Toronto Maple Leafs: Frederik Gauthier Needs to Go
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs have dressed Frederik Gauthier in seven of ten games this year.
Why? Who knows! Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock is no stranger to making bad lineup decisions (see Hainsey, Ron) but even for him, this is a mystery.
With William Nylander out, the Leafs have to move everyone up, but they still shouldn’t be playing Guathier. He just isn’t an NHL player.
Gauthier, who has never really played above the fourth line and thus has always faced the easiest possible competition, has a career possession rating of 40%. He has no offensive skills to speak of, is slow, and often stands out as the worst player on the team. I once wrote that he could be replaced with an actual goat, and I stand by it.
There is no shame in that, though. He’s a very good AHL player and he can make a career out of being a professional hockey player. He’s just not good enough for the NHL.
In 44 career games he has five points. So if he can’t defend, and he can’t score, what is the point of playing him?
Other Options
Gauthier has played seven games. Three of those he subbed in for Tyler Ennis, and four of those times he subbed in for Andreas Johnsson. (Hard to believe, but Babcock really made this decision more than once).
Andreas Johnsson was a late season call-up away from winning the AHL scoring title and his misuse has been Babcock’s biggest failure this season. Sure, maybe he didn’t have his best stuff, but given his talent and import to the team, playing him with players that might actually bring out his skill should be the goal here, not just punishing him in the hope that he “learns.”
To sit Andreas Johnsson (or Ennis for that matter) for Gauthier is bizarre. Par Lindholm is OK, but he’s done nothing to elevate himself to the third line other than exist (Babcock is just obviously trying to get Kadri some puck-luck). Lindholm should be the Leafs fourth line centre (or, maybe they don’t even need one. I wouldn’t be against double shifting Kadri, Tavares and Matthews).
The best thing to do would be to give Johnsson an extended look with Kadri. (Or frankly, with Matthews as he couldn’t possibly be worse than Marleau). Skill should play with skill. With Nylander on the sidelines, it’s insane to sit Andreas Johnsson. It’s just bad coaching to sit him for Gauthier.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs really need a player to grind it out, Trevor Moore would be a much better option. Frederick Gauthier is not an NHL player.
It’s one thing to play him, if you have to. But to sit Andreas Johnsson in his favor is nuts.