Forward Adam Gaudette has emerged as an offensive force for the Senators
In February of 2023, the Blues traded Ryan O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs. The primary asset they received in retrn was the Leafs’ first-round draft pick. But another player they got back was forward Adam Gaudette.
At the time of the trade, I thought of Gaudette as an AHL depth forward. Someone that may see some playing time down the stretch of the 2022-23 season. But his long-term potential seemed faint. He was assigned to Springfield (the AHL), and played out the rest of the season.
He attended the Blues training camp for the ’23-24 season, but was cut and assigned to Springfield again. He was called up and played in 2 NHL games with the Blues, but otherwise spent the year in Springfield. Here’s the thing: He amassed 71 points in 67 games with the Thunderbirds. He was then not re-signed by the Blues. He signed with the Ottawa Senators instead.
Now get this. In 21 games with the Senators, he has a whopping 11 goals. That is tied for the team lead with Brady Tkachuk.
I looked back at his NHL service. He first played in the 2017 season for the Vancouver Canucks. Then in 2019-2020, he scored 12 goals in 59 games with them. But since then he’s played for the Blackhawks, Senators (for the first time), and Toronto’s AHL team, the Marlies. He hasn’t stuck as an NHL regular.
And he didn’t figure into the Blues’ plans for the future. If he did, they would have re-signed him and invited him to camp for 2024. Instead he’s now scoring at an incredible clip for the Senators.
So did the Blues not see his potential? As Gaudette flourishes in Ottawa, it’s hard not to look back and wonder whether the Blues made a mistake by letting him slip through their fingers. The Blues are a team with a mixed core of veterans and young talent, and there’s always room for someone like Gaudette—an underrated scoring option who could have contributed to their bottom six. But I find it hard to believe that the Blues’ very capable scouting department and player development personnel made a mistake. The Blues don’t let many players leave the organization to become stars elsewhere (like the Cardinals).
Rather, the Blues saw what a lot of people did – Gaudette is a steady performer in the AHL but has had trouble sticking in the NHL. That is not an uncommon situation. Indeed, the Blues have had many guys like that. Remember Adam Cracknell?
It’s quite possible that Adam Gaudette will continue his torrid pace and play in Ottawa’s top 6 for the rest of the year. It’s also possible he’ll come back to earth and settle in the bottom 6 forwards for the Senators. But it is very interesting to see him score so many goals in the first quarter of the season. I wish him all the best.
Open Ice Notes 