Why? Who knows! Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock is no stranger to making bad lineup decisions (see Hainsey, Ron) but even for him, this is a mystery.
With William Nylander out, the Leafs have to move everyone up, but they still shouldn’t be playing Guathier. He just isn’t an NHL player.
Gauthier, who has never really played above the fourth line and thus has always faced the easiest possible competition, has a career possession rating of 40%. He has no offensive skills to speak of, is slow, and often stands out as the worst player on the team.