Toronto Maple Leafs: Frederik Gauthier earning his place

It’s been a long journey to the NHL for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Frederik Gauthier, but he appears to have finally earned his place with the team.

Gauthier was selected 21st overall in the 2013 draft by the Leafs, entering the draft ranked as the eighth-best North American skater.

His draft year saw him pick up 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) in 62 regular season games with the Rimouski Océanic in the QMJHL.

When he was drafted, Gauthier was hailed as a promising defensive forward and, at the time, Chris Bordeleau of NHL Central Scouting was particularly high on his defensive capabilities.

“I’ve never seen a kid get back and play defense like he does in 20 years.” – Chris Bordeleau

Despite being drafted highly, it has taken Gauthier a long time to truly look like he can stick around in the NHL.

Gauthier returned to Rimouski for a further two years of seasoning – not quite reaching a point-per-game in The Q before he was eventually brought up into the Toronto Marlies in 2015.

Over the next three seasons, Gauthier would go on to make 159 regular season appearances in the AHL while also receiving sporadic call-ups to the Toronto Maple Leafs – registering double-digit appearance just once in that time.

Gauthier won the Calder Cup with the Marlies last season, playing a career-high 78 games across both the regular season (58) and playoffs (20).

With his Entry-Level Contract expired, questions were raised about the 23-year-old’s future with the organization

He then signed a two-year deal with the Maple Leafs that careers an extremely low $675,000 cap hit – paying him a league minimum $650,000 this season with a slight increase to $700,000 next year.

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With his NHL career hanging in the balance, Gauthier appears to have finally taken the opportunity and is now showing the potential many believed he had leading up to the 2013 draft.

The Laval, Quebec native will never be a top player in the NHL, but his defensive and possession work should see him stick as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ fourth-line centre, a role he has earned over Par Lindholm.

He has played 11 games for the NHL club this season, the second-highest single season total of his career so far.

He plays sparingly, registering an average of 8:01 on the ice, and regularly finds himself starting in the defensive zone.

55.9 per cent of his starts have come in his own zone so far this season, but Gauthier has exceptional possession stats despite this – registering a 58.4 per cent Corsi rating.

He has blocked three shots so far and has been using his large 6-foot-5, 235lbs frame to good use – throwing 15 hits.

His face-off success needs to improve, with Gauthier winning just 44.4 per cent of the 63 puck drops he has lined up for.

With the way Mike Babcock has his team set up, Gauthier isn’t likely to crack 10 minutes often this season, but this will allow him to play with less pressure and focus on honing his defensive game that is already looking to be far more solid.

To put things into context, Gauthier had an appalling 38.2% Corsi rating in the seven games he played in last season, registering 8:45 on the ice.

Having a reduced role with the team should suit Gauthier perfectly, with his improved performances adding to his growing confidence – something that should help him continue to cement his role in Babcock’s line-up.

Many might see his lack of offence as a downside, but having a strong defensive forward in a fourth-line role is a big benefit for a team that has a tonne of offensive capability throughout their top three lines.

It’s been a long road for Gauthier, but now it looks like he has finally made it and will be a contributing factor to the Leafs’ success – at least in the immediate future.

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What do you think Leafs Nation? Are you happy with how Gauthier has been performing? Will he keep it up over the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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