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Paul Gaustad

#28 · Centre · Nashville Predators

Born Feb 3, 1982 in Fargo, North Dakota, USA · 6'5", 227 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 220th overall in 2000 by BUF (round 7)

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2015-16. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Brad Malone CAR · 6 P in 57 GP Viktor Tikhonov ARI · 6 P in 50 GP Nate Thompson ANA · 6 P in 49 GP Tomas Jurco DET · 6 P in 44 GP Chris Wagner ANA · 6 P in 43 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

01020302002-03: 0 points002-032005-06: 24 points2405-062006-07: 22 points2206-072007-08: 36 points3607-082008-09: 29 points2908-092009-10: 22 points2209-102010-11: 31 points3110-112011-12: 21 points2111-122012-13: 5 points512-132013-14: 21 points2113-142014-15: 14 points1414-152015-16: 6 points615-16

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2002-03 BUF 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00
2005-06 BUF 78 9 15 24 4 65 113 126 0.31
2006-07 BUF 54 9 13 22 11 74 75 105 0.41 $713K
2007-08 BUF 82 10 26 36 -4 85 136 199 0.44 $713K
2008-09 BUF 62 12 17 29 4 108 122 141 0.47 $2.3M
2009-10 BUF 65 12 10 22 -7 82 111 112 0.34 $2.3M
2010-11 BUF 81 12 19 31 7 101 117 128 0.38 $2.3M
2011-12 BUF 56 7 10 17 -1 70 62 98 0.30 $2.3M
2011-12 NSH 14 0 4 4 0 6 13 16 0.29
2012-13 NSH 23 2 3 5 -1 20 35 40 0.22 $3.25M
2013-14 NSH 75 10 11 21 -6 61 74 122 0.28 $3.25M
2014-15 NSH 73 4 10 14 7 60 54 143 0.19 $3.25M
2015-16 NSH 63 2 4 6 -4 46 46 114 0.10 $3.25M
12 seasons Career 727 89 142 231 10 778 958 1345 0.32

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2005-06 BUF 18 0 4 4 1 14 13 36 0.22
2006-07 BUF 7 0 1 1 -1 2 4 12 0.14
2009-10 BUF 6 0 1 1 1 8 7 18 0.17
2010-11 BUF 7 0 2 2 -6 13 14 9 0.29
2011-12 NSH 10 1 1 2 -1 5 6 17 0.20
2014-15 NSH 6 0 0 0 -1 22 5 19 0.00
2015-16 NSH 14 1 0 1 0 0 14 33 0.07
7 seasons Playoffs 68 2 9 11 -7 64 63 144 0.16

2015-16 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
63 2 4 6 -4 46 46 114 0.10 4.3 11:15

Contract

$3.25MCap hit2015-16
$542KCap dollars per point6 points in 63 games
-$1.5MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$4.7MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 668 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2013-14 to 2015-16 $3.25M
2012-13 to 2015-16 $3.25M
2008-09 to 2011-12 $2.3M
2006-07 to 2007-08 $713K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2015-16 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2015-16 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

-3.3Goals above replacement657th of 675 skaters, 435th of 445 forwards
-0.5Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-5.2Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 445 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-6.3 1st percentileEven-strength defence+1.4 79th percentilePower play0.0 59th percentilePenalty kill+0.0 54th percentilePenalties-0.2 27th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-4-202462010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

38.5Corsi for %347 attempts for, 555 against
-15.1CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
39.4Expected goals for %11.1 expected for, 17.1 against
-15.0xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
40.7Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
22.2Goals for %6 for, 21 against
95.5PDO3.3% shooting + 92.2% saves
64Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 561 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Paul Gaustad · Eric Nystrom · Austin Watson17119:2143.247.42-6
Paul Gaustad · Eric Nystrom · Miikka Salomaki1497:4545.550.61-2
Paul Gaustad · Austin Watson · Miikka Salomaki1394:4637.039.22-1
Paul Gaustad · Cody Bass · Miikka Salomaki944:0440.345.41-3

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

2Goalsnot counting empty-netters
3.7Expected goalsfrom 59 unblocked attempts
-1.7Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.31 expected goals per 60 minutes1st
Shot quality 6.3% chance per attempt17th
Finishing -1.7 goals above expected36thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 412 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0123Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 3.7Goals 2

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 9, 2016 @ DAL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:27
Apr 7, 2016 vs ARI W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 07:32
Apr 5, 2016 vs COL W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11:17
Apr 2, 2016 vs SJS L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 13:57
Mar 31, 2016 @ PIT L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 08:35
Mar 29, 2016 @ DAL L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 10:42
Mar 5, 2016 @ COL W 5-2 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 05:42
Mar 3, 2016 vs NJD L 4-5 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 10:01
Mar 1, 2016 vs DAL W 5-3 0 0 0 0 5 1 2 11:41
Feb 27, 2016 vs STL W 5-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 13:57
Feb 25, 2016 @ CHI W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 12:41
Feb 23, 2016 @ TOR W 3-2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 13:01
Feb 22, 2016 @ MTL W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10:41
Feb 20, 2016 vs LAK L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10:17
Feb 18, 2016 vs BOS W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11:16
Feb 15, 2016 vs DAL L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 09:35
Feb 13, 2016 @ FLA W 5-0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 11:00
Feb 12, 2016 @ TBL L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 09:07
Feb 9, 2016 vs WSH L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 06:33
Feb 6, 2016 vs SJS W 6-2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 12:07
Feb 4, 2016 vs PHI L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 2 1 2 07:32
Feb 2, 2016 vs STL L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 08:12
Jan 27, 2016 @ CGY W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 10:30
Jan 26, 2016 @ VAN W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 10:52
Jan 23, 2016 @ EDM W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 12:33
Jan 21, 2016 @ WPG W 4-1 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 12:43
Jan 19, 2016 vs CHI L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 07:54
Jan 16, 2016 vs MIN W 3-0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 13:03
Jan 14, 2016 @ WPG L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 1 7 0 1 06:43
Jan 12, 2016 @ CHI L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 06:27
Jan 9, 2016 @ ARI L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 3 09:01
Jan 8, 2016 @ COL L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 10:46
Jan 5, 2016 vs WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 07:49
Jan 2, 2016 @ CAR W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 2 5 10:57
Dec 31, 2015 @ DAL L 1-5 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 12:15
Dec 29, 2015 @ STL L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 11:14
Dec 28, 2015 vs NYR W 5-3 0 0 0 -3 0 1 1 12:27
Dec 26, 2015 vs DET L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 11:37
Dec 21, 2015 vs MTL W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 15:27
Dec 19, 2015 vs MIN W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 14:43
Dec 17, 2015 @ STL L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 10:19
Dec 15, 2015 vs CGY L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 15:36
Dec 12, 2015 vs COL L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 4 0 2 10:41
Dec 10, 2015 vs CHI W 5-1 0 0 0 1 5 1 2 14:06
Dec 8, 2015 @ CHI L 1-4 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 13:20
Dec 7, 2015 @ BOS W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 12:13
Dec 5, 2015 @ DET L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 15:43
Nov 25, 2015 @ BUF W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 08:27
Nov 23, 2015 @ NYR L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 09:13
Nov 21, 2015 @ MIN L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13:51
Nov 7, 2015 vs STL L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 11:11
Nov 5, 2015 @ MIN W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13:59
Nov 1, 2015 @ ANA L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 06:11
Oct 31, 2015 @ LAK L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 14:22
Oct 28, 2015 @ SJS W 2-1 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 14:57
Oct 24, 2015 vs PIT L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 12:12
Oct 22, 2015 vs ANA W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 17:29
Oct 20, 2015 vs TBL W 5-4 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 0 5 10:42
Oct 17, 2015 @ OTT W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 7 0 3 10:49
Oct 15, 2015 @ NYI L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 11:43
Oct 13, 2015 @ NJD W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 12:54
Oct 10, 2015 vs EDM W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 10:39
Oct 8, 2015 vs CAR W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 12:44