Frederick Gauthier looks good as the 4th line center
- Thread starter Leafs1993
- Start date
Superstar
"Be water, my friend."
- Jun 25, 2008
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He's just too slow...Marner and Kapanen are awesome on the PK, and so dangerous.
Fehr opened his big mouth and ended up being loaned to some AHL team and got traded for a 7th rounder at TDL.
If he would have stayed, I think the Leafs season will be much different in terms of the use of Leo, Bozak and the trade for turtleneck.
You don't have to be fast to kill penalties. There are lots slow, big players which excel at it. His work will be done in the defensive zone.
Even still, his skating and ability to forecheck this season has been good so I don't see why that would limit him regardless.
Babs is asking for a lot of pressure on the D, especially after a clear, so they need to be able to press at the goal line and get back to position in their own end if a quick breakout happens.
BlueBaron
Registered User
Maybe having Gauthier on the team is favour to Brian Burke. So when the very knowledgable Burke goes on Sportsnet he can say he made TWO good move in his six year tenure as Leaf GM....drafting Reilly and Gauthier.
Yep, between Burke's salary and the many VP he hired and were fired, the signings and their buyouts. Leafs in effect spent 100m to acquire Reilly and Gauthier. Leafs owners should have bought a few copies of Hockey News, Draft Preview edition, and they could have done more effective job.
Yep, between Burke's salary and the many VP he hired and were fired, the signings and their buyouts. Leafs in effect spent 100m to acquire Reilly and Gauthier. Leafs owners should have bought a few copies of Hockey News, Draft Preview edition, and they could have done more effective job.
dangomon
Registered User
Don't think it's a knock on Gauthier but it's clear Babs trusts the guys he has. Throwing Tavares (mostly for face-offs) and Marner in there left no spots with Kapanen, Lindholm and Hyman as well. Heck, we're not even using Johnsson who was terrific for us in that role last year.
Seems like he's been a great fit so far. With only 7-10 minutes of ice time a night he does his job well. While I do agree that he can be more physical, I do not want him to take penalties. On the point about penalty killing, the leafs kill using speed and pressure. The only center used on the PK is Tavares and he quickly changes as soon as the puck is dumped. For the most part we have Hyman-Brown and Tavares(who changes for Kapanen)-Marner. Gauthier simply isn't the best option for that role. Another benefit of him is it will keep his cap hit very low if we keep him around for another contract after his current one. 4th line of Johnsson-Goat-Brown sounds perfect to me.
Honestly he added in Brown, Johnsson, and Kadri too. Dynasty builder.Maybe having Gauthier on the team is favour to Brian Burke. So when the very knowledgable Burke goes on Sportsnet he can say he made TWO good move in his six year tenure as Leaf GM....drafting Reilly and Gauthier.
zeke
The Dube Abides
- Mar 14, 2005
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He can thank Leivo for much of it, but yeah, Gauthier looks like a real NHLer for the first time this year.
Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
SprDaVE
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- Sep 20, 2008
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I think it's more because there are better players to do it, especially with Marner and Lindholm getting regular minutes on it now. With Hyman, Brown and Kapanen the other 3 main PK forwards who are EXCELLENT there, it's probably hard for Babcock to justify it.
Gauthier should get a bit of ice time there though. He excels in that kind of situation where he doesn't have to play with the puck a whole lot.
DarkKnight
Professional Amateur
- Jan 17, 2017
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I actually think the last couple games Gauthier hasn’t done much, Leivo is masking his ineffectiveness.
I’m a bit concerned because last year Gauthier looked really good for a few games and then faded badly. Fact he is down to 6 minutes ice time last couple games. Anyways, we are thin for the fourth line center, may be a blessing in disguise we have to lean harder on the top lines.
I’m a bit concerned because last year Gauthier looked really good for a few games and then faded badly. Fact he is down to 6 minutes ice time last couple games. Anyways, we are thin for the fourth line center, may be a blessing in disguise we have to lean harder on the top lines.
Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
Yeah, that’s definitely true too. Likely he main reason
Id just say that Babcock takes a long time I think to change his mind about a player, and Goat didn’t exactly make a great first impression.
Skullz
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DarkKnight
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The Iceman
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- Sep 22, 2007
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So he doesn't PK
Doesn't play PP
Don't want him on with a lead late
Don't want him on if we need a goal late
Not very physical
Slow
Averages 8 mins a night
Not good on the draws
But he is cheap...AWESOME!!!!
Doesn't play PP
Don't want him on with a lead late
Don't want him on if we need a goal late
Not very physical
Slow
Averages 8 mins a night
Not good on the draws
But he is cheap...AWESOME!!!!
The Iceman
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- Sep 22, 2007
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I've liked his game in a limited role. Realistically we are a 3 line team and he plays a role in tiring out the other team while the other lines rest. He does a good job with board play and keeps the opposition hemmed in their zone.
Glad he created a niche for himself. If he can improve his faceoff ability and gets in on the PK he'll be a valuable piece of this team.
Glad he created a niche for himself. If he can improve his faceoff ability and gets in on the PK he'll be a valuable piece of this team.
Agreed that he looks much better this year - took a big step forward in terms of skating/mobility. He was always a step behind the play before, that’s no longer the case, and he’s translating that into being a solid defence and puck possession player. Prior to this year I was in the “Goat isn’t an NHLer” camp, but he’s been playing like one this year.
Re: the PK, as others have noted we play an aggressive, high pressure PK - speed is of the essence. Goat has improved his skating a lot, but he’s still not FAST. Hyman, Kapanen, Brown, Lindholm, Marner and Tavares are all simply better fits for our PK, so Goat gets no time. Not a big deal though, we just need a solid ES 4C, and he’s been that. We have more than enough forwards who are good on the PK.
Re: the PK, as others have noted we play an aggressive, high pressure PK - speed is of the essence. Goat has improved his skating a lot, but he’s still not FAST. Hyman, Kapanen, Brown, Lindholm, Marner and Tavares are all simply better fits for our PK, so Goat gets no time. Not a big deal though, we just need a solid ES 4C, and he’s been that. We have more than enough forwards who are good on the PK.
bonjovi0308
Registered User
We should be using Gauthier and the 4th line to defend leads
Nothing happens when he's on the ice, thats bad chasing a lead but awesome if your defending one
He can PK but doesn't have to, who cares about physicality and speed if he's doing his job well?
He's been good, it's as simple as that
White Shadow
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- Jan 7, 2016
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