To Calgary | By Johnny Gaudreau

[djsFlames]

Incredibly, I was not.

Now I get the joke.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

The part that I find funny in this whole thing is the discussion about loyalty…which is always a one way street in sports conversations (and generally in any corporate environment)

18 months ago some of the same fans critiquing Gaudreau for not being loyal were done with Gaudreau and wanted him traded so we didn’t lose the asset for nothing. Those same fans trash Monahan for being useless and want him moved even though he has been loyal to the team and played through injuries that should have shut him down.

Sports teams (or corporations) are never going to hesitate to move you or cut ties with you when it’s in their best interest. I don’t blame any players for following the same mentality.

Ask Andrew Ference how taking a team friendly contract worked for him when he was a Flame.

I actually wonder how much how Monahan was handled played into the decision of Gaudreau - he seemed agitated at times with how Monahan was being used and then made a comment when he was scratched I believe. If you feel like the org could turn their back on you if your production dips then you maybe don’t want to be loyal back.

Thanks for bringing up Monahan.

Also, the handling of Jagr, a HOFer, who I believe was a good influence on Johnny and others

[RoadGame]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

So, wait, this isn't the thing he said he was doing that was "for Calgary", right? Because... that's pathetic.

Considering the effort he put into researching his new linemates and home city for the next seven years, I'll bet it is. When he first made the comment I briefly thought he'd pull even 1/10th of a P.K. Subban to help the ACH... LOL

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

"I'm going to do something for Calgary, something nice... I'll put out a PR article to try to smooth things over and make me look like the good guy to the greatest extent possible. Surely they can see that this is a very nice thing that I've done for them and is not a completely self-serving act of self-aggrandizement."

What a dolt.

[djsFlames]

The hoop art and a children's hospital donation would beat the hell out of a ghost written damage control statement.

How is this for Calgary?

[redforever]

He’s a hockey player whose contract had expired, not an indentured servant. It was fun and a treat to watch him play. Good on him to get his priorities figured out. It’s called growing up. All the best.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by redforever

He’s a hockey player whose contract had expired, not an indentured servant. It was fun and a treat to watch him play. Good on him to get his priorities figured out. It’s called growing up. All the best.

Just in the nick of time.

90 minutes before UFA deadline.


Beautiful.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by timbit

Just in the nick of time.

90 minutes before UFA deadline.


Beautiful.

Hockey is a business. Sometimes business deals involve hard knocks. I am of the opinion that Johnny never did anything on purpose...he has never come across to me as a spiteful person.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by timbit

Just in the nick of time.

90 minutes before UFA deadline.


Beautiful.

What did that prohibit the Flames from doing exactly? We all saw who the Flames signed on day one of free agency and they have signed no bigger name players since.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

What did that prohibit the Flames from doing exactly? We all saw who the Flames signed on day one of free agency and they have signed no bigger name players since.

Could have moved Chucky at the draft for a possibly better return than what they'll get in the coming weeks.

Could have started negotiations with their own players sooner on contract extensions.

Could have had more time available to them to negotiate trades with other teams in general.

Most of all, they would have had more time overall to assess the direction the team was headed in the coming years and adjust accordingly.

He felt so strongly about being closer to family that it was his top priority in all this, but not strongly enough to make his decision sooner than he did. Seems kind of hard to believe. But, be that as it may, his committment to winning a cup just doesn't seem to be there, and any team with cup aspirations would be in trouble if they committed $10.5M over 8 years to someone like that. Bullet dodged.

[2ArmBands]

Yup it’s a business. Players love this line in times like these and they aren’t wrong.

But when they return and get Boo’d out of the building there better not be any complaining. It’s a business

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by 2ArmBands

Yup it’s a business. Players love this line in times like these and they aren’t wrong.

But when they return and get Boo’d out of the building there better not be any complaining. It’s a business

Ya booing is not the business part. The business part is the Flames not signing Monahan this summer to a 5 year 25 million dollar deal because he has played through injuries and been a loyal soldier to the team. Despite Monahan giving it his all, for business reasons the Flames will not give him that contract.

[OptimalTates]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

What did that prohibit the Flames from doing exactly? We all saw who the Flames signed on day one of free agency and they have signed no bigger name players since.

Moving Tkachuk at the draft is obviously number one on the list of how Gaudreau and Treliving ####ed this up by getting to that point.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

What did that prohibit the Flames from doing exactly? We all saw who the Flames signed on day one of free agency and they have signed no bigger name players since.

Exactly this.
We (Flames/Treliving) were all in on Johnny. Agree or disagree with the strategy is fair game, but by this off-season there was nothing of value left to get for him. The hand already played

[AFireInside]

Originally Posted by Ducay

I think his excuses and timeline are a bit suspect (wanting to re-sign and move at the same time), but thats already been highlighted and beat to death. But I would say people here are under-estimating the impact of having an international border to deal with in travel to Calgary. Its a PITA, and at best, its a mental block that honestly some people aren't willing to deal with.

He isn't casual driving distance still but he's still a heck of a lot closer than he was, with a heck of a lot more easy travel options between the two.

Good lord he spends half the year back home and can easily fly family in whenever he wants, that's a lot more time than many adults get to spend with family.

What are we even talking about? My parents live in this province and I only get to see them a few times a year.

He wanted Philly, they couldn't make it happen, he expected higher offers and didn't get them, so he took the best one.

[AC]

Originally Posted by OptimalTates

Moving Tkachuk at the draft is obviously number one on the list of how Gaudreau and Treliving ####ed this up by getting to that point.

I'm not convinced the trade return would have been better if it happened at the draft under a constricted schedule compared to being able to negotiate league wide for the next little while.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

Could have moved Chucky at the draft for a possibly better return than what they'll get in the coming weeks.

Could have started negotiations with their own players sooner on contract extensions.

Could have had more time available to them to negotiate trades with other teams in general.

Most of all, they would have had more time overall to assess the direction the team was headed in the coming years and adjust accordingly.

He felt so strongly about being closer to family that it was his top priority in all this, but not strongly enough to make his decision sooner than he did. Seems kind of hard to believe. But, be that as it may, his committment to winning a cup just doesn't seem to be there, and any team with cup aspirations would be in trouble if they committed $10.5M over 8 years to someone like that. Bullet dodged.

Nah. Changes nothing. Treliving said at the draft that priority was to re-sign both players. Had Gaudreau informed them the days prior to the draft, Treliving still would have been trying to sign Tkachuk. It's only been a few days since Tkachuk told the Flames he would not return a week after Johnny decided to test UFA so there's no guarantee Treliving would have had an answer from Tkachuk prior to the draft. For weeks people kept saying that players/agents always take it to the last minutes as a positive that Johnny may return but when it goes down to the last hours as they predicted with a different outcome all of a sudden the player did a disservice to the team. That's not the way that it works as the player doesn't have to rush a decision just to make fans happy.

[NOISIA]

Go Flames Go!

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

Could have moved Chucky at the draft for a possibly better return than what they'll get in the coming weeks.

Could have started negotiations with their own players sooner on contract extensions.

Could have had more time available to them to negotiate trades with other teams in general.

Most of all, they would have had more time overall to assess the direction the team was headed in the coming years and adjust accordingly.

He felt so strongly about being closer to family that it was his top priority in all this, but not strongly enough to make his decision sooner than he did. Seems kind of hard to believe. But, be that as it may, his committment to winning a cup just doesn't seem to be there, and any team with cup aspirations would be in trouble if they committed $10.5M over 8 years to someone like that. Bullet dodged.

They still could have done any of those things. Johnny didn't have a 'Flames can't make moves clause' in his expiring contract.

Johnny bears zero responsibility for any opportunities the Flames missed - though I doubt they actually missed anything.

Lastly, I'd question his commitment to winning a cup just as much if he signed here. We just saw this group's best shot and wasn't even close.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by OptimalTates

Moving Tkachuk at the draft is obviously number one on the list of how Gaudreau and Treliving ####ed this up by getting to that point.

100% this.

Sounds like emotion entered the negotiation way too much here and everyone ended up looking foolish.

Gaudreau should have been a better more mature person by thinking about his ex-team and all they invested in him. Set a internal timeline so he would get out of this one minimal damaged, but he didn't. He needs to wear that, even if letter of law says otherwise.

Treliving needs to wear it too. There should have been a clinical Plan B on this one, executed prior to draft day. However, not sure he saw this coming, but his job is to protect the Flames and he failed.

Imagine the return on Tkachuk and Gaudreau on draft day. #2 overall+ would have maybe even landed our future #1 center to play on a first line with actual playoff studs.

Ball is in your court Tre, good luck on the under gun return.