Johnny Gaudreau: Trade or Keep?

[CaptainYooh]

I don't believe Calgary has a Stanley Cup quality roster now and I am strongly in favour of trading Gaudreau at the trade deadline, when returns are usually higher. Johnny is an absolute treat to watch, when he is on top of his game, but we just don't have the support he needs to do that. Plus, something is wrong with him lately. I don't know what it is. I worry, it's something serious, that we don't know about and I hope it's nothing. It certainly seems to be something though. Plus, he is likely to leave Calgary anyway at the end of his contract.

I would also want BT to trade Backlund at the same time but that's for a different thread.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Dube

Unless Johnny turns into a man he’s not the kinda player you want look at Marty St Louis. The guy would lay it all out there. Johnny is an elite talent to doubt but he doesn’t seem to have the extra gear. Maybe he finds it?

MSL though short was built like a bull.
Johnny is unusual because he's short and slight. Guys like MSL were short and stout and used that low centre of gravity as an advantage.
But it also speaks to off-ice commitment. MSL was a workout FIEND.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

MSL though short was built like a bull.
Johnny is unusual because he's short and slight. Guys like MSL were short and stout and used that low centre of gravity as an advantage.
But it also speaks to off-ice commitment. MSL was a workout FIEND.

Yep. I remember his photograph in Sports Illustrated. He looked amazing, all muscles.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I think a good example of this kind of trade is when Philly traded Carter and Richards, each for a "king's ransom". The Flyers haven't done #### since that trade and Carter and Richards won two Stanley Cups with LA.

Very true, but the Flyers did pretty well with those trades, I expect they wouldn't have won any Stanley Cups with them either.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Quite a bit - and even more if he doesn't make required changes this summer.
But coming off the season they did - there is nothing irrational to seeing if the team had another step to make, or if they would step back.
That's a perfectly reasonable way to handle things.
I'll keep beating this drum - but my view is that a common element that plagues bad organizations (of which the Flames are one) is constant change at the top. Stability matters. BT has shown me enough, and does enough right things, that I stick with him.
You can disagree.

BT had upgraded Frolik to an actual top 6 winger in his prime, and had also added a legit 2nd line C, two glaring weaknesses on this roster that if those deals had gone through would very likely have had a positive influence. He did this despite the team rattling off a 1st place western conference reg season finish.

I find it hard to blame BT, it's not like he sat on his hands here.

EDIT: BT isn't blameless, he's made mistakes too. No problem admitting that.

[Stanley]

urgh....could of really used Zucker instead of Frolik and/or Lucic

As for Johnny, I used to want Hall for Gaudreau, not even sure that's the optimal trade anymore.

Johnny can be dynamic but I'm not a huge fan of his soft game for stanley cup run success

[Flash Walken]

I wish I got as much credit at work for almost doing my job as Treliving does on here.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I wish I got as much credit at work for almost doing my job as Treliving does on here.

He did do it though, not really his fault if a player won't waive a NTC to come here is it? And IIRC Kadri was the only legit #2C or better to be traded this off season. It's not easy man, he can't just go out to the C tree behind the dome and pluck one off.

Not sure what happened with the Zucker deal, or why exactly it fell through.

[Dube]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I think a good example of this kind of trade is when Philly traded Carter and Richards, each for a "king's ransom". The Flyers haven't done #### since that trade and Carter and Richards won two Stanley Cups with LA.

That’s just it. Johnny might finally become a pro and step his game up.. the question is... can he do it in Calgary. Sucks to see guys line lindy and Chucky play with heart while they make millions. And Johnny jus gets upset that he was body checked.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Very true, but the Flyers did pretty well with those trades, I expect they wouldn't have won any Stanley Cups with them either.

Not only that, but in LA, they had Kopitar and Doughty and Quick, and possibly Brown as much more important pieces. Carter and Richards were very important, but they weren't "the guys" in LA.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by Ped

Not only that, but in LA, they had Kopitar and Doughty and Quick, and possibly Brown as much more important pieces. Carter and Richards were very important, but they weren't "the guys" in LA.

Exactly what I was going to say. Weird to call out the Flyers for those trades when they clearly were heading nowhere with Carter and Richards the same way the Flames are now with Johnny and Monahan.

The Kings won those cups because they already had a strong core when Carter and Richards were brought in, a bevy of contributing depth and role players, and a top tier coach who was brought in mid-season.

Johnny and Monahan might well be great players, but if they’re your best players you’re not winning the cup.

[Badgers Nose]

nvm

[Red_Baron]

If there are off-ice problems, the management needs to do whatever they can to fix them as that is this team's best chance for success.


I just don't think there is a realistic trade that will give the flames what they need to significantly improve, let alone get the team over the top. Drafting and player development have been the model of success in the salary cap era so the flames may just need to wait a couple more years for the young defense to mature and become the force that they have the potential to be.

[Psytic]

Can Monahan even survive without Johnny? I was an advocate to split them up and make Monahan drive his own line but the games he has been alone have been pretty bad for shot differential. Hope Monahan can pick it up if the Flames do trade Johnny. Guess we will see how they do separated tonight.

[Leo]

Don’t doooo it


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[Psytic]

Somebody said Reinhart & Mittelstadt and a pick for Johnny on Hf. I'd do it.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Psytic

Somebody said Reinhart & Mittelstadt and a pick for Johnny on Hf. I'd do it.

Not enough unless "a pick" is the Sabres' next first-rounder without lottery protection.

Mittelstadt has barely shown anything at the NHL level and Reinhart isn't enough of a play-driver to justify trading Gaudreau.

[DiracSpike]

I don't think you can have sustained playoff success if Gaudreau is your best player. Not his fault but he's too small. It really seems like there's something wrong with him this year, between that and recent articles about the possibility of him being traded I wonder if it's apparent to those in the know that he's not happy in Calgary. It's no secret that he wants and always wanted to be on the east coast, and unlike other years there's no novelty factor of being new in the NHL or a big (at the time) contract to quell those feelings. He makes like half of what Marner and some of these other guys do now, is making less than Tkachuk and slightly more than Lucic, I wonder if that's driving some resentment and unhappiness for him.

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I wish I got as much credit at work for almost doing my job as Treliving does on here.

Anyone with 31,000+ posts on CP should probably just be happy with the credit they do get at work!

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Not enough unless "a pick" is the Sabres' next first-rounder without lottery protection.

Mittelstadt has barely shown anything at the NHL level and Reinhart isn't enough of a play-driver to justify trading Gaudreau.

65pt 200 ft Center, blue chip prospect and a 1st. One guy wanted to throw in Risto to. Not sure how the salary shakes out.