NY Times Gaudreau article. Update: response from Johnny

[jg13]

Originally Posted by Muta

That quote does scare me. That said, when has Burke ever given any indication he wouldn't sign Johnny and give him a opportunity to play? The only thing he's mentioned is that Gaudreau is tiny... but so is Paul Byron (just as small as Gaudreau, actually) and he's excelling on a Burke team.

Burke said that if Gaudreau wants to sign he'd absolutely give him a contract but also said that he has never encouraged a kid to leave school early to sign.

It's up to Johnny

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by jg13

Burke said that if Gaudreau wants to sign he'd absolutely give him a contract but also said that he has never encouraged a kid to leave school early to sign.

It's up to Johnny

Burke also said something along the lines of 'no promises' - meaning that there wouldn't be a spot on the team held for Gaudreau.

[jg13]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Burke also said something along the lines of 'no promises' - meaning that there wouldn't be a spot on the team held for Gaudreau.

I Certainly hope not.. nobody should be promised a spot on a NHL team.

[Vinny01]

I really hope BC wins the championship this year but I can't wait for some sort of answer asto what Johnny is going to do. I think he signs and I also think there are red flags if he doesn't.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by fotze

They should send them out with a dinner with Brian Mcgrattan to explain why they want size.

Hilarious idea, and McGrattan would be a great ambassador. Plus he can be all like "Don't worry about your son, all I have to do is sit on the bench and glare at the other team with my mean face, like this!"

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

After reading the whole article it doesn't seem as bad as that one off quote did.

He would be more comfortable with Feaster, Burke likes big boys, thinks Burke likes Johnny but is not "sold" on him, Johnny always has to prove himself, etc.

Starting to be a little bit too much smoke for my liking though.

WE, by that I mean the paranoid fans, are making all the smoke....all of it....not most of it...ALL of it lol.

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by gargamel

And I'd be even less ok with the Feaster firing.

I still think Johnny will sign, but it would have been nice if Burke had spent the last few months showing that he valued our top prospect rather than making booster seat jokes.

One time...one joke, a friggin' joke.

Ha...I am backing away from this thread.....we are starting to circle the bowl in here lol.

[FlamesAddiction]

Send McGrattan and Conroy. Conroy to do the talking and McGrattan to do the staring.

Make Burke wait in the car.

[Muta]

There's two things to consider here:

#1) It seems like Johnny's dad is not concerned with Burke himself, but with Burke's interest in big players and a perceived low confidence in smaller players like Gaudreau. I don't think Johnny's dad has a problem with Burke personally. This is a good thing; it suggests a level of understanding that needs to be bridged, and likely can be.

#2) If there's any one person to go put a bunch of confidence in a player and his family, it's Burke himself. He's probably on a flight to New Jersey as we speak in order to talk to the family. This isn't something Burke seems like he would put off.

Burke always speaks glowingly about Gaudreau, expect for his size (which he doesn't say flat out bad things about anyways). Burke has also gone on record saying that he is fine with small players in his system, as long as there's bigger players to surround them with. He's said this.

He probably signs, in my opinion. Burke will get it done.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by BigFlameDog

One time...one joke, a friggin' joke.

It was a bunch of times actually.

Originally Posted by BigFlameDog

WE, by that I mean the paranoid fans, are making all the smoke....all of it....not most of it...ALL of it lol.

Oh please. There is definitely smoke and the ultra defensive posters are just as bad as the paranoid ones.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Send McGrattan and Conroy. Conroy to do the talking and McGrattan to do the staring.

Make Burke wait in the car.

"Just remember that if you sign with Calgary, if anybody F#*&$ with you on the ice they will have to answer to me."- McGrattan

Actually not opposed to this technique.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by nik-

Honestly, if Gaudreau is the cost of canning Feaster, I'm still way more than OK with it.

I think you're really underestimating the positive work that Feaster did to this team. Everything that's exciting about this team right now came under his leadership.

He hired a coach that has finally turned around the culture of laziness that has dogged this team for years, and given the fan base a team they can be proud of.

He turned a prospect-base from one that was consistently terrible, to one that shows some tremendous promise. Under his tenure, we drafted Gaudreau, Gillies, Monahan, Poirier, Granlund, Beartschi, Gillies, Wotherspoon, Klimchuk, Reinhart, Arnold, Ferland etc. Sure, not all will turn out, but I think we all agree that there's some real strong promise there.

Why exactly don't we like him again? Is it because he's fat? Or he used stupid phrases? Some say his trading was hit and miss, but he made one of the best trades (Tim Erixon) in years under stupidly terrible circumstances and never made any trades that set the franchise back years (cough Phaneuf cough). He also actually got something for our outgoing veterans (two 1st-round picks in one of the best draft years in a long time), instead of making excuses.

Everything good about this team right now you can thank Jay Feaster. So far the only addition that Burke has added to this team is size (which is definitely something we needed), and a whole lot of pomp and circumstance. If he loses Gaudreau because of his mouth, that would be extremely unfortunate, and I think would be a huge missed opportunity.

People can make fun of Feaster all they like, but if this group of young kids go anywhere, that guy deserves some real credit.

[Erick Estrada]

This is starting to sound like Erixon all over again with parent concerns of how they perceive the organization slotting their son. Pretty safe to say if Johhny goes back to school the likeliness of him signing with the Flames is very slim. Just my opinion but I feel his parents would rather Johnny stay close to home than head far out north west to Canada. The excuses being made by both parents against him coming here is not a good sign. Maybe he will be a Bruin after all?

[Southside]

Honestly hope he signs this summer or I fear Burke starts lining up trade options.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I think you're really underestimating the positive work that Feaster did to this team. Everything that's exciting about this team right now came under his leadership.

He hired a coach that has finally turned around the culture of laziness that has dogged this team for years, and given the fan base a team they can be proud of.

He turned a prospect-base from one that was consistently terrible, to one that shows some tremendous promise. Under his tenure, we drafted Gaudreau, Gillies, Monahan, Poirier, Granlund, Beartschi, Gillies, Wotherspoon, Klimchuk, Reinhart, Arnold, Ferland etc. Sure, not all will turn out, but I think we all agree that there's some real strong promise there.

Why exactly don't we like him again? Is it because he's fat? Or he used stupid phrases? Some say his trading was hit and miss, but he made one of the best trades (Tim Erixon) in years under stupidly terrible circumstances and never made any trades that set the franchise back years (cough Phaneuf cough). He also actually got something for our outgoing veterans (two 1st-round picks in one of the best draft years in a long time), instead of making excuses.

Everything good about this team right now you can thank Jay Feaster. So far the only addition that Burke has added to this team is size (which is definitely something we needed), and a whole lot of pomp and circumstance. If he loses Gaudreau because of his mouth, that would be extremely unfortunate, and I think would be a huge missed opportunity.

People can make fun of Feaster all they like, but if this group of young kids go anywhere, that guy deserves some real credit.

Personally, I was ready to see him canned after the whole O'Reilly fiasco. That was inexcusable and almost handicapped the rebuild in the process.

I do think he did a lot of good though.

[Samiz]

I think I will burst into tears if JG doesn't end up being a Flame either this season, or next season

[FakenHaken]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Maybe he will be a Bruin after all?

Sorry to cherry pick EE, but if that were to be the case would our starting point be Dougie Hamilton? It's tough to gauge.

[Burke Salad]

Originally Posted by Southside

Honestly hope he signs this summer or I fear Burke starts lining up trade options.

Better than a last minute Erixon type of situation, gives him and the next GM time to sort things out.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

This is starting to sound like Erixon all over again with parent concerns of how they perceive the organization slotting their son. Pretty safe to say if Johhny goes back to school the likeliness of him signing with the Flames is very slim. Just my opinion but I feel his parents would rather Johnny stay close to home than head far out north west to Canada. The excuses being made by both parents against him coming here is not a good sign. Maybe he will be a Bruin after all?

And what about what Johnny wants? Does he want to try and beat out Lucic, Iginla (possibly), Eriksson, Marchand, Smith etc.. for a wing spot? Does Boston's system prefer small players?

No NHL team prefers small players to large players. But if your small player is Patrick Kane, you work around him. The same will go for JG. I imagine when Burke goes to have final contract talks with Gaudreau he will emphasize that JG will have the same opportunity as anyone else to make the Flames.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Burke Salad

Better than a last minute Erixon type of situation, gives him and the next GM time to sort things out.

Yeah if he does go back to school next season I would hope the Flames would be proactive in shopping his rights during the draft and over the summer. I wouldn't feel comfortable waiting until this time next year for him to sign. Too many red flags.