[Signing] Gaudreau to Columbus (7 x $9.75 million)

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Well, there was that 7 game series that ended in a gentlemen’s sweep. That’s one.

But yes, re-signing Kane and Kulak and now adding Campbell is huge. Their goaltending was the shakiest part of their team and they’ve improved in that area.

The Flames on the other hand were going to lose depth due to our cap situation. We were going to be in worse shape going into 2022-23.

Realistically, the Flames window to contend was 2018-2022 and we didn’t accomplish enough in that time. The Oilers window appears to be now and they’ll be in good shape cap wise until the end of Draisaitl’s contract.

Have the Oilers improved their goaltending? Campbell had much worse numbers in the playoffs this year than Smith, and Campbell had the superior defence playing in front of him.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Of course you would, because presumably your choice would be him making millions in Zimbabve or little in Calgary.

But what if his choice was making millions in Zimbabwe or millions in Calgary?

This is a good point. Perhaps not millions and little but just more money or a higher position then he should definitely go to Zimbabwe.

I'm equating Calgary as the 'better position' and for more money.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

unless he feels women are wired differently.

He's giving me Jordan Peterson vibes here. just my opinion.

I don’t disagree. Just wanted to note that in that post he hadn’t mentioned anyones gender once, just his perspective on the support of the household breadwinner. Which overall is a fine perspective (not saying it’s mine, just that it’s fine if that’s how people want it) if you don’t assign any gender.

Anyways. I was always a low key Columbus fan. Was always hoping they’d do well and felt the fan base deserved some success.

Happy to have a reason to hate them now.

[zuluking]

Maybe Gaudreau just didn't want to work Sutter-hard. We heard that Sutter demanded better preparation for the upcoming season. We know he demands the team play with pace all the time. We know he requires his players to be responsible defensively and getting back into the play (in their own style). All of this is hard and you have to be motivated to win in order to follow through on that commitment. Maybe JG is just not that into winning and it's all too hard. It might not be the money, the family, or the pressure, but simply he isn't motivated to win to justify working that hard. He experienced it last year and maybe it wasn't fun. He knows it's going to be that way so long as Sutter is at the helm, so he had an opportunity to cash in on a great season and not have to go through it again.

So where is the best location in the east to get paid a lot of money and not have to try too hard? Columbus!!

[cgy-sk-import]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Anyways let's go back to bashing Gaudreau.

Has he said anything publicly about the Flames?!

He's implied that the CBJ fans are amazing. Right... another kick in the head to us.

[Calgary4LIfe]

With all the stuff coming out today posted in this thread, that's what makes the most sense. The offers just weren't there as his camp expected. Flyers didn't even put an offer in (which Flyers fans are extremely irate about). This was a misread by Gross (at least it seems that way based on those articles).


I think Johnny just made the best out of a bad situation. I guess he could have sheepishly circled-back to Treliving and asked what a 7 year deal would look like now. However, the biggest reason for doing this was about being closer to home, and being in the same division allows him to spend a lot more time with family.


As a Flames' fan, I am not even really that upset with him. I am upset that he is gone of course, but I don't get the hate. Johnny was a huge prospect coming out of college. Remember Conroy going there encouraging him (and Bill Arnold) to sign, taking them back on the jet? There wasn't a team in the NHL that didn't want Johnny in their organization at that point. He could have easily pulled a Fox, or an Erixon. He didn't. He signed, and he came here, and for 8 seasons, he was worth the price of admission for us Calgary fans.


He never asked for a trade, never seemed to pout really, and he was given crappy coaches and often crappy line-mates at times too. Just worked hard. He earned his right for UFA (however I may disagree with how things were handled in the previous off-season). He exercised that right, and it didn't exactly work out the way he hoped. That sucks for him, and it sucks for the Flames.



He will still be fun to watch in Columbus, and I hope his presence there helps to stabilize that team a bit more. I wish him a tonne of success there, except I wish him nothing but bad luck every time he plays the Flames (may he never score a goal, or even assist on a goal, against Calgary!). He hasn't bad-mouthed the organization, the fanbase or the city. He simply played hard for 8 seasons, exercised his right to choose where he gets to play, and he is gone now. That's life. Few players are going to stay with one organization for their entire careers now.


Now I am just more interested in what happens with Calgary - how are they going to round-out this roster to be competitive this season, or will they just rebuild? What moves will they make. What is the plan going forward. I will definitely miss Johnny as he was the most exciting player to watch on the Flames, but eventually that hole will be filled over the coming seasons with another franchise-level exciting player to watch.


That's my take with everything, especially with some of the more recent articles posted in this thread. Makes a tonne more sense.

[CSharp]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

The Blue Jackets have a press conference at 11 MST via Zoom where they will introduce him. May get a question from Francis.

Maybe for once this tool may be useful

[iggyloob12]

Press conference happening now, for anyone interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjVZM9f_mN8

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Well, there was that 7 game series that ended in a gentlemen’s sweep. That’s one.

But yes, re-signing Kane and Kulak and now adding Campbell is huge. Their goaltending was the shakiest part of their team and they’ve improved in that area.

The Flames on the other hand were going to lose depth due to our cap situation. We were going to be in worse shape going into 2022-23.

Realistically, the Flames window to contend was 2018-2022 and we didn’t accomplish enough in that time. The Oilers window appears to be now and they’ll be in good shape cap wise until the end of Draisaitl’s contract.

A gentleman’s sweep? Man that’s cringe.

They re-signed two guys and replaced their starting goaltender with a worse one. Big, bold moves up north.

We might have gotten worse by a lot, but they still got worse by a little.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Coach

I don’t disagree. Just wanted to note that in that post he hadn’t mentioned anyones gender once, just his perspective on the support of the household breadwinner. Which overall is a fine perspective (not saying it’s mine, just that it’s fine if that’s how people want it) if you don’t assign any gender.

Anyways. I was always a low key Columbus fan. Was always hoping they’d do well and felt the fan base deserved some success.

Happy to have a reason to hate them now.

actually he has. He several times spoke to what makes a real MAN.

[bluck]

Seeing him put on that jersey...man...brutal

[manwiches]

Fwiw, I'm ok with Brad and the job he's done. Some may not agree, but I think given the circumstances, he did as well as he could. As any GM does, they have whiffs and hits. I think he's done a good job overall.

Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk

[bluck]

Reporter - Why Columbus? You had offers from Calgary and other places.

JG - "I've gotten to play here many times, its a lot of fun to play here, the fans are into it, a lot of buzz in the arena, good young group here, me and my wife thought it was a really good fit for us, this one was the best personally where we are in our life and made the most sense"

[OILFAN #81]

Originally Posted by CSharp

Maybe for once this tool may be useful

I wonder if they will ask him how excited he is to be with such a talented group of forwards who he had 53 more points then the next highest producing forward such as Voracek, Bjorkstrand, Laine, Nyquist, Roslovic, Jenner and Sillinger.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I doubt he could have signed him then. He was being misled.

How do you know he was being misled?

Gaudreau was being very upfront last season when he said that if Tre and management were happy with him then he’d be open to re-signing. Elliotte Friedman then confirmed with Lewis Gross that Gaudreau was indeed sincere in what he said.

Then there was that deal that almost got done prior to camp, but for whatever fell through. That was 2 chances for management to get it done. After that, it was always going to be iffy as the allure of the east/family was going to be tough for Johnny to resist.

[GreenLantern]

I think we need to pump the brakes a bit here.

Johnny could have just held out on the Flames like a lot of college players were doing back then, and signed with whoever he wanted. Guaranteed a team would have signed him given his developmental swing upwards in the latter years of his college days. But he didn't, he signed with the Flames. I know it doesn't seem like you should pat someone on the back for signing with a team that drafted them, but again, Hi Adam Fox, among others.

Johnny also played in Calgary for 8 years, during which time he earned his UFA status. He showed up, competed, and helped elevate a team to over achieve last year and brought everyone's stats up around him.

I have no hard feelings for Johnny. I am a little surprised at the choice, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. As others have already said, I am guessing the talks between him and Philly/Jersey broke down pretty quickly when they realized he wasn't taking a 'hometown' discount (Jersey signed Palat pretty quickly after Johnny signed with Columbus didn't they?), so he went with the next best option.

Now this last part is not a popular opinion.. and it might hurt some feelings, but Calgary is not as desirable as a city for an American born player as many would think. I mean, it is a lot easier to convince a player who grew up in St. Albert to stay in Alberta than someone who grew up in New Jersey.

Johnny is also now much closer to home, under 2 hour direct flight, versus a multi stop flight to Calgary that is triple the time if not more. He's also on the same side of the border as his family. As a big family guy I am sure that it was really hard on him when he couldn't even visit due to COVID. Furthermore, having to deal with customs both ways every time you want to see your kid/cousin/brother/friend play a hockey game. I am guessing his family was getting pretty fatigued.

Most importantly though, this is his choice. He gave Calgary 8 years of his career, 8 great years mind you. Of flashy plays and Johnny Hockey moments. There were some dips as well, but the good for me definitely out weighs the bad. He was very involved in the community and supported a lot of great local charities. He was also polite and humble to everyone he interacted with. He was not only a great player, but a great person. He earned his right to leave, this is a game of hockey that we all love but it is also a business, full of contracts. Johnny earned UFA status and he earned the right to pick where he will play in his career.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Their goaltending was the shakiest part of their team and they’ve improved in that area.

That's debatable. Campbell can be just as streaky as Smith and I've heard multiple times he has confidence issues. The way Oilers fans and media turn on goalies even when it's not their fault it might not be a good situation that he put himself in.

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Who knows what has gone on behind the scenes. We all know the Flames should have extended him last summer when it was on the table, but never gave it an honest shake and allowed to be mothballed. Had the team "moved heaven and earth" to do it at that time, you can bet Johnny is still a Flame today.

If he took that personally (which many people would) this easily could have laid the foundation for the disfunction we are seeing now.

No you can't man. No one knows anything for sure about what was or wasn't on the table last summer. The Flames 'moved heaven and earth' to sign him this summer and were spurned for freaking Columbus for less money, and he hasn't even said thank you to the city or the fans yet. He clearly, clearly, didn't want to be here. That's no one's fault, sure as #### not Treliving's.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Maybe right now but let's see how this contract ages

Gaudreau has had 2 seasons worth 9M+
Playoff stats are meh

He needs to be a 100 point player not ppg. We might be laughing in a few years instead of crying

I wouldn't be shocked if he put up 75 points next year.

I wouldn't be shocked if he put up 110 points next year.

That's just how it is.

Look at his 82 game point pace the last 5 seasons:

2017-2018: 86
2018-2019: 99
2019-2020: 68
2020-2021: 72
2021-2022: 115

So if you look at the last 5 years - which are his 24 through 28 year old seasons and the prime of his career - he averaged 88 points per 82 games.

But yeah he's getting paid to be a more consistent 90-100 point guy now with that deal. If he has a down year like he did in 2019 and 2020 though then Columbus might turn on him quickly next year.

[Jason14h]

I wonder if/how much having a dump of an arena plays into this

These players get to play in every arena. Top facilities when you will be playing 280 games plus practices over the next 7 years must play into the decision.

There's a reason companies invest money in on site facilities to try and attract top talent