Gignac is a safe, effective player who can contribute offensively. He skates pretty well, and can easily make space for himself with his feet. His main strength is his speed with and without the puck. His legs are strong and he is at his best when he can take possession of the puck, take advantage of his speed and gain the offensive zone. Gignac has great vision too, where he can find his linemates and use them well. Even in tight spaces, he can dangle and create scoring opportunities. Stick traffic doesn’t prevent him from connecting to a teammate with a great, accurate pass in front of the net. Gignac is often in a great position to receive a pass as well. He plays with grit and energy in the offensive zone; he battles hard in the corners, deep in the zone and wins the puck-possession battles most of the time. Despite his limited stature, he will use his body to protect the puck, which he’s good at too. He is willing to engage himself physically and won’t try to avoid hits. His biggest weakness is his player coverage. He does a good job getting back into plays defensively, but can sometimes be slow to provide extra help along the boards in the defensive zone, tending to drift in the slot and try and wait to see if the play will develop in his favor. He’s good at faceoffs, his style of play makes us think he would rather excel as a winger. Gignac could focus more on his offensive work and let most of his defensive responsibilities to his center. He’s skilled and fast, and if paired with a sniper, he could produce offensively, albeit in a secondary role at the next level.   (May 2016)