NY Islanders Plus/Minus for 2023-24: Julien Gauthier presented with a major opportunity

MINUS

Consistency has been a constant struggle for Gauthier since his rookie season. He's put in outstanding effort for a few games in a row before disappearing later on.

The physical talent is there, it just comes down to making the most of his opportunities. His time with the Rangers has been a great example of this. It seemed as if every few weeks, he was being called up from Hartford and inserted into the lineup. Like the goals against the Isles and Dallas, he showed why he should be earning ice time. But that seems to be it. There hasn't been much positive talk about him aside from those moments.

The Rangers fan base seemed constantly frustrated with Gauthier as they could see the potential. Now that he's locked in with the Isles for the next two seasons, he'll have what may be his final opportunity to make good on his NHL career. Lane Lambert will love his speed and effort but needs to see results to make sense of inserting him into the lineup.