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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 2012-13. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Antti Miettinen WPG · 5 P in 22 GP Mikhail Grigorenko BUF · 5 P in 25 GP Peter Holland ANA · 5 P in 21 GP David Ullstrom NYI · 5 P in 20 GP Jason Zucker MIN · 5 P in 20 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

2012-13 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
23 2 3 5 -1 20 35 40 0.22 5.7 15:13

Contract

$3.25MCap hitends in 2016, then UFA
$650KCap dollars per point5 points in 23 games
$322KWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$2.9MValueworth 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 558 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. It runs through 2015-16, with 3 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit
2012-13 $3.25M
2013-14 $3.25M
2014-15 $3.25M
2015-16 $3.25M

Each season left on the contract. Only its cap hit and its end are known: how the pay is split by season, and any signing bonus, are not.

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 2012-13 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.

2012-13 analytics

Rating

-0.2Goals above replacement476th of 605 skaters, 324th of 397 forwards
0.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-1.2Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 397 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-1.3 23rd percentileEven-strength defence+1.0 79th percentilePower play-0.2 28th percentilePenalty kill+0.0 51st percentilePenalties-0.8 8th 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. Provisional: under 40 games it is more chance than player. 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

45.5Corsi for %207 attempts for, 248 against
-1.8CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
49.7Expected goals for %7.8 expected for, 7.9 against
-0.2xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.0Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
41.7Goals for %5 for, 7 against
98.9PDO4.6% shooting + 94.3% saves
46Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 578 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
Martin Erat · Paul Gaustad · Sergei Kostitsyn540:0555.958.50-1
Paul Gaustad · Brandon Yip · Nick Spaling1030:4541.931.70-3
Paul Gaustad · Brandon Yip · Rich Clune1028:4139.527.91-0
Paul Gaustad · Rich Clune · Sergei Kostitsyn523:0464.770.41-0

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.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
2.0Expected goalsfrom 42 unblocked attempts
-1.0Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.34 expected goals per 60 minutes3rd
Shot quality 4.8% chance per attempt1st
Finishing -1.0 goals above expected40thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 355 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

00.511.52Game 20Expected 2.0Goals 1

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 4, 2013 vs CBJ L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 17:13
Apr 2, 2013 vs COL W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 20:49
Apr 1, 2013 @ CHI L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 4 5 6 24:19
Mar 30, 2013 @ COL L 0-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17:35
Mar 12, 2013 @ DAL W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10:45
Mar 9, 2013 vs MIN L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 19:47
Mar 8, 2013 vs EDM W 6-0 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 14:25
Mar 4, 2013 @ LAK L 1-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 12:56
Mar 2, 2013 @ SJS L 1-2 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 13:56
Feb 27, 2013 @ ANA L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 14:46
Feb 18, 2013 @ COL L 5-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00:58
Feb 16, 2013 vs ANA L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 15:53
Feb 14, 2013 vs PHX W 3-0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 16:43
Feb 12, 2013 vs SJS W 1-0 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 15:25
Feb 10, 2013 vs CHI L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 12:57
Feb 9, 2013 @ MIN L 1-2 (OT) 1 0 1 1 2 2 1 15:47
Feb 7, 2013 vs LAK W 3-0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 14:23
Feb 5, 2013 @ STL W 6-1 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 19:18
Feb 2, 2013 @ SJS W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 15:48
Jan 31, 2013 @ LAK W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 12:29
Jan 28, 2013 @ PHX L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 14:54
Jan 26, 2013 @ ANA L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 15:08
Jan 19, 2013 vs CBJ L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 3 13:52