The Vancouver Canucks drafted forward Adam Gaudette in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, and all the Northeastern University star has done since then is excite fans and management. This year, Gaudette led the NCAA in scoring and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy given to the nation’s top collegiate ice hockey player. 

Now, as Gaudette’s Northeastern Huskies lost to Michigan today and failed to make the Frozen Four of the NCAA, the Canucks may opt to sign the forward—thus burning a year of his entry level eligibility but also ensuring that he can’t walk to another team as a free agent.

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The only question then: does he play in the NHL with the Canucks or in the AHL with the Utica Comets, who are poised to make a playoff run?

It’s a tough query. Brock Boeser fared well in the same situation with Vancouver last season, but we all know now that Boeser wasn’t an ordinary college rookie. Is it better for Gaudette to continue in a playoff type atmosphere with teammates trying to win something, or in a broken-down Vancouver locker room?

Of course, fans will want to see how Gaudette does in the bigs, as he'll give Vancouverites a reason to attend games in a season going nowehere; beyond trying to get what could end up being a last glimpse at the Sedins.

Five of the Canucks’ last seven games are at home, and management probably won’t miss the opportunity to boost revenue at the gates, making Gaudette more likely to spend his time with the big club. Hopefully he performs, as Canucks' management has been placing big bets on the forward, constantly highlighting him on social media and talking him up in press conferences as one of the staples of Vancouver's forward group.