Frederick Gauthier looks good as the 4th line center

[ErnieLeafs]

The Goat is having a great start to the season. If he can consistently play the way he has, our 4th line will be exactly what we need them to be.

 

[Pocket Hercules]

His skating has improved TREMENDOUSLY. I can't really get over how much more agile and faster he looks. I don't think he's lost a foot race yet.

That's why Barb is paid the big bucks.

 

[Nylander88]

He's a franchise 4C haha quite the oxymoron there lol But seriously, he's young, he'll always be cheap because he's never going to light up the scoreboard, and he could be our 4C for the next 5-10 years easy. Defensively responsible, learning the PK now and taking key draws, using his frame a little better each year, and his skating as we all know has come leaps and bounds. He should be a 4th line fixture for the foreseeable future

 

[Menzinger]

if gauthier had better hands and put up more points, we cant even afford him with how our top guys are paid, andersen and rielly will cost us a ton soon enough

our 4th line and 13-15 forwards and 3rd pair D and beyond need to be league min to 1.5m max going forward

Do you really want the team to spend more than a million dollars on guys getting 7-10 min a night of icetime anyways?

Goat is never going to get usage to put up points and should stay a fairly cheap contract for the team for the forseable future

 

[OVO16]

He's great. I only other thing I wished he had was more of a mean streak.

 

[LeafSteel]

not many rookies join the league and then play with pss and vinegar

this is season 2 for him, lets wait and see

I'm really happy to see Gauthier's evolution as a player.

He was the player I wanted when we drafted him, and while he's never going to be an offensive dynamo, he brings a capability that we are sorely lacking in.

I don't care the he doesn't score goals, we have enough guys that can do that. I like that he can play a 200 foot game and doesn't get scored on. I like his defensive play and that he brings size into our lineup.

He has continuously improved year after year, and this is the best we've seen him yet. If he can continue to improve his game it would be great, but if this is his ceiling, than I like what we have here and he has a role to play on this team moving forward.

 

[hector morrison]

Gauthier is strong defensively, good on the draw and can forecheck and keep play in the offensive zone. Pretty elementary stuff that shouldn't be that hard to see.

Also as for his draft, he was taken 21st overall, and for the rest of the first round, only Shea Theodore was the only obviously better pick. Also he is an NHL player, so not sure why you would question his draft position in the first place.

The best that a first rounder can aspire to be is a 4th line center with no offensive skills? Someone else said that was the projected ceiling for Fred...so I guess it was a thin draft year!

 

[hector morrison]

He is doing exactly what babs needs from a 4th liner , he is playing safe, sound hockey.

You want offence and jam from him??

I don't.

The more points he racks up, the more it will cost to re sign him.

And this roster does not need anyone out there escalating tensions, since most of our other lines are not equipped to handle the retaliations afterwards.

I think the mighty goat has looked great out there.

lets get him locked up to a 1m per x 4y asap

I think they have better options...I've seen what he is and think 'let someone else give it a shot.

 

[The Iceman]

The Leafs were going to take the top rated centre GOATs draft year no matter what.

They had no organiational depth at that position at the time.

 

[Joey Hoser]

The best that a first rounder can aspire to be is a 4th line center with no offensive skills?

What? I didn't say anything like that.

Someone else said that was the projected ceiling for Fred...so I guess it was a thin draft year!

Third line shutdown center was the potential at the time of drafting. He was ~PPG in his draft year.

And yes, it was a thin year, late in the first round, anyway.

 

[hector morrison]

What? I didn't say anything like that.



Third line shutdown center was the potential at the time of drafting. He was ~PPG in his draft year.

And yes, it was a thin year, late in the first round, anyway.

Opinions will vary,but if a player is that size and doesn't use it to his advantage by being a physical force then he had better be able to do other things. He is less offensively aware than most players I've seen. Doesn't skate well,in spite of all the time put in on that. So,that leaves battling along the boards (which he looks to hold his own) and face-offs...Spezza as Center with two wingers that have some scoring ability is what I would like to see. Honestly,I love the lads personality, but he might be too nice for hockey!

 

[Nylander88]

He's great. I only other thing I wished he had was more of a mean streak.

I think it'll come more and more each year as he gets comfortable in the league. He'll never be "mean", but he has had a fight in the past and each year I find he is a little more engaged in the forecheck/board battles.

 

[LeafingTheWay]

Gauthier is strong defensively, good on the draw and can forecheck and keep play in the offensive zone. Pretty elementary stuff that shouldn't be that hard to see.

Also as for his draft, he was taken 21st overall, and for the rest of the first round, only Shea Theodore was the only obviously better pick. Also he is an NHL player, so not sure why you would question his draft position in the first place.

Burakovsky, Theodore have been clearly better.

Hartman, Dano have been slightly better but Gauthier could be easily better if he continues his good work from this pre-season and game 1.

The Leafs were going to take the top rated centre GOATs draft year no matter what.

They had no organiational depth at that position at the time.

BPA. Always BPA. That's a HUGE reason why our previous management was bad.

I like Gauthier this season so far, as he looks to be a late-developer into a good 4C. But oh man, never waste a first-rounder on a Gauthier type of player.

 

[Faltorvo]

He's a franchise 4C haha quite the oxymoron there lol But seriously, he's young, he'll always be cheap because he's never going to light up the scoreboard, and he could be our 4C for the next 5-10 years easy. Defensively responsible, learning the PK now and taking key draws, using his frame a little better each year, and his skating as we all know has come leaps and bounds. He should be a 4th line fixture for the foreseeable future

those that know my post history know that i have been one of the most ardent mighty goat backers here

and your post is what i have been believing he would always turn out to be.

 

[Faltorvo]

The best that a first rounder can aspire to be is a 4th line center with no offensive skills? Someone else said that was the projected ceiling for Fred...so I guess it was a thin draft year!

look at that draft again brother

theodore(yup ,ok, that is ouchy) and
Burakovsky

a 3.25m per 25 point guy? (pass)

if we get a safe, sound 4th line c locked up for a long time(on the cheap) , to me that is pure gold

TBVH he could save us a bucket load of 2nd round draft picks, given our history.

 

[Faltorvo]

I think they have better options...I've seen what he is and think 'let someone else give it a shot.

don't give me hollow words, back them up with examples.

who are these "better 4th line C options"?

 

[Menzinger]

The Leafs were going to take the top rated centre GOATs draft year no matter what.

They had no organiational depth at that position at the time.

Theres a pre draft Interview with Nonis where he basically flat out says that's what they were doing

Edit typo

 

[Faltorvo]

Burakovsky, Theodore have been clearly better.

Hartman, Dano have been slightly better but Gauthier could be easily better if he continues his good work from this pre-season and game 1.



BPA. Always BPA. That's a HUGE reason why our previous management was bad.

I like Gauthier this season so far, as he looks to be a late-developer into a good 4C. But oh man, never waste a first-rounder on a Gauthier type of player.

late developer????

you do know that he is younger then AJ,right? he is the same age as moore.

and lost a big chunk of time to a blown out leg.

 

[moon111]

Gauthier is listed in the top-10 for hits among all-time NHL forwards drafted 21st overall.

 

[hullsy47]

Hopefully we won’t have to trade a 2nd at the deadline this year again. In his limited ice time he looks faster and stronger on the puck. What do you think long term?

Spezza is the guy
Babcock hasnt got a clue without Mathews and freddy we are 0 -3

 

[Maple Leaf]

Gauthier is listed in the top-10 for hits among all-time NHL forwards drafted 21st overall.

Leafs could have used some smack daddy against these toilet bowls tonight

 

[LeafingTheWay]

late developer????

you do know that he is younger then AJ,right? he is the same age as moore.

and lost a big chunk of time to a blown out leg.

A late developer is usually who makes a jump after the age of 23 for forwards.
Gauthier is nothing right now. I am hoping he becomes a late developer. He's 24 years old and only NOW looking to become a 4C. I'm hoping he becomes a good 4C this year, but the fact that a decent 4C is potential looks like is NOT great (shouldn't even be called a late developer tbh).

AJ has been great since he was 20 years old. He had to transition from Swedish league to the AHL and then to the NHL. He dominated the AHL ever since he was there and now he's on the 1st line beside Matthews-Nylander while being only half a year older than Gauthier.

Moore's a good example of a late developer. No one saw it coming till 2 years ago.

 

[Leafs87]

Burakovsky, Theodore have been clearly better.

Hartman, Dano have been slightly better but Gauthier could be easily better if he continues his good work from this pre-season and game 1.



BPA. Always BPA. That's a HUGE reason why our previous management was bad.

I like Gauthier this season so far, as he looks to be a late-developer into a good 4C. But oh man, never waste a first-rounder on a Gauthier type of player.

Gauthier was BPA. There was few I would take even to this day over him at that pick with one being Thoedore. You have to go to 58 Bertuzzi or 77 Jake guentzel to say hands down these are by far a better player. On draft day however those would be considered huge reaches so that shouldn’t even be a discussion


He has been good for us though but like others mentioned if he had a mean streak he’d be great

 

[LeafingTheWay]

Gauthier was BPA. There was few I would take even to this day over him at that pick with one being Thoedore. You have to go to 58 Bertuzzi or 77 Jake guentzel to say hands down these are by far a better player. On draft day however those would be considered huge reaches so that shouldn’t even be a discussion


He has been good for us though but like others mentioned if he had a mean streak he’d be great

Gauthier was ONLY BPA to folks like Burke (Aka the old out-dated scouting hockey-minds).This is 2013 where majority of scouts and teams loved to hype up massive players with size but somewhat okay hands. I'm not hating on Gauthier (I think he's going to be an average-to-good 4C), but I'm hating on the people who valued players like him so highly. It's not his fault people valued big, under-skilled players that highly.

Corey Pronman is a scout I've loved to follow as he was ahead of his time with ranking skilled players ahead of 'big players'. He was the only scout I trusted back then and still do (Although now scouting of skilled players has gotten much better, hence the picks of smaller sized players).

In Pronman's rankings, Gauthier is not even remotely in the top-30.

Clear BPA in 2013 (Players still available at the 21st pick):

Player:	Pronman's ranking:	Actual draft:
ABurakovsky	13th	23rd
P.Buchnevich	17th	75th
Madison Bowey	23rd	53rd
Atturi Lehkonen	24th	55th
JT Compher	25th	35th
Shea Theodore	30th	26th
Sven Adrighetto	Not in top-30, but look at his junior numbers ... They were insane, yet he got passed on ONLY because he was tiny.	86th

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Then you got players like Duclair, Guenztal, Bertuzzi, Bjorkstrand, Wood, Copp, W.Butcher, Johnsson that are hindsight players so nothing to blame there.

You have to go after skill, skill, skill. Look at Gauthier's scouting report and it sucks how much people overvalued size over skill.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

Gauthier is doing just fine. He could be our long term answer at 4C and play as a PK specialist, and we can save draft picks at the deadline every year.

He was BPA at 21 at the time. His ceiling was undetermined, given that he’d only recently focused solely on hockey, and had a major growth spurt to figure out physically. Sid Crosby was used to help recruit him to Rimouski, and pry him away from a degree and hockey at Harvard University.

There was plenty of promise for Freddy early, he just has limitations. That’s fine. Almost all players do.