News Article: Gauthier plays all-round game well beyond his years

[Lightsol]

This Staal discussion is rather interesting, but I note that people trying to prop up Staal as being worth a #2 are ignoring who went #1 overall that year. Is HE worth a #1 overall now?

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

So is Staal.

Staal was there for their cup, so would have Toews.

You can say he wouldn't have guaranteed their cup, however on the flip side you can say he could have secured them the 2nd cup against Detroit.

We don't know that so its not worth arguing over. Point is that Pittsburgh faired pretty well when they drafted Staal considering they won the trophy you play the game for, not a fantasy roster trophy where the team with the players with the most aggregated points wins. Heck, we don't even know how Toews would've developed behind Crosby and Malkin. Would he have been the intangibles king (which ultimately inflates his value around here) if he was playing second/third fiddle to those guys? Its all pointless to speculate.

 

[ThreeHundred]

I love how some people here think there scouts and know more than actual scouts. Give the kid a chance

 

[SteveV*]

Just like to point out Gauthier received a lot of praise for his offensive game during this world junior exhibition prep last week. Sutter really liked him.

Anyways, back to the debate amongst people who have watched a 20 second YouTube and have the guy all figured out.... I'm waiting a bit

 

[nuck]

It's not my cliche, its simply understanding what NHL GMs actually do.

Also It was Morrison that said

Also that Jordan's best NHL season is 50 points, and Morrison says Gauthier is not that developed, so less than < 50 points in the future.

I simply reminded people that Jordan Staal was drafted ahead of Kessel and considered among the best of his draft class, whereas not in a 100 years would I believe Gauthier would be selected ahead of Kessel if they where in the same draft. So Jordan Staal is very loft aspirations, for those that want to chose that as a comparable.

< 50 pts on the Leafs makes you a #1 center. There are a ton of top 6 players in the NHL who didn't get better than 60 points their draft year. I get the rEasons for the references to not as developed offensively though. More than one source has said that Gauthier will ignore offensive opportunities on occasion to maintain defensive position. Being overly cautious is a trait common to career bottom 6 players. A complaint many of us have about
Bozak, is his offensive timidity. Gauthier doesn't shoot much and doesn't take the chances necessary to maximize his scoring and these habits are often ingrained.

However Gauthier was on the College path which is what kept him out of the Q earlier, not because he didn't have the talent level. He might have more offensive development next year as a veteran and with fewer players above him on the offensive depth chart. The bigger guys take more time to hit their level most of the time so I think there is potential for optimism. Year two will show how he compares to those top guys who exploded offensively
the season after they were drafted and we will have more facts to plug into our predictions. You can't cap a guy based on his scoring as a 17 year old, especially when he is so big.

 

[ShLou Foot]

However Gauthier was on the College path which is what kept him out of the Q earlier, not because he didn't have the talent level.

Exactly, because the Q>AAA, and he was almost a PPG player in his 1st yr in the Q. He jumped straight from AAA to the Q

The bigger guys take more time to hit their level most of the time so I think there is potential for optimism.

True, but I think this will fall on deaf ears, Joe Colborne is a bust, Carter ashton is a bust.....do you see where we're going here?

 

[zeke]

This Staal discussion is rather interesting, but I note that people trying to prop up Staal as being worth a #2 are ignoring who went #1 overall that year. Is HE worth a #1 overall now?

he's not, and just like staal, is another example of a bad pick made by following the cliche of SIZE.

 

[zeke]

It's not my cliche, its simply understanding what NHL GMs actually do.

The fact that GMs repeatedly do it is exactly what makes it a cliche.

Every year idiot GMs overdraft big dmen and "power forwards" with elite draft picks, only to end up with support players or busts. Every year.

you're right that they do it, but you don't realize that the reasoning for it is just a cliche, not actual success.

Also It was Morrison that said

Also that Jordan's best NHL season is 50 points, and Morrison says Gauthier is not that developed, so less than < 50 points in the future.

I simply reminded people that Jordan Staal was drafted ahead of Kessel and considered among the best of his draft class, whereas not in a 100 years would I believe Gauthier would be selected ahead of Kessel if they where in the same draft. So Jordan Staal is very loft aspirations, for those that want to chose that as a comparable.

Dave Morrison chose Hanzal (average offensive 2nd line C, with great D) and Staal (top end offensive 2nd line C, with great D) as his comparables,

Dave Morrison chose 2nd line centres as his comparables, not 3rd line centres.

Morrison smartly keeps expectations in check by describing him as a "3rd line C....but with offensive upside for maybe more", but his choice of player comparables is much more revealing.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Isnt Hanzal the number 3 in Phoenix

 

[BIitz]

I love how some people here think there scouts and know more than actual scouts. Give the kid a chance

It's not like pro scouts only watch Gauthier. They probably watch him 10-15 times MAX. It's very possible, and likely, that someone here has seen him more, and in that regard would know more about him. I think it's funny people come to an opinion board and bash someone for having a varying opinion.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Imo, Gauthier looks a lot like what Nik Antropov could have been had he not had so many injuries.

 

[zeke]

Isnt Hanzal the number 3 in Phoenix

Actually, he's been their #1 C the past 2 years, though they do roill their lines very evenly.

last year:

1.M.Hanzal (25): 39gms, 11gls, 23pts, 18:32
2.A.Vermette (30): 48gms, 13gls, 21pts, 18:15
3.B.Gordon (29): 48gms, 4gls, 14pts, 15:01
4.M.Lombardi (30): 21gms, 4gls, 8pts, 14:08
5.K.Chipchura (26): 46gms, 5gs, 14pts, 9:42


year before:

1.M.Hanzal (24): 64gms, 8gls, 34pts, 18:27
2.A.Vermette (30): 22gms, 3gls, 10pts, 17:07
3.B.Gordon (28): 75gms, 8gls, 23pts, 15:56
4.D.Langkow (35): 73gms, 11gls, 30pts, 15:45
5.K.Chipchura (25): 53gms, 3gls, 16pts, 10:32


Though this year they've grabbed Mike Ribeiro to be their #1 guy, so Hanzal moves down to #2.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

Imo, Gauthier looks a lot like what Nik Antropov could have been had he not had so many injuries.

Maybe. He does seem to have potential distribution abilities. His stickhandling ability seems to resemble shutdown centres like Bergeron so let's hope that he can utilise that on the offensive side.