Hearing that Johnny Gaudreau has decided to test free agency.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 13, 2022

I agree that it's not a good sign.

8 year deals at 29/30 don't often age well, so not all awful. Gotta replace him tho.

JVR trade in 5, 4, 3, 2….

I’m so sorry for your loss.

I remember 2012 UFA when Parise left New Jersey and how painful an experience that was as a fan coming off a great season (and trip to SCF). And I can imagine how Flames fans are feeling watching this all go down. Once Parise was gone, Kovalchuk left the next year and the whole organization spiraled from there. It still hurts just thinking about it.

Flames fans are some of the best around. People, be good to them.

Thanks!

It's a tough day. But this has literally been rumoured/expected since 2016. The Gaudreau family said all the right things in front of the camera, but it never really felt like he would be spending 15yrs in Canada.

I've got no idea what to expect from the Flames now. Well, actually I do, I think they're gonna make a splash out of desperation. Treliving is in the final year of his contract, I don't think losing Johnny and then missing the playoffs is an option.

That being said, they have to act quickly on Tkachuk. They seemed confident they could sign Johnny. They were wrong. If Tkachuk will not sign long-term the Flames absolutely have to trade him. You can't lose 2/3 of your top line in consecutive seasons for nothing.

That scenario is what reminds me of losing Parise and Kovalchuk in 2012 and 2013. Once one was gone, the other found a way out.

Of course, the league wouldn’t take away a top-10 pick if Tkachuk flees for St. Louis. At least there is that.

Hopefully you guys get Johnny!

I believe it is Philly and probably has always been Philly. If NJD were involved, we would probably would have heard something by now, but really hasn’t been any reported connection between NJD and Gaudreau.

It’s always, “NJD could offer…” or “Devils may…”

We had more on Hamilton signing at this point and that was a surprise.