COLUMBUS, Ohio – It will become one of the most memorable days in the franchise’s history, the time when the Blue Jackets not only achieved the most important name in this year’s free agent harvest, but also perhaps the moment when the rest of the NHL began to see the city in a different light.
Johnny Gaudreau chose from NHL clubs, from major metropolitan markets to hockey-mad Canadian cities. The highly qualified left winger, after a 115-point season, could have had a bigger payday if he had stayed with the only NHL club he has ever known, the Calgary Flames.
But in a move that surprised hockey fans everywhere, especially those in central Ohio, 28-year-old Gaudreau chose the Blue Jackets to spend the best of his career, signing a contract on Wednesday. seven years and $ 68.25 million with Columbus. The deal will pay Gaudreau $ 9.75 million each season, which is also the biggest hit. Gaudreau also has a non-movement clause for the first four years, then a limited non-transaction clause for the last three years.
Why did Gaudreau choose Columbus? How did they get the Blue Jackets, who have never made it past the second round of the playoffs, one of the NHL’s star players?
Gaudreau said the Blue Jackets were on his list before the opening of the free agency period, based on the experiences he has had playing at the Nationwide Arena and the conversations he has had with current and former Blue Jackets. Jackets, which excited him.
“I had never been to Columbus before until I got to the NHL, so when I started playing there I didn’t know what I was getting into, and I just said …‘ Wow! ’” Gaudreau told The Athletic on the phone. Wednesday afternoon. “They’ve always had big fans, a lot in the game.
“It simply came to our notice then. I played in the (world championship) with Zach Werenski. I have known Eric Robinson for 15-20 years. And some old guys, like Cam Atkinson and Dalton Prout … those guys said, “You’ll absolutely love the place.”
Gaudreau joked that his controversial relationship with the Nationwide Arena cannon, which explodes every time the Blue Jackets score, has already changed its mind.
“That cannon scares me a little bit and I’ve had a confrontation with that cannon a couple of times,” Gaudreau said, which will be officially unveiled at a press conference on Thursday. “I didn’t want to hear it before. Now I want to hear it all the time.
“Hopefully we get this really explosive thing this season.”
The move has the potential to return the Blue Jackets to the playoff photo in the Eastern Conference after a two-year hiatus. (Yes, GM Jarmo Kekalainen plans to sign and keep restricted free agent Patrik Laine, although $ 5 million in moves will be needed to stay below the NHL salary cap.)
Equally important, perhaps, is what this means for the franchise off the ice. After sweeping Tampa Bay in the first round of the 2019 playoffs, the Blue Jackets have lost significant talent and earned a reputation, perhaps unfairly, for not being an attractive place to play.
Kekalainen began his conversation with Athletic by highlighting the importance of Gaudreau for his vision of the club, how his presence on the ice will make the Blauers a more dangerous offensive club, and so on.
But it means so much more.
“I think we can finally get rid of the shit that somehow this is a bad destination, a bad city, whatever,” Kekalainen said. “Because it’s never been true. We had a bad reputation because a couple of people decided over time that they wouldn’t be here in the long run for different reasons, but it’s never been for the city or the organization.
“We just had to shut up and deal with it, but every time I see a comment like this, I get a rash.”
The Blue Jackets have been in contact with reputable free agents in previous seasons. Three years ago, they discussed an offer sheet with Toronto striker Mitch Marner, but never signed it. Two years ago, they had conversations with veteran defender Alex Pietrangelo before signing with Vegas.
His initial contact with Gaudreau’s agent, Lewis Gross, was expected to develop in the same way. The Blue Jackets had Gaudreau at the top of their wish list and expanded an offer shortly after the window opened at noon in the East.
Many expected Gaudreau to sign with a club near his family home in New Jersey. Philadelphia, the islanders of New York and New Jersey were considered favorites. But by mid-afternoon, the Blue Jackets were alerted that they were very much underway.
Kekalainen met with the media around 3pm to discuss the signing of defender Erik Gudbranson. It was some time after that meeting that the conversations with Gaudreau and the Blue Jackets got serious.
“It came out of the blue,” Kekalainen said. “How, are you serious?
“Everyone says it’s one of the biggest fish on the market. We always make our list and at the right time we get in touch with the people who are at the top of our list, but to know that, yes, they are one of the teams they want to come to … “
Calgary had offered eight years at $ 10.5 million per season, but Gaudreau decided from the start that he would not return to the Flames. The Flyers, who had long been expected to be the destination, made no offer, GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters, because it would have provoked other trades for Philadelphia.
New Jersey offered seven years and more than $ 9 million per season, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
Johnny Gaudreau. (Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images)
The move was amazing, even by free agency standards.
“This guy wanted to come here,” Kekalainen said. “When you have a player like this, this caliber, you have to make a move and that’s basically what we did.
“She’s obviously a superstar. It’s a must when a guy like this tells you he wants to come here.”
Gaudreau said he was not happily aware of the hockey world’s response to his signing. He hadn’t been on Twitter all day, he said.
“It’s all outside noise to me,” Gaudreau said. “I’m very excited about where I am. I think it was a big decision for me and my wife, and now we’re on the moon. Super excited.”
Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, is a pediatric nurse. She is expecting the couple’s first child in late September.
“I hope the boys let the new boy out for a couple of hours so he can witness it in person,” Gaudreau joked.
The Blue Jackets had too many fronts and too many ends before this signing. A week ago, Kekalainen needed to unload some strikers to make room for his young talent to have a proper opportunity in the lineup.
Now, he will have to move several advances to stay below the NHL’s $ 82.5 million salary cap. If you project a $ 8.5 million contract for Laine, the blue jackets will exceed the $ 4 million limit. But they will need more than that to allow for injuries as the season progresses.
“We thought about it a lot, a lot,” Kekalainen said. “We’re sure we can make it all work. That doesn’t change our position on Laine at all. We’ll approach (negotiations with Laine) as if it’s an ongoing job, but we have plans to keep them both.”
It is someone else who will have to move. Oliver Bjorkstrand? Gustav Nyquist?
The Blue Jackets haven’t had even minor issues with the cover since the 2019 season, but it’s a small price to pay to add a player like Gaudreau.
In 82 regular-season games last season, he scored 40 goals and 75 assists, behind only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (123) in points. He was third in assists and led the entire NHL with a plus-64 rating.
Since Gaudreau became regular in 2014-15, he has 608 points, behind only McDavid (697), Patrick Kane (687), Sidney Crosby (640), Leon Draisaitl (616) and Brad Marchand (609) in this period.
Gaudreau has mostly played on the left side, but he can play on both sides of the center. The Blue Jackets could wear it with Laine or Jakub Voracek on their side.
“It fits anywhere and will make everyone around you better,” Kekalainen said. “It simply came to our notice then.
“Last year he had 115 points. Watch our power game now. Look at how we can push the play to the ice, and now we have a guy again who can lead the play as a center, but he does it from the side. “
The Blue Jackets organization has had few opportunities to enjoy the glory, such as the signing of Gaudreau created on Wednesday.
It was June 22, 2002, the day Rick Nash was selected No. 1 overall; April 8, 2009, the first time they got a playoff spot; and on April 16, 2019, the night they beat Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs.
Add another line: July 13, 2022: The day Johnny Hockey chose Columbus.
(Top photo by Johnny Gaudreau: Sergei Belski / USA Today)