Adam Gaudette could add a lot of value to the Maple Leafs if all goes well

Adam Gaudette’s signing surprised many Maple Leafs fans.

At a time when many were looking for the Big Fish free agent signing, Toronto went out and secured some small fish instead. And actually, that wasn’t a bad thing.

Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas always has a way of sneaking around and not getting it most interesting players available. Finally, after the dust has settled inside free agency, Toronto sign a player nobody thought of.

This summer, Calle Jarnkrok was that addition. However, it is safe to say that every addition was made out of left field. Nicolas Aube-Kubel was probably the most intriguing signing of all, but so were the insertions of Victor Mete and Jordie Benn.

However, we cannot forget Gaudette.

The 25-year-old center parted ways with both the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators last season. He arrived in Canada’s capital in late November after being challenged by senators from waivers. Gaudette spent the remainder of the season with Ottawa, finishing the season with 12 points in 50 games.

While not the best total in the NHL, he did have a great stint with Team USA at the World Championships after his season wrapped up. In ten games, the 25-year-old had six goals and two assists for eight points – a very different total from the Senators.

At 1.80 m, Guadette will not bring much up either offensively or defensively. He’s a player who has spent most of the last year centering Ottawa’s fourth line and you should probably expect the same in Toronto. Gaudette is still pretty young at 25, so the Maple Leafs could do a few things to build his game up a bit more.

However, it’s not like he hasn’t shown some potential advantages before. In the 2019-20 season, before the pandemic ruined everything, Gaudette was on a good run, scoring 33 points in 59 games with Vancouver.

While it could be an isolated case, I wouldn’t rule it out just yet. Every team he’s been on at the NHL level has struggled at one point or another, and he wasn’t a legitimate contender.

The 25-year-old thrives on the rush – something Toronto missed in parts of last season. Gaudette is able to get onto the ice fairly quickly when transitioning and can sometimes use his hands to bypass defenders. I wouldn’t say he’s the prettiest skater out there, but he’s capable of kicking off his edges and being a fast player.

Gaudette can also usually be found wide open in the slot, where he scored many of his goals.

But the biggest question mark isn’t whether he can produce on this Maple Leafs team — it’s whether or not he’ll make it out of training camp and into the opening roster.

Right now, Toronto is above the cap at $1,493,116, which means they’ll probably have to drop two to three players to be compliant. It’s also worth remembering that Rasmus Sandin hasn’t been signed yet and there may be more to send down now that this number is received.

Best guesses as to what Rasmus Sandin’s contract might look like

Gaudette will have to work incredibly hard if he wants a roster spot for opening night, but I think there’s a scenario where he’ll make it.

The 25-year-old is a right-footing center that Toronto could use during games. As you go down the lineup, all three current middlemen shoot to the left, so Gaudette could get some value at that point. The downside to this is the fact that he hasn’t had a faceoff percentage above 50% for an entire season in his career.

In reality, though, a lot of it depends on what number Sandin comes in with. Obviously there could be a trade coming shortly after or even before that, but either way a few players will be enacted. Gaudette could be one of them.

While that’s not quite the worst thing in the world, who knows if the 25-year-old will even clean up any waivers. It’s been said before that teams like to call Maple Leafs off the wire just because, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.

However, if Gaudette can perform well at Toronto training camp, who knows where he might end up on opening night. He may not even need to clarify waivers.

(Salary information via PuckPedia.com & Chart via Evolving-Hockey.com)

More from TheLeafsNation.com

PointsBet is live in Ontario. start here