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Julien Gauthier

Metropolitan Notes: Texier, Pacioretty, Rangers

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There was some surprise when it was announced that Blue Jackets winger Alexandre Texier would play this season in Switzerland instead of Columbus at his request to play closer to his family.  GM Jarmo Kekalainen told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that he’s hopeful that the 23-year-old will be able to return next season.  Texier has six goals and 14 assists with SC Bern of the NLA this season, good for seventh on the team in scoring with five of the six ahead of him also having NHL experience.  He has been a bit more productive in Champions League action, notching two goals and five assists in six games so far.  Texier is in the second and final year of his bridge deal with Columbus but is not counting against their salary cap during his absence.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Hurricanes won’t have Max Pacioretty in the lineup tonight while he is listed as doubtful tomorrow due to a lower-body injury per team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). However, head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated that he believes the winger’s injury isn’t believed to be too serious which suggests that Pacioretty shouldn’t be out much longer.  He just returned from a torn Achilles earlier this month and was off to a good start with his new team with three goals in four games.
  • Rangers winger Chris Kreider skated on his own today but is listed as doubtful for their upcoming games on Sunday and Monday, relays Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link). He suffered an upper-body injury earlier this week and missed Thursday’s game against Dallas.  While he’s not scoring at the rate he was last season when he had 52 goals, Kreider has still been productive with 19 goals and 11 assists through 42 games.  Meanwhile, Staple adds that winger Julien Gauthier, who was injured in a collision with teammate Sammy Blais on Thursday, has yet to skate and is out for Sunday’s game and likely Monday’s as well.  He has a career-high six goals in 32 games this season.

Injury Notes: Pacioretty, Matthews, Gauthier

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Carolina Hurricanes star forward Max Pacioretty just returned from a long injury-related absence, and with three goals in his first three games, it looked as though he’d fully put his health woes behind him. That assumption may have been a bit premature, though, as the Hurricanes have announced that Pacioretty will not return to tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury.

Thankfully, according to the Hurricanes, the injury is not related to the Achilles injury he just recovered from. But beyond that bit of information, what Pacioretty is exactly dealing with remains a mystery. Pacioretty has dealt with significant injury issues in recent years, managing to play in just 39 games last season. He had 37 points in that span, though, indicating just how valuable he can be when healthy. The Hurricanes will have to hope that this new injury is a relatively minor one.

Some other injury notes:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews missed his second straight game tonight as he battles a lingering injury. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that Matthews hasn’t been 100% this season, but has played through his injury thus far to help the Maple Leafs. Kaplan reports that Matthews, who has scored 47 points in 41 games this year, is likely to return on Saturday.
  • As reported by The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, New York Rangers forward Julien Gauthier will not return to tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury. Gauthier was hurt after a collision with teammate Sammy Blais, who managed to return to the game. Gauthier, 25, is in his fourth season with the Rangers and has nine points in 31 games.

Injury Updates: Jets, Kravtsov, Subban

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After sustaining an injury when blocking a shot against St. Louis on Monday, Jets defenseman Logan Stanley did not participate in practice today, notes Joshua Frey-Sam of the Winnipeg Free Press.  However, he is accompanying the team on their three-game road trip which bodes well for his availability at some point over that three-game stretch.

Meanwhile, Frey-Sam adds that blueliner Dylan Samberg was a full participant in practice as he works his way back from a lower-body injury.  The 23-year-old has suited up just once this season as he looks to lock down a full-time spot in the lineup over returning to the minors.  With Stanley’s availability in question for tomorrow against Los Angeles, Samberg could have a chance to get back into Winnipeg’s lineup for at least a game.

Other injury news from around the hockey world:

  • When the Rangers recalled winger Julien Gauthier earlier today, it was expected that he’d take the place of either Mika Zibanejad or Vitali Kravtsov who were banged up last night against Colorado. It turns out that he’s taking the case of the latter as Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that the winger has been listed as day-to-day with what’s believed to be an upper-body injury.  Kravtsov has had a very quiet return to the NHL so far having only played in three games while logging just under eight minutes per game.  He’s waiver-eligible now so they will likely be patient with him to give him a chance to play himself into a regular role once he’s cleared to return.
  • Sabres goaltender Malcolm Subban has had some rough injury luck lately. After suffering a season-ending wrist injury back in January, he re-signed in Buffalo only to suffer an injury in his first preseason game with AHL Rochester earlier this month.  However, the 28-year-old is a couple of weeks away from being cleared to return, mentions Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.  Buffalo’s preference is to have prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen play heavy minutes in the minors so Subban’s eventual return will give them some insurance on that front as he’d be the one to be called up if one of Craig Anderson or Eric Comrie gets injured.

New York Rangers Recall Julien Gauthier

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The New York Rangers will be headed out on the road for the next three games, and have called up an extra forward for the trip, recalling Julien Gauthier. With Filip Chytil out for a little while, the team had just 12 healthy forwards on the active roster so have added another one for the time being.

There were also concerns about Mika Zibanejad and Vitali Kravtsov, who both looked to have suffered minor injuries during last night’s game, though neither one has been addressed by the team. The Rangers will start their trip with a visit to Belmont Park to face the New York Islanders, before heading to Dallas and Arizona on the weekend.

Gauthier, 25, has scored twice in four games with the Hartford Wolf Pack this season after clearing waivers earlier this month, and appears to have lost all of the prospect shine he once had. The big, fast winger has shown flashes of brilliance over the years but lacks any kind of offensive consistency needed to become a top-nine regular in the NHL. In 49 games last season with the Rangers he scored just three goals and seven points, and it’s hard to see him becoming an impact player with them at this point.

Still, he is a nice depth piece to bring up for injury insurance as the team tries to right the ship. After a strong start, the Rangers have lost three in a row including a 5-1 defeat against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a divisional opponent.

New York Rangers Extend Julien Gauthier

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It’s certainly not the free agent news fans were hoping for in New York, but the Rangers have finished at least one negotiation. Julien Gauthier has signed a new one-year contract extension for the 2022-23 season, avoiding restricted free agency this summer. CapFriendly reported earlier that the deal is worth $800K.

Gauthier, 24, still hasn’t achieved much at the NHL level but did play in 49 games for the Rangers this season. The 2016 first-round pick has just 18 points in 96 career games, not quite what the Carolina Hurricanes had in mind when he was selected 21st overall or what the Rangers believed they were getting in a 2020 trade.

A mix of size and speed that is difficult to find, Gauthier possesses many of the attributes needed to have success at the NHL level. It just hasn’t been put together to this point, though he might get a regular chance to change that this season. With so many Rangers forwards scheduled for unrestricted free agency–Andrew Copp, Greg McKegg, Tyler Motte, Kevin Rooney, Ryan Strome, and Frank Vatrano are all without contracts–there could very well be room for Gauthier in the bottom six.

Even if the team moves to try and extend some of those names, they’ll need inexpensive options at the bottom of the roster. There’s also a notable difference in Gauthier’s status this year: he is no longer waiver-exempt. That means if the team wants to send him to the minor leagues, all 31 other teams would have a chance to claim him and keep him in the NHL.

New York Rangers Extend Julien Gauthier

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The New York Rangers have made a small dent in their long list of offseason decisions. CapFriendly reports that the team signed winger Julien Gauthier to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $800,000, noting that Gauthier will still be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.

Gauthier hasn’t panned out since the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him 21st overall in 2016, dealing him to the Rangers in exchange for defenseman Joey Keane four years later. In three seasons and 91 games with the Rangers now, Gauthier has just five goals, 12 assists, and 17 points. He’ll turn 25 just after the start of next season, meaning that time is running out for Gauthier to become a consistent producer at the NHL level. He has shot just 4.3 percent over his NHL career, though, suggesting his impact has been a bit more positive than his unlucky low goal totals would suggest.

He’s shown the sparse ability to hold it together in a bottom-six role, although he seemed to take a step back this season with a little more ice time. As the Rangers look to capitalize on their ascent to the top of the Eastern Conference food chain, they’re likely getting Gauthier signed so that they can attempt to trade him this offseason. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple did report this morning that both he and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev had requested a trade out of New York.

Julien Gauthier Enters COVID Protocol

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The New York Rangers have announced that Julien Gauthier has entered the COVID protocol, making him unavailable for the next few days at a minimum. The depth forward played just over nine minutes last night against the Vegas Golden Knights, but could now miss tomorrow’s match against the Anaheim Ducks and Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, if he tested positive.

Gauthier joins Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin in the protocol. Jarred Tinordi cleared the protocol a few days ago.

The 24-year-old forward has once again been a frustrating mix of size, speed, and inconsistency for the Rangers this season, registering two goals and five points in 26 games. The 6’4″, 227-lbs Gauthier was a first-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016 but has still never grown into his top-six, power forward potential. Through 73 NHL games he has struggled to find the back of the net even when he creates a dangerous chance, and now holds a 4.3% shooting percentage for his career.

With Dryden Hunt also missing practice due to an upper-body injury, the Rangers are down a pair of bottom-six wingers. That could open an opportunity for someone else, though Panarin is eligible to exit the protocol as soon as he tests negative.

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