Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandman
The fact that Ryan Leslie so adamantly agreed with Francis about his assertions regarding Gaudreau strengthened my belief that what he said was probably true. Say what you will about Francis, I think Leslie has integrity, and wouldn't lie or exaggerate. Both guys travel around the team behind the scenes, and both were quite sure when they talked about it, as opposed to bringing it up as only rumour or conjecture. I can honestly see Gaudreau bolting.
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This is the key, it's not just Francis that is saying this.
Leslie, Boomer, Steinberg, etc have all made similar claims. I don't think this is the media just making this up, I think the organization knows that they will be in tough to re-sign Gaudreau when he hits UFA.
Not to say it can't happen but I do think the organization likely knows that he wouldn't mind being closer to home.
Edit: And that's before you decide if you actually want to re-sign him. He's already shown signs of his play declining the last 18 months, and I'd be very hesitant to invest another 7-8 years and $8M+ per season for him.