Matthew Tkachuk & Johnny Gaudreau Signing Watch Thread

[FanIn80]

So if it turns out he doesn't want to play here... rather than lose him for nothing, could we do a sign and trade? Like it's still in his best interest to sign for 8 years with us with the understanding that we'd trade him to wherever he wants to go.

Sign with Philly for 7x11.5 vs sign with us for 8x11.5 and then we trade him to Philly.

Edit: Even better... sign with us for 8x11.5 and a list of 5 teams he'd be willing to go to. Then we start a bidding war.

[DoubleK]

Wouldn't you do something like that before the draft?!

[Swayze11]

random question. Has there ever been a sign and trade scenario in the NHL with the 8th year?

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

So if it turns out he doesn't want to play here... rather than lose him for nothing, could we do a sign and trade? Like it's still in his best interest to sign for 8 years with us with the understanding that we'd trade him to wherever he wants to go.

Sign with Philly for 7x11.5 vs sign with us for 8x11.5 and then we trade him to Philly.

Edit: Even better... sign with us for 8x11.5 and a list of 5 teams he'd be willing to go to. Then we start a bidding war.

it would be nice, but pretty much wishful thinking at this point...

no reason for him to hamstring his new team by gutting them when he can just wait until July 13th and sign with them without losing any roster players.

if he does get to July 13th, then that 8th year has no leverage against him, as testing the market is the bigger desire.

The one benefit is having the new team clear cap space, however, its more likely that any players being traded are 'dead weight' like JVR rather than a blue chipper

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by MrMike

This has to be the strangest off season. Our team could be headed in two completely different directions so easily.

The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all.

[Ferarri]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

So if it turns out he doesn't want to play here... rather than lose him for nothing, could we do a sign and trade? Like it's still in his best interest to sign for 8 years with us with the understanding that we'd trade him to wherever he wants to go.

Sign with Philly for 7x11.5 vs sign with us for 8x11.5 and then we trade him to Philly.

Edit: Even better... sign with us for 8x11.5 and a list of 5 teams he'd be willing to go to. Then we start a bidding war.

What makes you say he doesn’t want to play here? Nothing has been confirmed one way or another?

[442scotty]

The wait for this to end is painfully annoying

[Flamenfame]

It won't be all doom and Gloom when Johnny is gone that cap space can be used on Forsberg who I would rather have anyhow, look at the history with him on the team and the success the Flames had it was a bad choice to build around a small winger, to begin with, and before the Patrick Kane comments, they had Toews Hossa Keith Campbell and Seabrook

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I think he clearly does think Calgary is an option. If he was dead set on leaving he would inform the team. He wouldn’t keep them as an option to drive up the price elsewhere because he will have a huge market regardless. It will just suck if he doesn’t decide he wants to leave Calgary until the market opens

Yes, I agree with this. But the fact he hasn't signed tells me that Calgary isn't necessarily his first option or the front-runner. Otherwise, I think it's already done because Calgary is going to pay whatever he wants within reason. They almost have no choice.

[Ashasx]

how anyone can think Forsberg would outperform Gaudreau in the same role

[BlindMilwaukee]

I really like Forsberg but I’d pick Johnny every time.

[Hackey]

Forsberg is definitely not a replacement for Gaudreau. But don't see Forsberg wanting to come here anyway.

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

how anyone can think Forsberg would outperform Gaudreau in the same role

No one is saying out perform, but $1.5MM cheaper playing with Lindy and Tkachuk the production drop off may not be that substantial. Would rather have Johnny all day everyday, but that would be a nice plan B.

[flamesgod]

I can see him as a Tkachuk replacement, not a Johnny replacement though.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Furthermore, he doesn't even need an offer from Calgary to drive up the price. He is going to get multiple, massive offers if he is still unsigned by Wednesday.

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

I believe the bolded is true, but the $84M question is how many is 'multiple' and how massive is 'massive'?

I'm sure Johnny and Gross and Tre have a better handle on that than any of us, but I think there is a lot more uncertainty than most people here think. Just look at what happened last night.


I don't think any other teams are sitting on pins/needles and planning to move 'heaven and earth' to sign him. Right now he is one of many possibilities on various whiteboards around the league. They have done a sober analysis on him. They don't have anything to lose by NOT signing him.

Another issue teams may be wary of is parachuting a new player into their room making a ton more money than their homegrown guys. e.g. STL and Pietrangelo - and that wasn't even an issue of guys making more than him. TOR paid Tavares 11M and then had to sign their other guys a year later - atrocious deals, but it seems likely the Tavares deal played a big a part in rising the tide.

Lastly, a lot may depend on what other UFAs are in the market. It seems certain that Klingberg/Kadri/Kuemper/Giroux will test the market. Forsberg? Malkin? Trocheck? Palat? Strome? Manson? Copp? etc

It's easy to sit here and say Gaudreau is the best player so he will get the most offers for the most money. But a lot of teams may prefer another guy(s) off that list based on their bang for buck, positional need, and other traits. We have no idea how many teams will have Johnny as Plan A so much that they hold off on other opportunities.

It can take a bit of a perfect storm for these things to come together.

[Vinny01]

Just watched Insider Trading on TSN and Pierre was pretty pessimistic about Gaudreau. He said after Treliving’s interview he called around and it is status quo with the negotiation and the Flames do not have clarity.

“Still a chance, but perhaps not a great chance, but a chance he can get it done”

Chris Johnston chimes in and wonders if the Flames target Kadri if they can’t get Johnny signed.

[Vinny01]

More from Lebrun on the Athletic (confirms Rasta’s story)

Flames GM Brad Treliving radiated positive thoughts as he updated the Johnny Gaudreau situation after the draft Friday, telling reporters he still believed he had a chance to get the pending UFA signed. Treliving met with Gaudreau’s agent, Lewis Gross, on Thursday. I don’t believe it’s a meeting that produced a lot of clarity just yet. If I had to guess — and let me stress I am guessing here — it wouldn’t surprise me if Gross countered Calgary’s eight-year, $9.5-million AAV offer from six weeks ago by asking for north of $10 million AAV this week. Again, I don’t know that to be true. But Gross has been around a long time and is representing the No. 1 UFA on the market. The veteran agent understands his leverage with the clock ticking. How high is Calgary willing to go?

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

If I decide I want a different job, it's probably not smart to tell my current employer until I've got an alternative offer on the table (in which case I may be able to drive up my price for both places)

Obviously Johnny's situation is a lot different, but there is no benefit to him to close the door on the Flames.

There is a benefit, but only if still interested in living and playing in Calgary.

If he's truly decided he wants to be "closer to home"...then there is NO reason not to have told Tre, not burn bridges, and simply move on. (Would also burn a bridge for Gross, who probably doesn't want that either.)

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by getbak

"There's a process to it."

https://twitter.com/user/status/1545513053893976064

Brad sounds "not worried"....and, while not "super optimistic"....it doesn't strike me that he seems disappointed and miserable either.

[djsFlames]

Brad doesn't look bothered in the slightest, and he knows exactly what was said in the meeting with Johnny's agent yesterday.

Thanks to last season which was a brutal one for the GM, I know the difference between relaxed Brad and nervous/stressed Brad.

Not too concerned.