Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiggy_12
There is almost certainly a puzzle piece missing that has yet to come out, but am sure will trickle out eventually.
Until that happens, it looks really bad on Gaudreau.
Absolutely no need (seemingly) to lead the Flames on and stiff them like this.
This all makes very little sense from the outside looking in.
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I honestly don’t think it’s as complicated as people want to believe.
1) For personal and family reasons, he only wanted to play in the Eastern U.S.
2) He knew from back channels that several teams in the region were interested. So he went to market.
3) Two of those teams (including his likely preferred destination) couldn’t clear the cap space.
4) Of the remaining two teams, he went with the one that offered the biggest contract.
That’s it.
As for the competitiveness of the Blue Jackets, that’s rarely a consideration in free agency. Were the Wings the best team to offer Copp a contract? Doubt it. Was Seattle the most competitive roster that offered Burokovsky a contract? Will Klingberg wind up on a contender? Mason Marchment was very close to a deal with Carolina. Then the Stars offered him a little more money, so he signed there, even though the Hurricanes clearly have a better shot at a championship.
Look at last year. Grubauer signed with the Kraken. Hamilton with the Devils. Danault chose LA’s offer. Three of the biggest free agents all went to non-playoff teams. That’s the norm.