Quote:
Originally Posted by devo22
this video is so, so weird. This was the biggest UFA to hit the market in many years, and like others have pointed out, teams should have to fight tooth and nail in that situation to get him. Instead they're chilling in the office and he just falls into their laps, while Rick Nash refers to him as Gudbranson's friend. Everything about this signing is just so strange ... in all honesty, good for Columbus, but it's really odd how all of this has played out.
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A lot of teams were also probably wary of Gaudreau's contract demands. $10ish million x 8 years is a lot of cap. Gaudreau was coming off a career year, is turning 29, is undersized, and has a history of inconsistent playoff performances.
I'm not really sure it's fair to describe him as a bigger opportunity than guys like Stone, Tavares, Panarin, etc.. even though he may have had more points this season.
Plus we've also had an unprecedented multi year flat cap scenario.