That's fair; you are likely totally correct. But he is -3 in 28 NHL games, so it wouldn't kill him to put one in the net once in a while. Ben Smith is -3 after 237 NHL games.
Prospect Info: 2017 Leafs Board Prospect Ranking #17
- Thread starter Schenn
- Start date
That's fair; you are likely totally correct. But he is -3 in 28 NHL games, so it wouldn't kill him to put one in the net once in a while. Ben Smith is -3 after 237 NHL games.
TLeafsFan
A True BeLeafer
In terms of being a valuable prospect, it sorta is. You can find some gritty depth anywhere.
You can play defense great as a Center all you want. But unless you plan to share the net with Andersen, then you better push the play at times. If you can't push the play and score in the AHL then you sure can't in the NHL. As bad as Smith was, Babcock gave him 3 minutes more ice time than Gauthier per game and sent GOAT back to the Marlies when Smith returned.
theres a salary cap, theres only so much offense your allowed to have on your team, offense is really expensive
you gotta have the other stuff, you need great skaters, strong defensive players, size, face off guy, strong pkers, physicality, toughness, guys with intangibles, all that other stuff...you'll see once we start losing our offensive depth cause of the cap how important the great role players are
you gotta have the other stuff, you need great skaters, strong defensive players, size, face off guy, strong pkers, physicality, toughness, guys with intangibles, all that other stuff...you'll see once we start losing our offensive depth cause of the cap how important the great role players are
Like Brian Boyle - 3 pts in 21 games. They gave up a 2nd for him. It's not about grit - it's about playing the game the right way and being indispensable to your team.
showtime8
Registered User
Ideally you teach/coach/demand skilled players to play like that.
I love me some Brian Boyle and I hope some of our giant prospects work out in a mold like his, but how do you really separate those prospects from each other?
Comparing Gauthier to Boyle is a joke. At the same age Boyle was 5x the player Gauthier is scoring 62 points and a -2 in the AHL around the same age. Boyle got traded for as a long declining 32 year old because Gauthier isn't delivering enough to put Ben Smith in the press box.
A closer Gauthier comparison is as a poor-man's Colin Greening. I'm glad GOAT finally got voted onto the Board so we can end this fantasy cos-play. He never should have been a first round pick or anywhere close to being one. His growth has probably already maxed-out. Let's move on.
