Player Profile: Paul Gaustad

I like Paul Gaustad, I really do, but he is making it hard for supporters to appreciate him anymore. When Gaustad made his NHL debut, it was a breath of fresh air. Here we had a hulking 6’5” behemoth ready to push his weight around and cause some real excitement and he did that for a couple of years! However, now I see a shell of what got me excited 5 years ago.

I can’t blame it all on him. His style and role has changed quite a bit since he first entered the league. Gaustad was looked upon as someone to drop the gloves and show a little toughness, but now he is looked upon more for his faceoff skills and he is expected to contribute on offense. The upside of this change is that he is the top faceoff man this year with a percentage of 63.4%, but the downside is that he has only 1 goal and 4 assists.

Now, I don’t think people expect him to be a superstar on offense, but I think people expect him to contribute on a more consistent basis. Gaustad had 3 solid and steady years as the Sabres 3rd line center from the 2007-2008 season through the 2009-2010 season, but Gaustad is struggling along with the rest of the Buffalo Sabres. This explanation written in 2005 by Ken McKenna of Hockey’s Future sums up Gaustad perfectly:

For a player who was not even ranked in his draft year, forward Paul Gaustad has managed to make the most of the opportunities he has been given. The former Portland Winter Hawks star has developed his game over the past three seasons with the Rochester Americans, where he built his game around continuous effort and taking the body. Gaustad also has improved his skating to the point where he is now a bona fide NHL player who could eventually be a solid checking-line center. The Fargo, North Dakota native will never be an offensive star, but he could develop into one of the better role players in the NHL.

For someone who was drafted in the 7th round, Gaustad has been a diamond in the rough, but he needs to return to his roots as someone who is willing to take the body and show a bit of grit. I think if “Goose” can return to the play that got him to the NHL, then we may see an upswing in offense as well.

As always, the photo is courtesy of yardbarker.com. Also, check out the twitter page and don’t forget to check out the mother site TMM. Thanks everyone!