This isn't hockey but it ties to the situation. I wish Johnny would chat with Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers.
Freddie was drafted by the Braves and was the face of the franchise since Chipper Jones retired. This last season Freeman left the Braves as FA for the Dodgers (he is from So Cal). The Braves offered him a 5 year, 140 million offer. Dodgers signed him for 6 years 168 million with 50ish million deferred. Freeman's agent gave the Braves an ultimatum and when the deadline wasn't met the Braves thought their chance was over so made a blockbuster trade (and sign) for another player.
Freeman was in Atlanta for the first time since leaving in UFA last weekend and was visibly shaken and upset. He has since fired his agent. Ex-teammates are allegedly saying Freeman has confided in them that he isn't happy how the FA process concluded and isn't happy he still isn't with the Braves.
There is something to be said about staying with a franchise you're the face of. A place where you could cement your legacy and have your number retired. At the end of the day Johnny has earned the right to what he wants. But staying with the Flames to cement his legacy does have a value.
The Freeman story is the one you have to watch out for with agents.
The agent kept pushing Atlanta for higher offers even though Freeman wanted to re-sign with them - trying to get every last dollar. Finally Atlanta just went and traded for a replacement and Freeman had to leave Atlanta which he didn't want to.
Quote:
It’s beginning to look that way. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Tuesday afternoon that Freeman is changing agents and has told friends he’s “angry with how his free-agent negotiations played out.” As Olney tells it, some tragic misunderstanding between Freeman, his agent Casey Close, and the Braves is to blame for all this. Freeman wanted to stay in Atlanta, Close wanted to hold out for a better offer, and the Braves called Close’s bluff by trading for Freeman’s replacement, Matt Olson, effectively closing the door on a potential Freeman return. Freeman’s very sad statement to MLB.com does not exactly deny that the teary weekend led to Close’s firing:
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So this will most likely go until the 11th hour if he signs here.
This would be a really crappy situation if true. Prevents the team from taking any steps to adjust their strategy if they are just sitting around holding their eggplants while waiting for Johnny's response until the last second.
You value year 8 as basically worthless to the player, in that you equate $80M over 8 years as better than $79M over 7 years, as an example.
I doubt most players look at it that way.
I would equate $80M over 8 years as being about equal to about $76M over 7 years, more or less, depending on the age of the player when the contract ends.
And I expect Johnny will not take the highest offer regardless of whether he stays in Calgary or goes elsewhere. Just my gut feeling.
Every player interview I’ve ever seen about money talks about total contract value. And for the difference you are talking about the Flames would be offering only 10M compared to 11.3 by another team. There’s no way that difference will exist. The difference between 7 and 8 years will more likely be 7 million, not one.
And the hypothetical was him taking the highest offer for a “retirement contract”. We all agree that if he values something else, it doesn’t matter.
The point is that just saying “why would he not see what’s out there” ignores the risk og giving up the highest deal just on pretty easy math and predictions on what contracts are available. What team is going to offer 12 million x 7 years? Because that’s what it takes to equal 10.5x8.
Sure, he is a big family guy, all hockey players are. What I find funny is the guy who started this whole rumour that he wanted to be close to home and would leave is now saying Gaudreau will re-sign. That person is Eric Francis. He bet wrong and now that he knows he did he is saving face by stating the obvious, Gaudreau is staying. It is hilarious that so many people swallowed what was pure speculation by a hack writer as fact. The only thing we have ever heard from Gaudreau is he wants to stay, his wife and family love the city, he wants to be here, yet some bad beat writer who put his speculation out for clicks has people still believing that garbage, even after he has done an about face on it. Mind boggling.
I don’t think any Flames/hockey fan takes what Francis has to say seriously. Frankly, I’m not sure why he’s even worth acknowledging and I’m doubtful of how much he has to say has any bearing on people’s opinions who post here. People aren’t as dumb as you might like to think.
It’s curious how much the local blow hard seems to have rattled you. It’s been this way for years now that you will randomly bring him into the discussion to disparage him and accuse others of thinking like him, completely unprovoked as well.
Let it go. No one cares about Francis and if they do, they shouldn’t.
Every player interview I’ve ever seen about money talks about total contract value. And for the difference you are talking about the Flames would be offering only 10M compared to 11.3 by another team. There’s no way that difference will exist. The difference between 7 and 8 years will more likely be 7 million, not one.
And the hypothetical was him taking the highest offer for a “retirement contract”. We all agree that if he values something else, it doesn’t matter.
The point is that just saying “why would he not see what’s out there” ignores the risk og giving up the highest deal just on pretty easy math and predictions on what contracts are available. What team is going to offer 12 million x 7 years? Because that’s what it takes to equal 10.5x8.
It's going to come down to his desire to play for the Flames, his wife's desire to raise a family near her family and his desire to go home (which I think is completely overblown).
I completely expect that if he is to sign elsewhere, he will leave 5-7 Million dollars on the table and isn't simply going to the highest bidder.
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It's going to come down to his desire to play for the Flames, his wife's desire to raise a family near her family and his desire to go home (which I think is completely overblown).
I completely expect that if he is to sign elsewhere, he will leave 5-7 Million dollars on the table and isn't simply going to the highest bidder.
Eric D wrote an article on the Athletic a year or so ago that basically said playing at home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Being an NHL’er and being able to keep home at an arms length distance can be a good way of going about things.
I can’t imagine being the home town superstar is a spotlight many want to be in. Especially in Philadelphia and especially if the team is bad.
Also just not a lot of people end up living and working where they grew up these days.
For the most recent generations people are much more mobile when it comes to career and where they settle down. A lot of people actually prefer to relocate, or learn to love their 'second' home more because of the adult relationships they've formed there which are more fresh.
He already has a summer beach house there which makes it easy to go home and be in close proximity during offseasons and holidays.
I don’t think any Flames/hockey fan takes what Francis has to say seriously. Frankly, I’m not sure why he’s even worth acknowledging and I’m doubtful of how much he has to say has any bearing on people’s opinions who post here. People aren’t as dumb as you might like to think.
It’s curious how much the local blow hard seems to have rattled you. It’s been this way for years now that you will randomly bring him into the discussion to disparage him and accuse others of thinking like him, completely unprovoked as well.
Let it go. No one cares about Francis and if they do, they shouldn’t.
Well obviously people do care seeing how many people have bought into the whole he wants to go close to home angle that came directly from Francis and nowhere else. So why would I not bring up where the whole silly thing started?
Eric D wrote an article on the Athletic a year or so ago that basically said playing at home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Being an NHL’er and being able to keep home at an arms length distance can be a good way of going about things.
I can’t imagine being the home town superstar is a spotlight many want to be in. Especially in Philadelphia and especially if the team is bad.
Here is another hole in the Johnny Gaudreau wants to go home theory. Remember when he was asked what would be a good place to play out of if he wasn't in Calgary? Did he answer Philly? Nope. New Jersey? Nope. He didn't even name an Eastern team. He said Nashville because of the country music and the atmosphere. Nashville, nowhere close to home. So are we going to worry about the Predators now too?
Eric D wrote an article on the Athletic a year or so ago that basically said playing at home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Being an NHL’er and being able to keep home at an arms length distance can be a good way of going about things.
I can’t imagine being the home town superstar is a spotlight many want to be in. Especially in Philadelphia and especially if the team is bad.
That’s why it might be preferable to play somewhere in the East, but not necessarily right at home. He would still be close enough that his family can visit more often or make small trips to see him when he is in town n road games 10-15 times a season, but wouldn’t have the pressure of having to be a hometown hero. People are focusing too much on Philly or NJ specifically while pretty much any team in the East is a consideration.
For a young family, being close but not so close for constant intrusions is probably preferable.
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Here is another hole in the Johnny Gaudreau wants to go home theory. Remember when he was asked what would be a good place to play out of if he wasn't in Calgary? Did he answer Philly? Nope. New Jersey? Nope. He didn't even name an Eastern team. He said Nashville because of the country music and the atmosphere. Nashville, nowhere close to home. So are we going to worry about the Predators now too?
Well obviously people do care seeing how many people have bought into the whole he wants to go close to home angle that came directly from Francis and nowhere else. So why would I not bring up where the whole silly thing started?
Sure, but it’s not like Francis came up with something no one else would have ever thought of or said. ‘Player X wants to go home’ is one of the oldest pages in the book. I doubt people are saying it because Francis has said it, people have minds of their own and truthfully there’s good reason to think Gaudreau might have interest in going home, or closer to home. You would have to be willfully ignorant to not see that. There’s not much point arguing against it because people are going to keep saying it. They are going to say it about Tkachuk. Matt Coronoto’s next.
Part of this probably has to do with Calgary is a relatively isolated western Canadian City that many players never really saw themselves playing in as they grew up. It is and will continue to be a challenge to keep players here. That’s a hard reality for the Flames to have to face but I believe it to be true. I’ve lived in two other major Canadian city’s and rightly or wrongly Calgary, and Alberta, are viewed by many with a certain lens. That’s probably a discussion for another forum.
Of all the guys who want to go home though, how many actually do it? I would bet not many. And if Gaudreau is one of those guys, then I would bet what Eric Francis had to say had absolutely nothing to do with his decision.
