[browna]

IMO $9.5/$10/$10.5 makes no difference, he isn't chasing that extra $2-4M over the life of the contract out for the Flames or anyone. JG is probably fine with $9M a year if it means the Flames are going to be that much betterby him taking a slight discount.

It comes down to him wanting to build his legacy here for his career with this team and group of guys and organization that's treated him right since the day he was signed VS the convienience of starting a family while being near family as he has a kid or kids, over the next 7 years of his life as his kid enters grade school and parents get older etc.

Wherever it is, he's putting down some roots, which is daunting if your whole family (both sides) is either a 5h plane ride away or just 1 hr drive from you for for every month of those upcoming 7 years...again...vs....having friends on the team and in the organization he feels very loyal too and wants to win with, and knows he has a good team for a few years with a coach who he can trust.

All this "listening to offers" is just BS. He knows what offers are out there and he's decided, probably. He can't say he's decided yet becuase the optics don't look great for the Flames fans if he says he's leaving without supposedly swayed by other offers which technically don't exist yet (but are there). He doesn't don't look good for the PA who wants to squeeze every $ out of the owners, if he doesn't pretend to look at offers on open market when it officially opens and stays with the Flames.

All the above doesn't provide any answers just theories on timing. If he really wanted to stay, and family geographic closeness was inconsequential, he would've said so by now, and if he really wanted to go and be near family over cementing a legacy and nothing and no amount of money could have him stay, he would've said that by now too...so it's somewhere in the middle, and it may be decided by now, but won't be announced until the market opens up, IMO.