Johnny Gaudreau: Trade or Keep?

[Bonded]

I truly think Gaudreau will leave during free agency which is why I am open to trading him if the return was right.

[Manhattanboy]

The idea of moving Johnny now at this point in the season is insane.

[flamesfever]

I think at some time in the future we will look back at this thread and say to ourselves, "What were we thinking?"

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Bonded

I truly think Gaudreau will leave during free agency which is why I am open to trading him if the return was right.

I've been a proponent of eventually trading Gaudreau but only because I don't believe he will stay in Calgary past this contract. Ideally this summer would be the time for Treliving to explore trading him. I feel this slow start does not change anything as moving Gaudreau is too big and important of a move to be done during the season when a lot of teams are not in a situation to make large moves of this nature. It should be done around the draft where Treliving is around all the GM's and teams are looking to make moves.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

The idea of moving Johnny now at this point in the season is insane.

I don't think it is crazy if you can get a quality center from another team that is supposed to be good. I agree that you don't trade him for futures though.



Too bad Tre wasn't in on ROR.

[Jiggy]

If this season doesn't go well I can see a trade happening in the off season.

Gaudreau, Ryan and draft pick for Konecny and Couturier. Something along those lines.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

The idea of moving Johnny now at this point in the season is insane.

It reeks of Phaneuf trade 2.0 except I fully expect Johnny to light it up where ever he went which would make the deal worse. Imo a bad Gaudreau trade has Treliving getting fired.

The only way it makes any sense to me is if another team that is struggling and wants to make a huge leap offers a ransom. Like if Buffalo offered Reinhart, Middlestat, Cozens, and their unprotected 1st the Flames would take a look at that.

[Norland]

Would it be possible to trade Johnny but keep Guy?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I think at some time in the future we will look back at this thread and say to ourselves, "What were we thinking?"

These thoughts aren't new though. A lot on this board have felt he is an issue, some more extremely than others.

Personally, I really like Gaudreau as a player. My "problem" with him is something that's out of his control. It's that this team was built out after a rebuild and he ended up being the main guy and you just can't have a player of Gaudreau's diminutive stature be your main guy. He had to be the lethal sidekick. It's not his fault. Monahan didn't take the next step and Bennett was a total dud compared to what we expected, but the result is the same. Good teams should be able to ride through a sidekick winger going through a slump. We can't because we're not a good team.

Tkachuk is taking over as the main guy, but the problems that existed in the team which resulted in Gaudreau being far and away our most important forward still exist.

There's a lot of work to do.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Norland

Would it be possible to trade Johnny but keep Guy?

They will need to promote Matthew to the big club

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Yep.

I’m not turning on the current players when such glaring, structural issues exist on the current roster.

1. Missing a top six centre
2. Missing a top six winger
3. $4.3M of dead cap in Frolik
4. $5.25M 4th line LW

I just don’t know how Treliving addresses both #1 and #2. Tree has to believe in the core he has, either rightly or wrongly - but to give his core an actual shot, #1 and #2 need to be addressed, and in the process #3 has to be moved from a cap perspective.

The way that you address this is to move your potential 'window' back by one year. Taking Philly as an example, you bring in Nolan Patrick as the #2 centre next year, Morgan Frost as the #2 LW next year, and the first pick as a wildcard. You are literally gambling that the players that you trade for meet their potential.

It also allows you to take this year as a cinderella year for the team. Trade Backlund and Hamonic as well, and let the team attempt the playoffs as a lovable underdog.

You have to take chances to win. Trading Johnny for a Cup at a 50-50 chance is probably worth it, if you think that the current core can't get the job done.

[Vinny01]

Wouldn’t most agree that Tkachuk is our most important and franchise player now and not
Gaudreau?

[goflamesgo18]

Trade him

[chedder]

Originally Posted by pepper24

The Flames problems is lack of depth with middle 6 forwards. Gaudreau, Monahan, Lindholm, Tkachuk aren't the issues, it's the players around them. If they go cold there is no one to pick up their slack. We need to build around those 4 forwards, not getting rid of any of them.

I don't blame Treliving either. He's tried to address forward depth by adding Kadri. Hopefully he has a plan to address this.

If the problem is lack of depth how can you not blame the GM? His moves have put this team in the predicament they are in. Starting with the Neal signing, the now probable Backlund overpay, the soft makeup of 3/4 of the roster.

[Saint Troy]

Have to give him an extended run with Lindholm as the top line center before you even think about it.

[CliffFletcher]

If Gaudreau is moved, it won't be during the regular season. But the fate of this core depends on how this season winds up. If they don't win at least one series, all bets are off. And if the weak link is the Gaudreau-Monahan duo again, that's the obvious place to change the pieces.

Gaudreau keeps getting brought up because A) he seems to be a big reason why this is an easy team to play against that can't find success in the playoffs, B) it's likely he'll walk in free agency, and C) other than Tkachuk, he's the most valuable asset on the roster and one you can get a legic core piece back for.

As Haynes' article points out, the Flames don't need a return of the Iginla-era "just another season..." reluctance to trade a star player. They can't end up holding the bag again.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by chedder

If the problem is lack of depth how can you not blame the GM? His moves have put this team in the predicament they are in. Starting with the Neal signing, the now probable Backlund overpay, the soft makeup of 3/4 of the roster.

The obvious reason for the lack of depth is bad UFA signings (which are on Treliving). But a more deep-rooted problem is trading away a wealth of picks to bolsters the depth, rather than drafting and developing it internally. My sense is the latter goes all the way to the top, to ownership. Murray Edwards is not a patient man.

[Nadal Fan]

Joe Thornton was traded to SJ for Sturm, Priemeau and Stuart.
Taylor Hall was traded for Adam Laarson.
Iginla was traded for absolutely nothing of value

The return we get for Gaudreau won't wow anyone and we would be lucky if the draft picks we receive will turn into anything substantial.

If he is ending his contract then yes we talk about it, but right now at a cap hit under $7 mill you keep him and build around.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The obvious reason for the lack of depth is bad UFA signings (which are on Treliving). But a more deep-rooted problem is trading away a wealth of picks to bolsters the depth, rather than drafting and developing it internally. My sense is the latter goes all the way to the top, to ownership. Murray Edwards is not a patient man.

Nailed it.

The rebuild was undercut from the beginning.

Can't waste picks on guys like stone and lazar when you're not in any kind of contention window. Hamonic for a 1st and 2x2nds is looking absolutely terrible at this point.

[goflamesgo18]

Originally Posted by Nadal Fan

Joe Thornton was traded to SJ for Sturm, Priemeau and Stuart.
Taylor Hall was traded for Adam Laarson.
Iginla was traded for absolutely nothing of value

The return we get for Gaudreau won't wow anyone and we would be lucky if the draft picks we receive will turn into anything substantial.

If he is ending his contract then yes we talk about it, but right now at a cap hit under $7 mill you keep him and build around.

Thornton and Hall were traded by moron GMs, Iggy was old and not producing anymore.

Johnny is 6.75M cap for 3 more years coming off 99 points and still almost on ppg place in a fairly mini slump.

Im sure the return would definitely wow you.