Toronto Maple Leafs: Most Likely to be Traded Next
By Reuben Gasee
Frederik Gauthier
Gauthier is a restricted free agent who made $675,000 last season and will surely be looking for a pay raise. He’s appeared in at least 60 games over the past two seasons where he recorded 14 points in 2018-19 with a career-high 11 assists and 12 points with a career-high seven goals this season.
Is he really worth a pay raise though? Gauthier has strictly played on the fourth line and hasn’t done much on the ice to warrant a significant pay raise. Ahead of him on the depth chart are centers Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Alexander Kerfoot and Denis Malgin who they acquired during the season.
They also have 19-year-old Semyon Der-Arguchintsev in the minors as well as prospect Filip Hallander who they acquired as part of the Kapanen trade and is viewed as a potential future quality NHL player. Both are centerman and could factor onto the Toronto Maple Leafs roster at some point down the road.
There simply isn’t any room for him on the Leafs which makes him expendable. A pay raise for Gauthier would also give less cap space for the Leafs to get other players.
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Perhaps Gauthier could net the Leafs a late draft pick or cash considerations with the latter being the preference in order to have more spending money. Gauthier won’t garner much interest, if any at all, but teams may be interested in him as he can log fourth-line center minutes for a reasonably cheap price and his young age of 25.