Repeating here what I texted to a friend on this very subject:
What we've seen out of Gauthier so far this year is what we've wanted to see... so far.
As I've said before, he started out trying to play his AHL game as he did after the trade last year, it didn't work, he sat, and then when he came back you could see him really trying to focus on what the coaches had told him (head on a swivel, 3rd man high, no extended shifts, etc.), and he went from putrid, to bland, to doing a good job of all those things. But now he needs to build off that base.
The next step – and this is the one that will determine whether he can be a solid career bottom, or even middle six RW and whether he eventually winds up in Russia – is whether he can now apply purpose/drive/forcefulness/confidence/whatever-you-want-to-call it in playing his new game. More proactive/less reactive. Using his natural gifts to dictate play in his new role.
I just hope they do give him a legitimate shot to sink or swim, because the payoff would be big if he can successfully adjust his game. I mean, just take yesterday, for example: he was still thinking more than I would like – and had one egregious turnover, which led to him taking a penalty – but even so, drew a couple of penalties himself simply due to being bigger and faster. That's a player worth investing a real effort in developing, especially while the team is still clearly in a transition phase.
