Johnny Gaudreau surprised the hockey world on Wednesday night by giving up expectations and deciding to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Looking at the free agency, the Salem, NJ native was expected to sign close to home, with the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders as favorites to get his services.
Johnny Gaudreau surprised the hockey world by signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets to the NHL free agency. (Photo by Ben Jackson / NHLI via Getty Images)
But after putting pencils on paper in his seven-year, $ 68.25 million contract, there was confusion and an overwhelming surprise for one of the game’s best extremes to choose to commit to its future with a franchise that is more than 500 miles from home. and has a playoff series victory in its 21-year history.
For Gaudreau, however, the answer was quite simple: he just wants to have fun.
“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 was just …‘ Wow! ’Gaudreau told Aaron Portzline from The Athletic. “They’ve always had great fans, a lot in the game.
A key part of the Nationwide Arena, and a feature that has been fully accepted by the Blue Jackets and their fan base, is a giant Civil War-era cannon that is activated whenever the local team scores. Gaudreau has a complicated past with the cannon, but fortunately he believes he can overcome his fear.
“That cannon scares me a little bit, and I’ve faced that cannon a couple of times,” Gaudreau said. “I didn’t want to hear it before. Now I want to hear it all the time. Hopefully we’ll really get it this season.”
Beyond the environment, the fans and the now beloved cannon, Gaudreau said he was attracted to playing with some familiar faces in Columbus ’dressing room.
“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 said.
The story goes on
While Ohio’s professional sports teams have historically not been considered an attractive destination for star players, the signing of Gaudreau could change the tides slightly. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen certainly wants to do it that way, specifically for his team.
“I think we can finally get rid of the bull **** 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.”
Well, hopefully Kekalainen’s skin will be rash-free for the next seven years, as Columbus has put itself on the map as a promising team on the brink of success. Last season, the Blue Jackets finished with 19 points from a playoff spot with a 37-38-7 record, but they will no doubt now be a selection of dark horse playoffs with Gaudreau in the game.
They still have work to do this off-season. The Blue Jackets have a shadow of more than $ 3 million in space and have yet to sign a new contract with restricted free agent Patrik Laine, so more moves will be needed. But this is a small price to pay for blocking one of the best players in the game.
“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.”
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