I like John Gaudreau

[bigrangy]

And the Flames will make a mistake when he gets traded.

Haters can hate, but he is a dynamite player and I will not enjoy the day he leaves Calgary.

He’s not perfect and he’s (probably) not going to be the #1 guy on a great team, but he is good to have around and makes Flames games worth watching.

[GirlySports]

They need him as a game breaker, but he needs help. Trade Monahan, play him with Bennett and Tkachuk.

[Icon]

And if he's not going to re-sign here anyway, trade him for something of value while other GMs still remember his 99pt season

[Jiggy_12]

Gaudreau just isn’t taking this team to another level, after many failed (and I mean failed) attempts.

Like him or not, he can’t get it done when the games matter. The insistence on saddling him with Monahan religiously certainly doesn’t help either.

It’s too bad, he was a fun player to watch. I’m almost 100% sure we’ve seen his last game with Calgary.

[AC]

I like Gaudreau too but his 5v5 playoff stats are as embarrassing as anything else with this franchise.

He and Monahan have both been playoff ghosts historically.

I can't imagine he'd re-sign with us, nor do I think that would be the right move for the franchise. We should trade him and recoup some assets. Monahan too. Why hold onto them if they can't get it done when it matters?

[Roof-Daddy]

Gaudreau will probably be traded this off season, and if it's to a team where he doesn't have to be THE guy, and he actually gets to play with a play driving #1C, he's going to flourish, and it's going to sting bad.

I just hope what we get back lessens the sting.

[Johnny Makarov]

Oh don't even think about getting to the playoffs without Gaudreau. This is the Marc Savard situation all over again!

[Igottago]

I like him too but the mix isn't right. I agree he's going to flourish in another situation. I just hope we get a lot in return.

[ComixZone]

He did his best. He was a good Calgary Flame.

Best of luck to him, but this team has been so mismanaged that it just won't work here.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

If there's even a slight chance he's signing somewhere else as a UFA you're trading him while you can to get something for him, it's a no-brainer.

[DropIt]

He needs a finisher on his time

[taxbuster]

The problem with a player who can't (won't?) take a hit is that he is unable to create any form of space for himself. Adding someone big and rangy (isn't there someone on CP with a name like that?) is a piece of it, but if you look at the wraparounds, as the Dman comes at Johnny, rather than driving the corner and cutting his edge hard, he slides down to avoid the contact. That just doesn't cut it for almost $7M per year. Even little Elias Petterson gives/takes hits and he looks tiny!

Johnny is great to watch when he's magic. But I suspect his conditioning and his diet leave much to be desired. That is the hallmark of a true pro, and I just don't think he cares that much, and it translates to scaredy-cat play.

[GirlySports]

It's time Bennett is 1C for an entire season.

[Vedder]

One of the most entertaining Flames I’ve watched live, but he isn’t going to be a lead horse in the playoffs. The way the team is structured that’s not going to work. He could potentially be a bigger contributor with a better Center, but that doesn’t seem in the cards either. Going to have to find the right time to maximize return on the asset, probably this offseason.

[AC]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

He did his best. He was a good Calgary Flame.

Best of luck to him, but this team has been so mismanaged that it just won't work here.

Yep, I don't even blame Johnny exclusively. He's physically tiny and asked to lead the team offensively in playoff hockey... good luck!

The team isn't structure properly to support him and put him in ideal situations to produce.

[SeanCharles]

If he committed to re-signing I would gladly keep him.

We need a play driving center to play him with to make some space tho.

[Strange Brew]

I don’t know how you watch this series and walk away pissed with Gaudreau after what we saw from Gio and Monahan.

[Phaneuf_Phan]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

And the Flames will make a mistake when he gets traded.

Haters can hate, but he is a dynamite player and I will not enjoy the day he leaves Calgary.

He’s not perfect and he’s (probably) not going to be the #1 guy on a great team, but he is good to have around and makes Flames games worth watching.

Do you also enjoy not advancing in the playoffs? If so, he's the man for you!

[Geeoff]

I wish him well on his next team (unless it's Edmonton, Vancouver or anywhere in California) but it might be over here...

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I don’t know how you watch this series and walk away pissed with Gaudreau after what we saw from Gio and Monahan.

All three were awful