The Battle of Alberta is over. What a series. It’s a shame it couldn’t have gone seven games. The Edmonton Oilers advance to the Western Conference final, while the Calgary Flames have to stare down some difficult offseason questions now. Most importantly: will superstar left winger Johnny Gaudreau, an unrestricted free agent, re-sign?
That’s the topic of this week’s Daily Faceoff Roundtable: has ‘Johnny Hockey’ played his final game in a Flames uniform?
SCOTT BURNSIDE: Oh this is a tough one. Gaudreau finished tied for second in league scoring during the regular season with 115 points. And more importantly for us, he earned high praise from old-school coach (and Jack Adams Award frontrunner) Darryl Sutter for the completeness of his game. In every sense, Gaudreau answered the bell during this his contract season. True, the Flames fell short in the playoffs, bowing out in five games to Edmonton, but Gaudreau was once again a leader for the Flames with 14 points in 12 games, although his star was dimmed by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane in the just-completed Battle of Alberta. We saw a lot more from Gaudreau in this playoff year than we have in the past and thus it’s hard to imagine there isn’t a strong desire on both sides to see this relationship continue. What will it cost? Lots. North of $9 million per year depending on the term the two sides can settle on. Easy for critics to suggest the team has won little with Gaudreau in the fold, and it’s true on some levels. But this year seemed to be a corner turned in terms of Gaudreau’s overall game. And if you decide to let him walk, where do you find those 115 points? And at what cost? Nope. As long as Johnny Hockey wants to be a Flame I see zero reason not to make it so.
CHRIS GEAR: I’m with Scott on this one – where there’s a will, there’s a way. If Johnny Hockey had pulled another playoff disappearing act this year, it might have been time to part ways. He would have been that guy that plays great in the regular season but can’t help you win when it counts. That wasn’t the case here. Gaudreau played hard, played well and had some huge goals in these playoffs, including the overtime series winner against the Stars. His team just ran into a freight train with a couple of superstars who refused to be denied. I’ve written a couple of times already this year on how difficult it will be for the Flames to keep this group together, with RFAs Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane and Oliver Kylington to be signed in addition to Gaudreau. It will be a monumental task to fit all of their weapons in under the cap, but unless Johnny wants to leave or prioritizes money above all else, I think he and the organization find a way to keep him in Flames colors.
MATT LARKIN: Game 5 will not go down as Gaudreau’s final game as a Flame. Not when the Flames showed so much potential in 2021-22. Until the wheels fell off goaltender Jacob Markstrom during the Battle of Alberta, Calgary looked like a legitimate Stanley Cup threat for most of this season, and Gaudreau formed one of the sport’s elite lines with Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk. Plenty of speculation will link Gaudreau to his childhood team – which, to set the record straight, is the Philadelphia Flyers, not the New Jersey Devils, as Gaudreau is a South Jersey boy – but signing with a team like Philly would set Gaudreau’s championship aspirations back years. He’s only 28. He has enough time left to sign a lucrative long-term deal with Calgary, compete for championships and then enjoy a homecoming with the Flyers on the contract after this one if it’s what he really wants. But right now? There’s too much good to walk away from in Calgary. The Flames have built something promising here.
MIKE MCKENNA: If I had to bet, I think Gaudreau stays in Calgary. But it would only be 60/40. A lot of it depends on his teammates. Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane both need new contracts. There are holes on defense going into next season. If Tkachuk and Gaudreau truly enjoy playing with one another and believe they can carry Calgary to a Stanley Cup, they need to make a pact similar to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in Chicago. Or Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh. There will be real options for Gaudreau – one of which being his hometown Philadelphia Flyers. If the Flyers are able to land a coach like Barry Trotz, does that affect Gaudreau’s decision? I don’t think money is going to be the root of his next contract. Sure, it matters. But the Flames will do what it takes to keep Gaudreau if he wants to stay. Also, factor in Darryl Sutter. Despite the success of the Flames this season, Sutter’s coaching style is demanding. It wears on players. And in all likelihood, Gaudreau’s next contract would outlive Sutter’s time with the Flames. But I think what it boils down to is this: Gaudreau is coming off the best year of his career on a very competitive team. It would be a big gamble going somewhere else. I think he stays. Probably.
FRANK SERAVALLI: My head says he will be back, but my gut says no. The two sides agreed to put off talks long ago, and my feeling is Gaudreau has come this far and shouldered all of the risk playing out a contract year, that it only makes sense for him to get a feel for the market before deciding. Ultimately, I’ve always viewed Gaudreau as someone who would rather play closer to home, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the emotional push-and-pull of trying to decide whether to say goodbye to the only NHL home he has ever known. He is such a talented player and he’s shouldered the burden of Calgary’s playoff disappointments, some of which have been deserved, some of which have not. Ultimately, I don’t see Gaudreau taking any sort of hometown discount to stay. And Gaudreau is going to be expensive. The Flames have the upper hand in that they are the only team that can offer eight years and thus have the advantage in total dollars. If the dollars are equal, and I believe Calgary will pony up, then he has a decent shot to remain a Flame. If not, I think Gaudreau will be playing south of the 49th.
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