When you think of the 2013 shortened NHL season for the Leafs, the first thing that will come to almost everyone's head is the fact that it was their first playoff appearence since 2004. What everyone seems to overlook, however, is the draft following that season. The Leafs held the 21st overall pick, and with that pick they selected Frederik Gauthier from the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. Many people were surprised about this pick, considering there was still top end skill such as Hunter Shinkaruk, Marko Dano, and Andre Burakovsky availible, but there had to be a reason why the Leafs snagged up the big centre instead of any of these players, so let's take a look and see the reasoning by this pick.
The minute Leafs management announced this pick, the first thing that came to Leafs fans' minds was that he was a bust. He didn't post amazing numbers with Rimouski and he wasn't really known for his offensive side. That being said, Leafs fans should not give up on this guy. He's a big body on the ice, standing at 6'4 and 216lbs, and he's great defensively. He is great at faceoffs and can be relied on in pressure situations. At the World Juniors in 2015, he was used as a defensive forward with penalty kill time, and even though his game reflects on his defensive side, he has the ability to chip in offensively too. All in all, when the time comes that the Leafs could be a contending team and ready to go into the playoffs, they would love a player like Gauthier to use during pressure situations. Goal scoring plays a huge factor in the game, but defensively you need players like Gauthier to do well.
PROBABLE NHL ROLE: MIDDLE SIX FORWARD
If you want to look at it realistically, the most likely role for Gauthier in the future is a #3 centre. He posseses just enough offensive ability to be able to score some, but not too many goals, and he has a great defensive side. That being said, Gauthier was almost a point per game player in junior, so if he can pick up his offensive game a little bit, then it wouldn't be surprising to see him as a second line centre.
PROSPECT GRADE: B-
Gauthier is not really considered one of the Leafs top prospects, but he's still up there in the A to C range, and given his ability offensively and defensively, this grade seems reasonable for him.
What do you think of Gauthier, Leafs fans? Is #8 a good ranking for him or should he be lower, or higher? Leave your opinion below.
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