Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
On Johnny
- I'm happy he has verbalized he wants to stay. Keep at this point is to keep all options open and make the best decision
- I don't know how anyone would expect to say anything different. Even a "no comment" would have been interpreted as him not wanting to stay. There was pretty much one answer the could have given and he did
- Key is what the term and $ value is. I've always said it wasn't about him not wanting to stay alone, it was about the deal itself and what you can get in return.
And that's the other thing. This team needs to make changes. Monahan is off the table more than likely. So if you want to make a core change Johnny is one of a couple that could bring back something of real value.
This is the biggest decision of BT's tenure (assuming he's staying). It has to be the right call.
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Thing is, he has to want to stay before re-signing him is even on the table. The team has to want him back too.
I personally don't believe that Gaudreau's answer is 100% lip service. He went further than he needed to in his media comments so I do believe there is genuine interest in staying.
Of course the price needs to be right. That is true of every single player that is out of their ELC.
If Tkachuk is making it seem like he wants out, which I also believe is likely the case, what are you going to do? Are you going to build around a guy who doesn't want to be here and may not be particularly popular with his teammates. You going to deal both of them?
It's fascinating but I would say that compared to six months ago, the odds of Gaudreau returning next year have improved and the odds of Tkachuk playing elsewhere have improved too.
And I don't think a Monahan trade is off the table.