All week leading up to July 1, we’ll be profiling unrestricted free agents and speculating where they might end up.
Paul Gaustad (C)
Age: 30
2011-12 cap hit: $2.3 million
The skinny: After rolling the dice and giving up a first-round pick for Gaustad at the deadline, Nashville would love to retain his services.
The burly centerman has some toughness (though Ryan Miller might argue about that) and he wins faceoffs more often than not.
Gaustad is a third- or fourth-line center and has the kind of snarl organizations are looking for out of a grind line guy. A team looking for depth up the middle could do well in adding Gaustad, but he struggled in the postseason for Nashville playing just over 11 minutes a game.
Buyer beware.
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