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

[TheIronMaiden]

Some people want change for the sake of change. I dont think fans need to take this personally.

[JohnnyB]

I can understand his wanting to go back to the States, or to be close to family, or to be in a low-pressure environment, or even just to play in Columbus because he likes it there for whatever reason. What I can't understand is how he took such a screwed up route to reach this final outcome. I don't really see how this was not a poorly handled situation on the part of Johnny, his agent, and the Flames. In the end, it's great for Columbus and they're big winners in this, but it could have probably been better for everyone else involved if it had been handled differently by Johnny, Gross, and the Flames.

Anyways, it's been surprising and entertaining, but it's done and now is a good time take the rest of the summer off from the NHL.

[djsFlames]

I think some are making excuses for Johnny.

Every one and their dog can acknowledge that he had a better shot at striving in the game here on the best line in hockey under a top coach, and a cap spending ownership.

It wasn't a "risk", it was the opposite of that. The only thing he risked is the risk he may regret it later if Columbus continues the way they have been for many years.


Why make excuses for the guy?

[Winsor_Pilates]

Someone with photoshop talents needs to make a Johnny Walker logo in Flames colors & #13 on it

[GirlySports]

I don't get the closer to home thing, I just don't. Again, might be a flaw in me. Again, from a wife point of view.

My husband could be making millions in Zimbabwe and it would be fine with me.

[iggyloob12]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Something will eventually come out about this mess and I won't be surprised at all if a huge rift is revealed behind the scenes. Nothing else adds up. Even if the UFA market collapsed as it did, why wouldn't he simply go back to Calgary at that point on a 7 year deal that was more lucrative and with a much more competitive franchise?

There's bad blood in the water for sure. Nothing else explains this all coming to a head the 11th hour versus both parties figuring out where they were at days or weeks prior to the deadline.

What's Johnny got to be mad about? Playing for Sutter and having a career-best season? The fact he wasn't given a leadership role (or that he didn't grab one)? That his bestie was relegated to spare part and has no future with the team?

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

I can understand his wanting to go back to the States, or to be close to family, or to be in a low-pressure environment, or even just to play in Columbus because he likes it there for whatever reason. What I can't understand is how he took such a screwed up route to reach this final outcome. I don't really see how this was not a poorly handled situation on the part of Johnny, his agent, and the Flames. In the end, it's great for Columbus and they're big winners in this, but it could have probably been better for everyone else involved if it had been handled differently by Johnny, Gross, and the Flames.

Anyways, it's been surprising and entertaining, but it's done and now is a good time take the rest of the summer off from the NHL.

For Treliving and the Flames to not have set a self imposed deadline on this in advance of the real deadline in unforgivable. Gross incompetency that has left the franchise swinging in the wind.

I have been very critical of Treliving for the last 2-3 seasons and allowed him to win me back over somewhat with his moves last offseason. This has just completely undone all of that goodwill and exposed him once again as a sheep in wolfs clothing.

He's just out of his breadth as an NHL general manager.

[Coach]

The waiting just makes no sense all the way around.

You handcuff yourself by not giving open market teams time to maneuver and plan to make room for you. You handcuff your current team by not being able to act in the knowledge you’re moving on and tarnish your strong legacy with that fan base and possibly even teammates. You leave 15+ million on the table.

Gross should be canned.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

That's a hell of a lot more expensive; there was some discussion on CP today about just how much. Owning and operating a private jet is not something you can really afford on even a star hockey player's salary, and a private propeller plane is so much slower you might as well fly commercial.

Chartering a small private jet runs several thousand dollars an hour. It wouldn't take very many charter flights to use up the after-tax portion of the extra money Gaudreau is getting from Columbus compared to Jersey.

So it comes back again to this: If he's so keen to be close to his family, why not sign where he can play all his home games in front of them and live within easy driving distance? Why worry about flying them at all?

Gaudreau's social media post today shows him flying private to Columbus. At $9.75M/year and 20 minutes of icetime per game, he make $5,945 per minute he is on the ice. One minute of being on the ice can fly him or his family private charter between the Philly area and Columbus easily.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by iggyloob12

What's Johnny got to be mad about? Playing for Sutter and having a career-best season? The fact he wasn't given a leadership role (or that he didn't grab one)? That his bestie was relegated to spare part and has no future with the team?

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.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by 3thirty

Does anyone think after they have a child and he signed this contract his wife is going back to work?

Some people like to work. Some people need to work, not for money but for feeling of self worth, for feeling like they make a difference. If you can make a positive difference with your skills the go work. Just because your spouse makes filthy amounts of money doesn't mean you have to stop working.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by littlereddevil

Yes, but the highest tax bracket in Ohio is lower than in Alberta. He ended up signing where he had the best value from his contract available. Gaudreau will earn more in Columbus after taxes than he would here if he had signed that reported $10.5M per year offer. And that's besides the fact that I doubt money was the sole deciding factor on where he would sign, as some others have mentioned he likely wanted to play out of the spotlight with a smaller NHL team, and be a little closer to home.

You have to add the 8th year in Calgary. Plus it’s a bit more complex than straight income tax on the total.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

I don’t mean this rudely, but this comment suggests to me you haven’t done a lot of high level negotiation.

Look, I get it. You never make your top offer right off the bat. But Treliving obviously didn’t seem to know the player either after 8 years. Johnny was always at flight risk, that’s why I keep saying Treliving needed to get the contract done last year, before he got hitched, before he and his wife were expecting.

They allegedly almost had something completed before the season, but only management knows why that didn’t get done. Regardless, Treliving should’ve known this was always a possibility. He heard the noise from day 1 and still played it like Johnny was any other UFA. I think had Tre been more assertive and made Johnny an offer he couldn’t refuse last year, then 13 would still be a Flame.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

For Treliving and the Flames to not have set a self imposed deadline on this in advance of the real deadline in unforgivable. Gross incompetency that has left the franchise swinging in the wind.

I have been very critical of Treliving for the last 2-3 seasons and allowed him to win me back over somewhat with his moves last offseason. This has just completely undone all of that goodwill and exposed him once again as a sheep in wolfs clothing.

He's just out of his breadth as an NHL general manager.

In hindsight it looks like Gross handled this a lot worse than Treliving did.

It's not like the Flames are getting much value back even if they have a firm deadline and can trade his rights. All that means is we know Gaudreau's status earlier and the Flames maybe get a 3rd back for his rights.

It looks like the mistake they may have made was not letting him talk to other teams to gauge his market, and let him do that while you still have the advantage of the 8th year. Oilers did that with Kane and it appears it worked in their favour.

But that's with the benefit of hindsight.

If they let him do that and he goes and signs for 7 x $12M somewhere else then I'd be blasting him for letting Gaudreau talk to teams and giving away his negotiating leverage.

But with hindsight we can see now that the market was soft and that maybe he stays here if he knows the best offer out there is 7 x $9.75 from Columbus. that the Flyers don't even come to the table, and that the Flames offer is the best by $15M.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by tfi racing

They will be chauffered to the airport and flying a chartered jet from the closest executive hangar on their young son's coin, there will be no need for them to suffer the airport horrors that the rest us lowly peasants have to endure.

I've seen the weekly jet to Fort McMurray for O&G. All you do is drive your personal car to the private hanger at the airport. There are no lines, no baggage checks, no security checks, etc. The private valet takes your keys and takes your car for complimentary detailing and parks it safely while you get on the jet and just go.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

You have to add the 8th year in Calgary. Plus it’s a bit more complex than straight income tax on the total.

The 8th year is still an unknown. I'd look at the difference in upfront money first, especially in the current environment.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Look, I get it. You never make your top offer right off the bat. But Treliving obviously didn’t seem to know the player either after 8 years. Johnny was always at flight risk, that’s why I keep saying Treliving needed to get the contract done last year, before he got hitched, before he and his wife were expecting.

They allegedly almost had something completed before the season, but only management knows why that didn’t get done. Regardless, Treliving should’ve known this was always a possibility. He heard the noise from day 1 and still played it like Johnny was any other UFA. I think had Tre been more assertive and made Johnny an offer he couldn’t refuse last year, then 13 would still be a Flame.

Do you think Tre penny pinched him? After the poor Flames season? Still not that poor for him, 49 points in 56 games. Yeah, I don't know how you let a player get to UFA.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

I’m wearing my Flames Gaudreau jersey today here in Cleveland. Gonna see if people react at all

Turns out I’m a dumbass and halfway to work I realized I wasn’t wearing the jersey

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Imagine the shock in Calgary's front office if a player contacted them and said Calgary was a place they wanted to play. It is a pretty funny and brutally honest comment though.

Jarmo has come out and said that Columbus has a reputation for being a place that its difficult to attract UFAs or keep stars (Panarin, Seth Jones all ditching etc.). The consolation is Columbus is basically Calgary south in terms of how we feel about star players always having their hearts set elsewhere.

[Monahammer]

Something that occurs to me as I read Johnny's reasoning and other insiders talk about it after the fact is how deeply, genuinely out of touch management was with what Johnny wanted. It's very clear this player wanted less heat on him and less spotlight. So why the hell was our presentation pivoting on his legacy and making him the greatest calgarian and stuff like that? Seems obvious that would not have worked now. Why weren't they close enough to know that before making the pitch?