Gaudreau driving Flames' special teams by steering clear of sin bin

With over half the 2016-17 season in the books, Calgary Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau is establishing himself as one of the game's best when it comes to drawing opponents into taking penalties.

Watch a few minutes of the quick-footed forward working his offensive magic and it's no mystery why. The 23-year-old is one of the most gifted skaters in the league, able to weave in and out of the opposition, and stop on a dime to keep defenders spinning.

A combination that tends to draw a fair amount of hacks, whacks, and trips.

The third-year standout is fifth-best in the league in this regard this season, as he's drawing 1.95 minor penalties per 60 minutes of play. That's fairly impressive as is, but it's nothing compared to what Gaudreau is doing on the other side of the penalties column.

Unlike teammate Matthew Tkachuk - who is drawing the most minor penalties per 60 minutes, but is also the owner of the second-most penalty minutes among all NHL skaters - Gaudreau is drawing the opposition into trips to the box without spending any time there himself.

As in, literally any time. At all.

Gaudreau is one of only three players in the league to have appeared in more than a handful of games this season without taking a single penalty - alongside Edmonton's Oscar Klefbom and Washington's John Carlson. The Flames star has lasted 42 games without a single scolding from the officials.

Combined with his apparently elite knack for sparking power plays for his own club, it's fair to say Gaudreau has been a game-changer for the Flames' special teams units in 2016-17.

And the team-wide numbers back up that assertion as well. With Gaudreau and Tkachuk both drawing a slew of penalties each game, the Flames have been gifted the third-most power-play opportunities in the league (172), which has helped them score the fifth-most power-play tallies despite only ranking in the middle of the pack in terms of actual man-advantage effectiveness.

Given how much Calgary has struggled with special-teams play in the past, having Gaudreau tilting his penalty game entirely in the opponents' direction is quickly becoming a key advantage.

The Flames still have their issues with winding up shorthanded too often, especially with Tkachuk nearing the penalty-minute century mark in just his first year in the big leagues. But at the very least it seems the club's brightest star is doing his part to balance things out, leading the way with a clean sheet.