3 potential landing destinations for Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau
No. 3: Johnny Gaudreau could leave the Flames for Long Island.
The New York Islanders have been a team popping up amongst those potentially interested in the forward.
New York has over $12 million in current cap space. It’s rumoured Gaudreau’s camp will be asking for somewhere close to $10 million per year. A payday he certainly deserves.
The Flames currently have three selections in the 2022 NHL Draft set for Montreal. If Gaudreau decides he wants to sign elsewhere, general manager Brad Treliving would be wise to do a sign and trade.
Calgary could certainly sign Gaudreau to whatever deal he wanted and then receive plenty of draft capital back, including a couple of first-round picks over the next few years.
The Islanders only have forward Keiffer Bellows headed to free agency. Plus they kind of need a superstar again. After longtime Islander John Tavares went to Toronto, Long Island hasn’t had a flashy forward like Gaudreau.
Locked on Islanders discusses the potential of Gaudreau to New York here.
The New York Islanders are a proud organization who’ve won four Stanley Cups. Adding a player like Gaudreau would instantly put them in the contender conversation.
No. 2: Could the Flyers swoop in and take Gaudreau?
Almost every athlete will tell you they want to play some part of their career at or close to home. Johnny Gaudreau is no different.
“It would be sweet to play here (Philadelphia) some day – you never know in sports – a lot of support back here in South Jersey and the Philly area, they follow me pretty well.” -Johnny Gaudreau From Daily Hive’s Rob Williams in 2017.
Wouldn’t you love to play in a place that watched you grow up? Who helped you develop the skills you needed to make it this far? Most likely, yes.
One of the issues for the Flyers is their lack of cap space. They’re sitting with just over $5 million. But they could also want a sign and trade with Calgary. They have nine draft picks in 2023 and could offload a contract like Travis Sanheim who has one year left on his contract. Sanheim also played for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, so he’s already familiar with the area.
Philadelphia finished the 2021-22 season with a dismal 25-46-11 season. It parked them in the bottom four of the NHL and will be selecting fifth in the 2022 NHL Draft. This pick could be sent to Calgary.
The Flyers finished with 210 goals scored, while the league average was 255. Adding a proven 40-goal scorer would boost and solve one dire need. It certainly wouldn’t solve all Philly’s problems, but it would help.
Keep an eye on Philadelphia this offseason to see if they clear cap space before the draft or free agency.
No. 1: Johnny Gaudreau decides the Calgary Flames are his best option.
Head coach Darryl Sutter came back to Calgary because he had unfinished business. Does Johnny Gaudreau feel the same way?
Flames fans sure hope so.
Calgary drafted Johnny Hockey 104th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. This was a fairly stacked draft which included the likes of Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog and Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau.
From the Flames’ draft picks in 2011, only Gaudreau remains. This should be a telling fact. He did enough with his time in Calgary to cement himself as a mainstay. 103 players went before him and many teams are regretting their decision not to draft him.
Gaudreau’s choice of re-signing with the Flames could depend on a few factors. First and foremost, his family. It was recently revealed his wife is expecting a baby. Could they decide they want to be closer to the family permanently? Calgary got a lot of the Gaudreau’s during the playoff run, and it’s safe to say the C of Red would do anything for them. Gaudreau did admit his neighbours shovelled his sidewalk during the winter. Could they offer free babysitting as well?
If they decide they want to stick around and grow their family in Southern Alberta, another factor would come down to who else is going to stay. Linemate Elis Lindholm is locked down until the end of 2023-24. But forward Matthew Tkachuk is a Restricted Free Agent. If he doesn’t sign an extension with the Flames, does this influence Gaudreau’s decision? The two have grown up together in Calgary. Their decisions could determine each other’s destinations.
As previously mentioned, there’s unfinished business. They made it to the second round of the playoffs. They had one of the best years in franchise history. Gaudreau had a career season. The Flames have a solid goaltender in Jacob Markstrom. Their defence is also solid with Chris Tanev signed for a few more seasons.
Darryl Sutter has been the only coach so far to get the best from Gaudreau. Does he recognize this and decide to stick around to try and get better? They were a few goals away from turning the series around with Edmonton to advance. The potential to do it again should be on his mind.
Honourable mention
With wanting to play at home, the New Jersey Devils come into play. New Jersey is where Gaudreau was born and raised. They have a decent core with a few Flames connections. However, they finished just ahead of the Flyers.
Winamac Hockey discusses Gaudreau heading home here.
Playoff contention could be something Gaudreau takes into consideration when he makes up his mind.
Next. Who Flames fans should cheer for in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. dark
Wherever he decides to play, the team will get one heck of a player. Let’s just hope he sticks around a few more seasons.