing, go ahead. Tarasenko got most of his goals against Minnesota and not Colorado?
That’s a valid point. However, Tarasenko still had a goal and three points against a surprisingly stingy Colorado team. Those points came in the team’s two wins as well, proving the team is better when Tarasenko scores.
Tkachuk had three goals against an embarrassingly porous Edmonton defense. Those three goals came in one game and he had one assist the rest of the series. Even in seven games against a shaky Dallas team, Tkachuk only had one goal and six points.
I’m not even saying any of this to tear the guy down. I don’t dislike him, but there is an overvaluation of his ability when he has yet to prove it in crunch time.
100-plus points is fantastic, but the Blues already had one of their highest scoring teams in franchise history. If those numbers aren’t somewhat replicated in the most important part of any season, what difference would it really make?