Kyle Dubas' second move of the trade deadline day was to reward Penguins goaltending prospect Taylor Gauthier with an NHL contract, bolstering their depth for the rest of the season.
When I spoke with Gauthier at the end of last season, he acknowledged his place in the organizational depth chart behind a couple of established NHL goaltenders, a pair of pretty great prospects in Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist, and some veteran AHL depth in Filip Larsson.
His entry-level contract was expiring, and after winning the ECHL Goaltender of the Year in Wheeling and following that up with another solid season with the Nailers, it was clear that he was due to earn regular AHL playing time, but that would be hard to find with the Penguins. And with the prospect pool being as deep as it is, it seemed unlikely that an NHL contract slot would be used on a projected ECHL starter.
Even that being the case, Gauthier was hoping to come back to the Penguins.
"You know, I love this place," he told me. "I love this organization, everyone in it. I'm just trying to embrace it and enjoy every day. ... I want to show people that I'm still around. I'm still the goalie that they signed a couple years ago. Just show that I deserve to stick around and on another NHL deal."
Gauthier didn't get that NHL deal then. And he could have signed an AHL-level contract elsewhere. But he opted to sign an AHL deal with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, knowing he'd end up in Wheeling, where he was excited about the chance to chase the franchise's all-time scoring record.
Gauthier missed the start of the year with an injury, but has been great since returning, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average in 22 games with Wheeling. His last win on Wednesday was his 61st career win with Wheeling, moving him atop the franchise's all-time wins list. And so after his loyalty to the organization, steady start, and record-setting win, the Penguins inked him to an NHL contract to finish the season.
"Taylor's had a great year," Dubas said. "Wheeling just continues to highlight the importance of that affiliation and the way that it's worked out for us. So it's good on him. He's been in the organization a while, continues to stay with it and is having a great season there. And so we get him signed and will continue to loan down there."
THE ASYLUM
Penguins sign Gauthier to NHL contract
Kyle Dubas' second move of the trade deadline day was to reward Penguins goaltending prospect Taylor Gauthier with an NHL contract, bolstering their depth for the rest of the season.
When I spoke with Gauthier at the end of last season, he acknowledged his place in the organizational depth chart behind a couple of established NHL goaltenders, a pair of pretty great prospects in Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist, and some veteran AHL depth in Filip Larsson.
His entry-level contract was expiring, and after winning the ECHL Goaltender of the Year in Wheeling and following that up with another solid season with the Nailers, it was clear that he was due to earn regular AHL playing time, but that would be hard to find with the Penguins. And with the prospect pool being as deep as it is, it seemed unlikely that an NHL contract slot would be used on a projected ECHL starter.
Even that being the case, Gauthier was hoping to come back to the Penguins.
"You know, I love this place," he told me. "I love this organization, everyone in it. I'm just trying to embrace it and enjoy every day. ... I want to show people that I'm still around. I'm still the goalie that they signed a couple years ago. Just show that I deserve to stick around and on another NHL deal."
Gauthier didn't get that NHL deal then. And he could have signed an AHL-level contract elsewhere. But he opted to sign an AHL deal with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, knowing he'd end up in Wheeling, where he was excited about the chance to chase the franchise's all-time scoring record.
Gauthier missed the start of the year with an injury, but has been great since returning, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average in 22 games with Wheeling. His last win on Wednesday was his 61st career win with Wheeling, moving him atop the franchise's all-time wins list. And so after his loyalty to the organization, steady start, and record-setting win, the Penguins inked him to an NHL contract to finish the season.
"Taylor's had a great year," Dubas said. "Wheeling just continues to highlight the importance of that affiliation and the way that it's worked out for us. So it's good on him. He's been in the organization a while, continues to stay with it and is having a great season there. And so we get him signed and will continue to loan down there."
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