He's still developing so it's hard to track a trajectory. He's big and has flashes of great skill with the puck, which many tweeners have had. What sets him apart imo, is his shot.
If you can get him the puck in a scoring area he has the ability to just snipe one top shelf out of nowhere where a lot of guys would just take a standard, routine saved shot.
It's early so when I say this I don't mean he can't improve on it, but I what I believe may hold him back from becoming a star/permanent top six player is the ability to use his stick handling and puck possession skill consistently. He can deke through guys in close at times and make you go "Wow, a star in the making!", but he also loses the puck and/or reverts to a dump in more than a true top six forward should, which is the opposite of what you need for Gaudreau.
I wouldn't be surprised if ends up a solid third line guy when we become a contender and that would be perfectly fine.
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