I know he's not a popular pick in this spot but I went with Gauthier.
The way I approach these rankings is I look at the players remaining and I ask, if there was an expansion draft where all of their prospects were available, and they could only protect one, who would it be?
When you look at the lack of interest in re-signing Boyle and then look at the Moore signing as a bit of a temporary stop gap I think the Leafs have plans for Gauthier to be an important part of this team going forward. I thought he looked really strong when he played last year. And prior to his injury his game with the Marlies took a big leap forward. I think he's maybe the least replaceable prospect left on that list.
Respectfully, I think this is insane.
If you could only protect one player, do you protect:
(a) A prospect who looks to be a 4th-line centre if everything works out, who now on top of that will need to recover from a major injury.
(b) Any of several defensemen with top-4 potential, or any one of a number of wingers with top-6 potential, nearly all of whom have shown more rapid progress than Gauthier.
I would be very upset if we lost a Dermott, Nielsen, Grundstrom, etc. to keep Gauthier. Guys of that calibre are available all the time.
Maybe Gauthier does turn into what you think he can. I hope I'm wrong, but nearly every piece of evidence points to him being a career 4th-line player if things work out. I don't think he is worthless or any hyperbole like that, but I just don't comprehend the significant value a segment of the Leaf fan base places in Gauthier. If it's because we lack other prospects like him, that may be true, but I'd still rather have the much higher quality prospect over an inferior one who fills a need. Team needs can change very, very quickly.