Senators Adam Gaudette Reunited With Travis Green, And It Feels So Good

When Adam Gaudette hit free agency in July, the 28-year-old had one destination in mind, and that was the Ottawa Senators.

Fresh off leading the American League in goals (44) playing for St. Louis Blues affiliate, Springfield Thunderbirds, in his heart, Gaudette wanted to be reunited with his former Vancouver Canuck head coach Travis Green. The centre produced his best NHL season while playing for the Canucks in 2019-20, registering 12 goals, 21 assists in his second campaign with the team.

And to date, Gaudette hasn’t disappointed. In fact, the 2018 Hobey Baker Award winner is performing above expectations. In his second go-round with the Senators, Gaudette is currently in the midst of an NHL personal-high streak of goals and points in three straight games and has notched six goals over the past five outings, including the game-winner in Saturday’s 3-0 shutout of the Seattle Kraken.

To put Gaudette’s early season goal production into perspective, in four previous NHL campaigns where the “Hockey Gaud” played more than 40 games, the Canucks 2015 149th Entry Draft selection has only scored more than five in that one ’19-’20 season.

In 2020-21, Gaudette’s previous tenure with the Senators, who claimed the centre off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks, who incidentally acquired the native of Braintree, MA, from the Canucks in a swap for current Belleville Senator Matthew Highmore, Gaudette potted four goals, eight assists over 50 games.

While most pundits and Senators; fans originally thought Gaudette’s signing of a one-year, two-way contract was mainly to assist the Senators’ American League affiliate in Belleville and add roster depth in case of injury, he’s certainly proved that wasn’t his purpose.

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Gaudette performed well during training camp and hasn’t looked back, centring the team’s fourth line between Nick Cousins and Zack MacEwen while seeing second unit power play time with the absence of Shane Pinto (injured) and David Perron (personal reasons) from the lineup.

Known as a forward with offensive flair when first joining the NHL, Adam Gaudette recognizes his path to remain in the league on a consistent basis was to revise his game. And he has done just that, especially during the past two seasons playing for the AHL Toronto Marlies and Thunderbirds.

“It’s tough league to crack and it’s even tougher to stay in. You know, I’ve had to really round out my game defensively and without the puck, I could always score, but the rest of my game wasn’t always there. Wasn’t ready to play at this level yet. So, you know, a couple years down in the AHL has really taught me that. I learned from a lot of different people, been around a couple different teams. So I just took everything in like a sponge, and it’s paying off,” Gaudette explained during his postgame media availability after Saturday’s win.

“It was a no-brainer for me to come back and play for him (Green) again, especially with the guys here, familiar faces. You know, I like “Greener” a lot. The guys in the room like him. He’s been doing a great job with a new team, and, you know, I don’t think I would be here if it was for him”

When asked what the difference is in Gaudette’s game since he played for Vancouver, Green’s initial response to Full Press Hockey was simple, “He’s older.”

The Senators’ head coach added, “He played well when he was in Vancouver, young guy coming out of college, had always scored at every level he’s been at, but I think, like a lot of young players, you don’t understand the other side of the puck as well. He tried then. I liked him as a player too. I think he just matured a little bit. Not that he took it for granted; he understands that it’s not a given that you’re going to play in the NHL. It’s a hard league to make. It’s an even harder leap to stay in it that long and sometimes skilled players have to figure out how they can stay in the league, just become a regular player. He’s always had a knack for scoring goals.”

To his credit, Adam Gaudette has put his head down and put in the hard work required to get to this point today.

“I’ve been fired up for a couple years now. But you know, that whole journey is a learning experience. I learned a lot. I knew I could battle my way back, and now it’s just about staying here.”

And if Adam Gaudette continues to perform as he has in his 10 games this season, there’s little doubt he’ll be in the NHL to stay.