Ahead of the chaos of the NHL Draft and free agency, many teams worked on some trades. One of those teams was the Seattle Kraken. On June 26, they traded their fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Frederick Gaudreau. Let’s look at his career in the NHL so far.
Gaudreau’s Beginnings in Hockey
Gaudreau began his hockey career playing in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He played for the Shawinigan Cataractes for two and a half seasons, from 2011-12 until 2013-14. He played 159 games and recorded 94 points. In the middle of the 2013-14 season, he was traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He finished the season by playing 36 games, scoring 19 goals, and recording 21 assists. With 40 points, this was Gaudreau’s best point total in such a short amount of games. At the end of the season, Gaudreau was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the most sportsmanlike player.
While Gaudreau was never traded, after his performance in the QMJHL, he signed with the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL) on June 12, 2014. He played a split 2014-15 season between the AHL and the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. He played 43 games with the Admirals and recorded 11 points. With the Cyclones, he played 14 games and recorded seven points.
Gaudreau signed another contract with the Admirals for the 2015-16 season. He played the entire season with the Admirals, playing 75 games. He scored 15 goals and recorded 27 assists.
Gaudreau Worked His Way Up to the NHL
After his performance with the Admirals, the Nashville Predators, the Admirals’ NHL affiliate, took notice. They signed him to a three-year contract, giving him a chance to play at the NHL level for the first time. Gaudreau played a split season in 2016-17 between the NHL and the AHL. He played his first NHL game on Oct. 22, 2016. He took 12 shifts and recorded a total of 9:01 on the ice. On Nov. 29, 2016, he recorded his first NHL point with an assist; this was his only point in his nine NHL games during the 2016-17 season. For the majority of the season, he played with the Admirals once again, recording 48 points in 66 games. However, he was back with the Predators during their playoff run. On May 19, 2017, Gaudreau scored his first NHL goal. He went on to score two more goals during his eight-game playoff run.
Related: Meet the Seattle Kraken’s 2025 Draft Class
In 2017-18, he continued to play a split season. He played 20 NHL games and earned three assists. With the Admirals, he played 54 games and recorded 43 points. In the 2018-19 season, Gaudreau played his first full NHL season. He played 55 games, scoring three goals and recording one assist.
After a poor performance in the NHL, Gaudreau went back to the AHL full-time for the 2019-20 season. He played 42 games and recorded 28 points. With this performance slide, the Predators elected not to re-sign him. He hit the free agency market during the 2020 offseason. On Oct. 10, 2020, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed him to a one-year contract. He once again played a split season, playing for both the Penguins and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He played 19 NHL games and recorded ten points. In the AHL, Gaudreau played six games and recorded four points. He also played six playoff games, scoring one goal and recording two assists. He only spent one year in Pittsburgh before hitting the free agency market again.
Gaudreau Found Stability in Minnesota
On July 28, 2021, the Wild signed Gaudreau during the free agency period. Minnesota must have noticed Gaudreau’s potential, as he played in the NHL for a full season. In the 2021-22 season, he played 76 games and recorded 44 points. This was his highest point total in his NHL career so far. He played his first full season of 82 games in the 2022-23 season and recorded 38 points.
After his two-year contract was up, the Wild re-signed Gaudreau for another five years. His performance took a slight dive in 2023-24, where he recorded 15 points in 67 games. He had a much better performance in the 2024-25 season, recording 37 points in 82 games.
Throughout his four seasons playing for Minnesota, he played in three playoff runs. He played 18 postseason games and recorded four points.
Gaudreau’s Future in Seattle
As Gaudreau has been traded to Seattle, they now have the remaining three years on his five-year contract. He was a solid bottom-six center for Minnesota, often playing on the third line. More than likely, he will center the fourth line for the Kraken. Throughout the 2024-25 season, Seattle called up several AHL players to find their permanent fourth liner. As Gaudreau has already shown NHL promise with the Wild, he will fit this role well.
