Despite “moving heaven and earth” to try to keep Gaudreau a Flame, Treliving said the player decided to turn down a more lucrative contract offer with the Flames for family reasons. Gaudreau signed for seven years and a reported US$68 million with Columbus. The Flames were reported to have offered an eight-year deal with an average annual salary in excess of $10 million per year. “Johnny Gaudreau is a superstar in the National Hockey League and we couldn’t be more welcoming to the Columbus Blue Jackets family,” Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in a press release Wednesday night. “He is an elite player with great character who makes the players around him better. We are excited to add a player of his caliber to our team. This is an exciting day for our franchise, our fans and the city of Columbus.” Gaudreau turns 29 next month and his selection brings him geographically closer to his native New Jersey and his wife in Philadelphia who is expecting their first child.
FLAMES REACT
Flames fans say there’s a range of emotions after one of the best seasons of Gaudreau’s career. “As much as we love our players, you don’t want to see them go, we understand that even in a multi-billion dollar industry like the NHL, family comes first,” said Chris Wilson. Rebecca Orr of Olds said her teenage daughter met Gaudreau a few years ago and his gentle nature appealed to them, but she’s optimistic about the team as a whole. “It’s not a one-man team. I think the Flames have some really good players and I think we’re going to keep going up. I don’t think it ends here,” Orr said. Other fans wonder how the Flames will fare without the team’s best player. “How do we replace a guy like John, who just put up 100+ points and seems to be walking away from a big contract to want to play near friends and family? How do you replace that if you’re the Flames?” Matt Mack said Quinn. Hockey analysts also wonder how this will affect the future of the franchise. “That’s a little bit down, that’s the whole identity of your team here. They’re going into the rebuild, what are they doing?” TSN’s Cheryl Pounder said. Gaudreau was in the final season of a six-year, $40.5 million contract with an annual average of $6.7 million. He has played 602 games since being drafted by the Flames in 2011. Earlier Wednesday, the Flames re-signed Trevor Lewis and added center Kevin Rooney, among other free agent signings. Columbus also signed former Flame defenseman Erik Gudbranson on Wednesday to a four-year, $16 million contract.
