Toronto Maple Leafs Player Preview: Frederik Gauthier
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a stretch pick with the 21st overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft when Frederik Gauthier’s name was called.
Banking on his game catching up with his massive frame, the Toronto Maple Leafs took a chance and, so far, not much has changed over the past three seasons.
Gauthier returned to Rimouski for two seasons before playing 56 games for the Toronto Marlies last year, registering 18 points in his professional debut season.
He also got a taste with the Leafs last year, notching an assist over seven games.
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Gauthier’s showcase at the NHL level didn’t yield exciting results as he struggled defensively, which is supposedly his strength. Granted, he’s a 21 year old prospect and still has room to develop.
The problem for Gauthier is that as more prospects come in, more players move ahead of him in the depth chart and the future outlook of the organization.
The 2016-2017 season is going to be extremely important for Gauthier and his future with the Leafs – more important than a season should be for a 21 year old, but that’s life.
The 6’5″, 215lb, center is going to have to shore up his defensive play and find a way to contribute at around a 0.5ppg clip for the Marlies if he’s going to make any waves at all in the organization. There are simply better players above him and there are better players (who are still young) that can be targeted as a better replacement in the system.
Skill out-values size in today’s NHL, which means that Gauthier has an uphill battle now as opposed to a potential 2C/3C forecast when he was drafted.
The Leafs (Marlies) need Gauthier to be an effective two-way center who can shadow a top line without difficulty – and chip in half of the time on offense. A 35 point, 70 game season should be the target for Freddie The Goat, backed up with solid possession numbers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs 4C spot will remain open to the highest bidder, but expect constant competition from everyone in the system as well as demanding expectations from a head coach who knows the value of lineup depth.
If Gauthier can be effective with the Marlies and improve his skating, he’ll likely get another look with the Leafs in 2016-2017. If the situation remains the same, though, he’ll likely drift further down the pipeline.
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