Calgary Flames striker Johnny Gaudreau could be the best free agent on the market when the frenzy begins on July 13th. That is, of course, unless the Flames can close their offensive dynamo before that. The team is lowering the pedal according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff as they try to beat the clock.
Seravalli points out something that is important to remember in cases like this. The Flames’ advantage of being able to offer Gaudreau one more year will disappear once the free agency begins, in other words, they have just over a month to offer him an eight-year contract. If he arrives on July 13 without a contract, the 28-year-old striker will only be able to sign a seven-year contract, no matter where he decides to go.
Every time CEO Brad Treliving has spoken of Gaudreau, he has made it clear that Calgary hopes to retain the services of its 115-point man. Despite this, speculation continues to revolve around the New Jersey native, suggesting he might be interested in returning to the East Coast. As always, it is likely that any contract negotiation will be determined by the general salary in the first place, as is the case with almost all players coming to market.
In that sense, the Flames certainly have enough room to win a bidding war, although there are other players who could be affected by the place where Gaudreau lands. Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane are free agents restricted to just one year of unrestricted free agent status, and they could simply use the arbitrage system to reach the open market in 2023. Any long-term extension with them will buy almost exclusively UFA. years and would be expensive.
However, the focus is obviously on Gaudreau, as there is much more time to talk to the FRG strikers after the free agent period begins. If they don’t get the first domino in their place, things could be drastically different in Calgary next season.