Freddy Gaudreau has taken an interesting path to the NHL, but it's not a surprise to see he has found his home in Minnesota.

Welcome to the offseason series where we will look at each player’s impact this past season, what their future in Minnesota looks like, and what to expect in 2023-24.

Freddy Gaudreau played four years in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, three with the Shawinigan Catracters before he was traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs. After his 19-goal and 40-point season with the Voltigeurs, Gaudreau signed with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.

After a couple of years in the minor leagues, Gaudreau got his big chance when the Predators had a few injuries in their 2016-17 Stanley Cup run. The rookie made an immediate impact scoring his first three NHL goals in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Predators ended up falling short and lost to the Penguins in the finals. The next season, Gaudreau was set to start the year in the AHL with Milwaukee head coach Dean Evason.

Gaudreau, who was 25 years old at the time, put up 22 goals and 21 assists for 43 points in 54 games with Evason’s Admirals. His impressive start earned him a promotion to the NHL where he only recorded three assists in 20 games.

The following season, Gaudreau spent most of his time in the NHL where he notched three goals and four points in 55 games with the Predators but in 2019-20, the 6-foot center spent the whole year in the AHL.

This led to the Pittsburgh Penguins signing Gaudreau before the 2020 season. After only playing 19 games with the Penguins, the Wild signed the 29-year-old center to a two-year, $2.4 million deal earning him $1.2 million annually.

In his first season with the Wild, Gaudreau notched 14 goals and 44 points in 76 games. Most of which was seen playing with Kevin Fiala, who Gaudreau played with in Milwaukee under Evason, and young rookie Matt Boldy.

Last season without Fiala, Gaudreau bounced up and down the lineup while playing center and right wing on some occasions, which proves his versatility.

What’s Next For Freddy?

There is no doubt that both Evason and the rest of the Wild front office and staff love the way Freddy plays, hence why the Wild announced right before the playoffs started a five-year extension for Gaudreau earning him $2.1 million a year.

He is the perfect player. He plays the game fast while playing smart in all three zones. There are not many middle-six centers in the NHL who score 15 to 20 goals a year while playing top notch defense for just $2.1 million.

If there is, be sure to let me know.

This year, the 30-year-old center led the Wild in FSh% which stands for Fenwick Shooting Percentage. What does Fenwick shooting percentage mean? Good question. FSh% is the number of Goals scored by a player divided by the player’s total individual Fenwick shots on goal, which are goals, saved shots, and missed shots.

This can be paired with shooting percentage, which is goals divided by individual shots on goal. Gaudreau ranked second on the Wild this year behind only Kirill Kaprizov.

Gaudreau ranked third on the Wild in GA/60 and seventh in xGA/60 which is goals against per 60 minutes and expected goals against per 60 minutes.

The product of Bromont, QC, CAN finished fifth on the Wild in takeaways amongst forwards and fifth on the Wild in fewest giveaways.

Most of Gaudreau’s expected goals came from high-danger scoring spots. According to Moneypuck, Gaudreau’s 6.03 xHDSC ranked third on the team behind Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. xHDSC just stands for expected high-danger scoring chances.

Gaudreau’s mix of scoring ability and defensive play makes the contract he currently has a steal and one of Bill Guerin’s best next to Eriksson Ek's for sure. Wild fans should know what to expect from Gaudreau every night. 

He isn’t going to score 30 goals or 70 points but that isn’t what he is being paid to do. He is being paid to be a leader while providing some scoring touch and good defensive play. So for Gaudreau to only make 2.1 million for the next five years, I call that a steal.

Not to mention, Gaudreau also scored eight shootout goals this season which led the NHL by three. His eight in one season is tied for fourth all-time for most in a single season. 

Aaron’s Gaudreau 2023-24 prediction: 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points.

Dylan’s Gaudreau 2023-24 prediction: 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points.

All data from Moneypuck, Evolving Hockey and NHL.com.