Connect with us

Calgary Flames

[Report] Gaudreau Likely To Be Traded After Flames Embarrassing Loss

According to a report from Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, it is very unlikely Johhny Gaudreau will be a Calgary Flames player next season.

The Calgary Flames may have exited the 2020 NHL playoffs and the NHL bubble in one of the most memorable, yet ugly ways possible. Storming out to a 3-0 nothing lead before the Dallas Stars could even mount a single shift of sustained pressure in the Flames zone, somehow, Calgary wound up allowing seven unanswered goals to lose the game and the series.

A lot is being said of the goaltending and head coach Geoff Ward’s decision to swap his netminders, not once, but twice. Some talk surrounds the highs and lows of a player like Milan Lucic, who had a strong series up until the point he took an insanely idiotic offensive-zone penalty and opened the door for the Stars to mount a comeback. In the end, however, it will be a player like Johnny Gaudreau who feels the brunt of this embarrassing loss.

It’s not that Gaudreau hasn’t been in the rumor mill before. He has. It’s also not that he should be free of his fair share of responsibility. This was not a good season for the dynamic forward. But, he’ll be the first player the Flames likely look to when they try to figure out how to right the ship.

As Eric Francis writes of Gaudreau in a recent Sportsnet column, “He’s likely played his last game as a Calgary Flame.” He adds, “Gaudreau’s annual disappearance can best be explained by the simple fact his style of game doesn’t mesh with playoff hockey.”

So, if the Flames want to do more than squeak into the postseason, changes must start with a player who seemingly can’t help when it matters most.

Related: Mike Milbury Apologizes for Comments About Women and the NHL Bubble

Who’s Going to Want Gaudreau?

There were times in the first period of that final game against Dallas that Gaudreau looked dangerous. In the end, the numbers don’t lie. Gaudreau didn’t have a single even-strength point in the series. Francis notes: “Five-on-five, he might as well have been on the fourth line, which is the latest in a series of indictments on a former 99-point regular season player who makes $6.75 million a year.”

The question becomes, even if a team believes they can help him turn his game around — or at the very least, he’ll help sell tickets in a floundering market — it’s a fair question to ask, ‘Who will take a chance here?’

Gaudreau has two years remaining on his deal and every team the Flames talk to will say that he’s not the former player who scored 99 points in a single season. They’ll say he had one playoff assist last year and only two the year before. They’ll argue that he doesn’t play defense and he doesn’t kill penalties. $6.75 million per season is a lot to pay for a player who doesn’t do a lot of things.

It’s Gaudreau Who Doesn’t Fit

There could be a lot of change to the Flames roster next season. Other than Gaudreau, Sean Monahan has been talked about in some circles, while TJ Brodie’s name has been out there. Sam Bennett has been a part of trade talks with his up and down play, but all three of these players could be helpful pieces moving forward.

The team won’t touch youngsters like Dillon Dube and Andrew Mangiapane and Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm are key parts of the leadership group. Milan Lucic won’t be moved because no team would dare touch that contract.

When all is said done, it’s Gaudreau who doesn’t fit. And, when you consider that his modified no-trade kicks in next season, this will be the time to make the move.

Next: Bergevin and Vigneault Trade Verbal Shots Before Game 6
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

More News

Discover more from NHL Trade Talk

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading