The Penguins re-signed goaltender Taylor Gauthier to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level.
Gauthier, 25, has been in the Penguins' organization for the last four years, time that has primarily been spent in the ECHL with Wheeling as a result of a logjam with the Penguins' young drafted goaltenders in the AHL.
Finally, it seems as if the time for Gauthier to carve out a role in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has come. Stuart Skinner isn't expected to return, and the Penguins are looking to re-sign Arturs Silovs. Kyle Dubas said in his season-ending availability that he expects Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist to compete for the other NHL job out of camp, and that Gauthier could be in the AHL with the other one of those two goaltenders. Gabriel D'Aigle, the goaltender the Penguins drafted last summer, is turning pro next season but is expected to start in the ECHL.
Gauthier spent all of last season in Wheeling, where he went 21-9-5 with a .929 save percentage, 2.09 goals-against average and three shutouts in 36 games, after missing time early in the season due to injury and representing Canada in the Spengler Cup midseason. He started every single game for Wheeling in the Nailers' run to the ECHL's Eastern Conference final, recording a .922 save percentage, a 2.23 goals-against average and three shutouts in 17 games.
Gauthier had zero interest in leaving the Penguins' organization this summer. As long as they were going to offer a contract -- even an AHL one -- he was going to be back. He has an immense amount of loyalty to the organization for taking a chance on him as an undrafted free agent out of junior, but he's also dead-set on carving out his path to the NHL here and playing well enough to force the Penguins to eventually turn to him.
"I'll make the push all summer to try and solidify myself as a full-time AHL goaltender," Gauthier told me at the end of the season. "And then who knows where it goes from there? Just take it one day at a time, and, like I've said all year, just enjoy every day, and just embrace where you are."
Here is my full story on Gauthier's year following Wheeling's elimination, and here's my full chat with him about this season, the last four years, and what's next:
THE ASYLUM
Gauthier re-signed for one year
The Penguins re-signed goaltender Taylor Gauthier to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level.
Gauthier, 25, has been in the Penguins' organization for the last four years, time that has primarily been spent in the ECHL with Wheeling as a result of a logjam with the Penguins' young drafted goaltenders in the AHL.
Finally, it seems as if the time for Gauthier to carve out a role in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has come. Stuart Skinner isn't expected to return, and the Penguins are looking to re-sign Arturs Silovs. Kyle Dubas said in his season-ending availability that he expects Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist to compete for the other NHL job out of camp, and that Gauthier could be in the AHL with the other one of those two goaltenders. Gabriel D'Aigle, the goaltender the Penguins drafted last summer, is turning pro next season but is expected to start in the ECHL.
Gauthier spent all of last season in Wheeling, where he went 21-9-5 with a .929 save percentage, 2.09 goals-against average and three shutouts in 36 games, after missing time early in the season due to injury and representing Canada in the Spengler Cup midseason. He started every single game for Wheeling in the Nailers' run to the ECHL's Eastern Conference final, recording a .922 save percentage, a 2.23 goals-against average and three shutouts in 17 games.
Gauthier had zero interest in leaving the Penguins' organization this summer. As long as they were going to offer a contract -- even an AHL one -- he was going to be back. He has an immense amount of loyalty to the organization for taking a chance on him as an undrafted free agent out of junior, but he's also dead-set on carving out his path to the NHL here and playing well enough to force the Penguins to eventually turn to him.
"I'll make the push all summer to try and solidify myself as a full-time AHL goaltender," Gauthier told me at the end of the season. "And then who knows where it goes from there? Just take it one day at a time, and, like I've said all year, just enjoy every day, and just embrace where you are."
Here is my full story on Gauthier's year following Wheeling's elimination, and here's my full chat with him about this season, the last four years, and what's next:
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