The Daily Faceoff Show: Flames on limited time with Johnny Gaudreau
With the NHL’s free agency opening up in just under 48 hours, the Calgary Flames are on limited time to get a contract negotiation done with superstar forward Johnny Gaudreau.
Frank Seravalli and Mike McKenna talked on The Daily Faceoff Show, looking into the Flames’ plan on how they cold bring Johnny hockey back to Calgary on an eight-year deal.
Frank Seravalli: “Johnny Gaudreau, the guy who has been there all season long, is no closer to a contract Mike, with the Calgary Flames at this point. I’m told that the two sides have remained in constant conversation and met of course in Montreal during the NHL Draft process and you know to this point, no traction. They’ve said all the right things, the positivity and optimism have been there up until a certain point but Johnny Gaudreau’s real deadline is not 12 noon eastern on Wednesday, it’s 11:59 p.m eastern on Tuesday evening just before midnight as that is the exact moment in time the Calgary Flames can no longer offer an eight-year deal to Gaudreau. He would then be hitting the market, and they would lose their advantage on the market because of their ability to offer that eighth year and a significant chasm or gap in total earnings.
“The Flames have put a significant bonafide offer on the table, I’m told they started at eight years, $9,500,000. I believe they’d be willing to go as high as eight years, $11,000,000 per season just to get Johnny Gaudreau done. But it’s never really been about money, in this situation Mike, I think in this case they’re looking to get him signed and the answer has always been, ‘You come and tell us you want to be a Calgary Flame and we’ll get a deal done.’ To this point, the Gaudreau camp has not been willing or interested in gauging any further. When you’re this close now Mike, to free agency, as a player who’s been in this spot and has six or seven weeks to deliberate on this, on your future, what does it tell you that the Flames haven’t gotten an answer from Johnny Gaudreau?”
Mike McKenna: “It’s just his gut they haven’t been able to get Johnny to figure out if he wants to be a Flame for the rest of his career.”
Frank Seravalli: “Doesn’t that tell you then that he’s probably unlikely to come back?”
Mike McKenna: “It tells me that he’s leaning very hard to testing free agency and seeing what’s out there. It’s not about money, Frank, like to me it’s not at all. It’s like you said, it’s truly about where he wants to play, where he thinks he can win, and where that all factors in. Listen, no two decisions are ever the same for a pending free agent player, but I do liken this somewhat to the John Tavares situation a few years ago where he decided to leave Long Island, all he had known, to go home to Toronto where you know he’d always wanted to be a Leaf and wanted to win a Stanley Cup. Like is this really different for Gaudreau? if his heart isn’t in Calgary, you got a guy from the Eastern seaboard of the United States, does he think he can win, or does he think he wants to play somewhere else, Frank? The longer this went, that was the feeling I got, that Johnny may not want to be in Calgary if that’s what it comes down to and i think ultimately he wants to see what’s available out there and try to make the best decision. If he tries to stay in Calgary I think it’s purely about winning, it’s about the best fit and knowing that the team does have a chance. But otherwise, the gut is the most important feel and I think this is something similar to that Tavares situation a few years ago.”
Frank Seravalli: Pretty significant trickle-down effect, Mike, for the Calgary Flames. If Johnny Gaudreau doesn’t come back, then what happens to Matthew Tkachuk? He’s just one year away from unrestricted free agency. Does he end up coming back? Does he want to sign long term in Calgary if Johnny Gaudreau doesn’t come back? What happens with some of the other guys that they have that are also pending UFA’s on their backend, Zadorov, Gudbranson, and Andrew Mangiapane, a significant piece on the RFA front? Mike, I just feel like the Calgary Flames right now are paralyzed. They can’t really do anything until they have an answer from Johnny Gaudreau. I feel like they’ve done all the right things and said all the right things to get him to stay in Calgary. They could be looking at a major overhaul or reset, so many to watch and it really feels like today is one of those days that the rubber meets the road for Gaudreau and Calgary. They need to get an answer. They need to get moving one way or another.”
You can watch the full episode here…