Frédérik Gauthier

[Warden of the North]

This team has no issues scoring goals. What it has issues doing is breaking an opponents cycle, running a good PK, and stopping the puck from going in the net, despite world class goaltending.

Gauthier, if he pans out into a great-to elite 3C, will be of extreme importance to our team moving forward.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Always reminded me of Hanzal, I'd be ecstatic if he turns out to have that kind of impact.

 

[Sundinisagod]

Gauthier possesses the three S's.

Size, Skating, and Smarts.

These type of prospects seldom bust imho. He may not have the highest upside but I like him for what he is, and what we need.

 

[Pholus]

Hoping he makes the juniors again. It always makes the tournament better if it has some Leaf prospects. Plus I think he'll show a lot more than last year.

Valiev and Nylander should also be able to make it to the WJC (assuming no injuries), so hopefully he won't be the only Leaf prospect.

 

[Mess]

This team has no issues scoring goals. What it has issues doing is breaking an opponents cycle, running a good PK, and stopping the puck from going in the net, despite world class goaltending.

Gauthier, if he pans out into a great-to elite 3C, will be of extreme importance to our team moving forward.

The biggest problem is that he is still likely years away from fulfilling that role as a competent #3 NHL center should that development occur on pace.

If we project another year of junior (2014-15), then 1 in the AHL (2015-16) and then 1 as a NHL rookie (2016-17), then that puts him 4 years from today (2017-18) to reach that level if everything goes well.

Things could look a lot different in 4 years when Freddy is ready to make him mark on this team.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Gauthier possesses the three S's.

Size, Skating, and Smarts.

These type of prospects seldom bust imho. He may not have the highest upside but I like him for what he is, and what we need.

True, but he doesn't always use his size to his advantage, I would like to see him get meaner. He has a tendency to play like a gentle giant.

Skating, good for a big man, but he isn't very agile. His lateral movement and agility does needs work.

Smarts, defensive awareness, yes he has. I don't know if I see a high IQ player yet. He doesn't strike me as a player you say that guy has great instincts like Rielly has, at least not yet.

I will say this, Gauthier does work hard, he's a busy player. He is one player that plays in his own zone. When you add it all up, Just what we have here, I do not know yet.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

My limited viewing and just looking at him gives me an impression; I say that first because I don't want someone to attack me.

He doesn't really look like he 'has it' , I don't know if that makes sense; but to me he has the Antropov look. More of a laid back and methodical guy - rather than getting dirty and doing what needs to be done to win.

I understand that he excels on the defensive side, which is a good thing - I just hope he gets hungry to make the NHL. The Leafs need hungry players; ones that want to play here and put their neck on the line to win battles.

 

[Hero]

Give him another year in the Q.

Apparently this year he played a bigger role, but wasn't able to increase his points/game or goals/game. It be good to see him as a 19-20 yr old pass the point/game wall he's hit the past two years, play in the U20 doing some damage, and as long as Morin stays in the Q and DeLuca does then they'll have a team that can have a good playoff run.

Will be a good development year.

 

[Sundinisagod]

True, but he doesn't always use his size to his advantage, I would like to see him get meaner. He has a tendency to play like a gentle giant.

Skating, good for a big man, but he isn't very agile. His lateral movement and agility does needs work.

Smarts, defensive awareness, yes he has. I don't know if I see a high IQ player yet. He doesn't strike me as a player you say that guy has great instincts like Rielly has, at least not yet.

I will say this, Gauthier does work hard, he's a busy player. He is one player that plays in his own zone. When you add it all up, Just what we have here, I do not know yet.

True he's not the meanest, but he can still use his size to advantage as a defensive specialist.

The skating is good for a big man, but yes it does need work. I'm guessing by the time he's NHL ready it will be fine.

His hockey sense is directed towards the defensive game. He does lack offensive iq, but that was never going to be his role.

He's a guy whom I can't see being worse than a 4th line c, or better than a 3rd line c. But at his best I do think he can be a great 3rd line shutdown player. Things are looking good down the middle if Nylander can develop into that #1 C we are hoping for.

Nylander
Kadri
Gauthier

 

[smitty10]

I have hopes that Gauthier improves his offensive game this season and ends up being a 3rd line center on a contender. I think he has the potential to be elite defensively and contribute ~40 points. Gauthier will hopefully be the cog on our PK for years to come.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

True he's not the meanest, but he can still use his size to advantage as a defensive specialist.

The skating is good for a big man, but yes it does need work. I'm guessing by the time he's NHL ready it will be fine.

His hockey sense is directed towards the defensive game. He does lack offensive iq, but that was never going to be his role.

He's a guy whom I can't see being worse than a 4th line c, or better than a 3rd line c. But at his best I do think he can be a great 3rd line shutdown player. Things are looking good down the middle if Nylander can develop into that #1 C we are hoping for.

Nylander
Kadri
Gauthier

I haven't seen the behind the draft for the 2013 NHL draft yet, but I have to wonder did the Leafs ever consider moving up? I would have loved to have drafted Lazar who only went 4 spots ahead of Gauthier. Mantha went just one before us. Heck I would have preferred Rychel who went 2 spots ahead of #21.

If there is one thing I like about Burke, he would be far more open to moving up or down if the player he wanted wasn't there.

I would have even moved back this draft. Looking back it looks like the drop off was 20 players in. Right after Mantha.

 

[Sundinisagod]

I haven't seen the behind the draft for the 2013 NHL draft yet, but I have to wonder did the Leafs ever consider moving up? I would have loved to have drafted Lazar who only went 4 spots ahead of Gauthier. Mantha went just one before us. Heck I would have preferred Rychel who went 2 spots ahead of #21.

If there is one thing I like about Burke, he would be far more open to moving up or down if the player he wanted wasn't there.

I would have even moved back this draft. Looking back it looks like the drop off was 20 players in. Right after Mantha.

I think we stayed at 21 and took Gauthier because he projects to be exactly the type of player we need. I don't mind that type of pick when you're outside the top 20.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I think we stayed at 21 and took Gauthier because he projects to be exactly the type of player we need. I don't mind that type of pick when you're outside the top 20.

Perhaps we didn't have the ammo with the way Nonis discards draft picks to move up. I have to believe if we wanted the 19th pick bad enough, we could have made an offer to Columbus by swapping 21 for 19. Rychel or Mantha would be the obvious 2 choices.

 

[indigobuffalo]

Crack the Marlies roster? There's a decent chance of that.

If OP meant the NHL roster. Well, no. No, no, no, no, no. No. HELL NO!

 

[67Cup]

Crack the Marlies roster? There's a decent chance of that.

If OP meant the NHL roster. Well, no. No, no, no, no, no. No. HELL NO!

Gauthier is not eligible to play in the AHL. It's the Bigs or back to junior for him. The latter is far more likely, IMO.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I haven't seen the behind the draft for the 2013 NHL draft yet, but I have to wonder did the Leafs ever consider moving up? I would have loved to have drafted Lazar who only went 4 spots ahead of Gauthier. Mantha went just one before us. Heck I would have preferred Rychel who went 2 spots ahead of #21.

If there is one thing I like about Burke, he would be far more open to moving up or down if the player he wanted wasn't there.

I would have even moved back this draft. Looking back it looks like the drop off was 20 players in. Right after Mantha.

because when Burke was here, moving up really worked well for us (resulting in losing out on picks like Gibson and Saad, because we got players Burke targeted, and moved up to get, and people feel that they're not really going to pan as much as said Gibson and Saad will be and already are.

It is hilariously frustrating that people keep going how we need to be smarter with the puck, and be more defensively minded, that it shouldn't JUST be about points and the Leafs draft someone - maybe not the most offensively of players, and it's 'well the drop off was right before we picked."

there's nothing wrong with Freddy.

when he gets to the NHL and gets some seasons under his belt he's going to be vaulable. SO no - it's not going to be the stylish, flashy, look at all the goals!! but as we very obviously SHOULD know - it's more than putting the puck in the net.

this is nothing but Grass is Greener Syndrome, in my estimation, because I have this feeling had we drafted Mantha, it would have been "Why did we draft Mantha? We don't need more offense, that's all we do is draft forwards who score and are small, why don't we draft more defensive mined people."

You know why? Because that's specifically what was said regarding William Nylander. And he was touted to be the most skilled forward in the draft this year.

I'm going to be happy with Freddy (who made team Canada, who may make it again) and for who/what he is He will help our team for years to come, rather than having a Mantha/Rychel to go with a Kadri/Nylander etc and we'd still have to build the bottom two lines.

 

[JackJ]

This team has no issues scoring goals. What it has issues doing is breaking an opponents cycle, running a good PK, and stopping the puck from going in the net, despite world class goaltending.

Gauthier, if he pans out into a great-to elite 3C, will be of extreme importance to our team moving forward.

Great to elite 3C's score 15-20 goals. Gauthier can barely manage that feat in junior hockey.

 

[mikebel111*]

Great to elite 3C's score 15-20 goals. Gauthier can barely manage that feat in junior hockey.

Yeah okay. Freddy really started to blossom offensively in the 2nd half so yeah maybe its time to pay attention.
Unless you think Mantha and Hunter are elite players. Sorry no they are not

 

[Big John Stud]

Really liked the looks of what Sundin had up there.

Nylander
Kardi
Gauthier

that's real solid down the middle 2 years from now.

 

[theIceWookie]

The biggest problem is that he is still likely years away from fulfilling that role as a competent #3 NHL center should that development occur on pace.

If we project another year of junior (2014-15), then 1 in the AHL (2015-16) and then 1 as a NHL rookie (2016-17), then that puts him 4 years from today (2017-18) to reach that level if everything goes well.

Things could look a lot different in 4 years when Freddy is ready to make him mark on this team.

I think the biggest problem is that people see that as a problem. Proper development takes the time it does. That should never be an issue for a prospect, no matter where he was drafted.

 

[theIceWookie]

because when Burke was here, moving up really worked well for us (resulting in losing out on picks like Gibson and Saad, because we got players Burke targeted, and moved up to get, and people feel that they're not really going to pan as much as said Gibson and Saad will be and already are.

It is hilariously frustrating that people keep going how we need to be smarter with the puck, and be more defensively minded, that it shouldn't JUST be about points and the Leafs draft someone - maybe not the most offensively of players, and it's 'well the drop off was right before we picked."

there's nothing wrong with Freddy.

when he gets to the NHL and gets some seasons under his belt he's going to be vaulable. SO no - it's not going to be the stylish, flashy, look at all the goals!! but as we very obviously SHOULD know - it's more than putting the puck in the net.

this is nothing but Grass is Greener Syndrome, in my estimation, because I have this feeling had we drafted Mantha, it would have been "Why did we draft Mantha? We don't need more offense, that's all we do is draft forwards who score and are small, why don't we draft more defensive mined people."

You know why? Because that's specifically what was said regarding William Nylander. And he was touted to be the most skilled forward in the draft this year.

I'm going to be happy with Freddy (who made team Canada, who may make it again) and for who/what he is He will help our team for years to come, rather than having a Mantha/Rychel to go with a Kadri/Nylander etc and we'd still have to build the bottom two lines.

Don't bother with Interactif and Gauthier. Gauthier was on Interactif s*** list from day one, and he's never backed down on a chance to put him in the mud. He'll never concede anything, and he basically labelled him a wasted pick the second it happened. The guy basically said the dropoff was at 20, then said we should have traded back because of guys behind Gauthier looking real good.

Gauthier is a fine pick who's developing. He's played fantastically in the 2014 calendar year and he's got lots of time to develop properly. He's a fine prospect.

 

[theIceWookie]

Great to elite 3C's score 15-20 goals. Gauthier can barely manage that feat in junior hockey.

Which player's do you consider to be great to elite 3C's that regularly get 15-20 goals?

 

[Mess]

Which player's do you consider to be great to elite 3C's that regularly get 15-20 goals?

Dave Bolland baring injury.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Don't bother with Interactif and Gauthier. Gauthier was on Interactif s*** list from day one, and he's never backed down on a chance to put him in the mud. He'll never concede anything, and he basically labelled him a wasted pick the second it happened. The guy basically said the dropoff was at 20, then said we should have traded back because of guys behind Gauthier looking real good.

Gauthier is a fine pick who's developing. He's played fantastically in the 2014 calendar year and he's got lots of time to develop properly. He's a fine prospect.

I know. I remember when Gauthier was picked, and it was like "Why him? I can't believe it." (and this was from everyone). It doesn't help that people in the media lambaste this guy too, and make fun of him - simply for being selected 21st overall (and had we drafted Shinkaruek or whatever his name is - the boy that Vancouver selected), it would be all "how on earth did we let __________ go,and draft Hunter."

I stand by the fact that Crosby would not have told this kid to stick with hockey over going to Harvard if Crosby didn't have an inclination that this guy could be good. I'm not going to say he's going to be Toews incarnate or whatever - but for all we know, we could have someone incredibly special, and he just needs time to grow into his body, and get comfortable with how his body moves and plays.

I have seen nothing, or read anything that indicates this kid is a bust or is going to washout.

 

[Frelimo]

Really liked the looks of what Sundin had up there.

Nylander
Kardi
Gauthier

that's real solid down the middle 2 years from now.

I think that's way too optimistic for 2 years from now.