Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Gaudreau didn't owe the Flames anything. He fulfilled his obligations to the team and gave the Flames years of high quality play. I see no reason that he would purposely negotiate in bad faith here. If Johnny told his agent that he is still considering the Flames then the agent is going to try to sting things along as long as possible to get the best offer. That's probably all it boils down to but if you want to put on a tinfoil hat and conclude that he did this on purpose to screw Treliving or the Flames then good for you.
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I see plenty of reasons he would string them along. Maybe the Flames would make a truly dumb offer out of desperation that was so rich he could stomach it. Maybe he figured that leaks of high prices could help when he entered real negotiations with east coast teams. And we aren’t really talking about Gaudreau making all the decisions. Technically the player instructs the agent, but those guys are relied on heavily. My clients instruct me. But they start by saying “what should I do”. And I can’t recall the last time I was told to do something I recommended against. Stringing the Flames along wouldn’t be to harm the Flames. It would be to help his own cause.