Calgary Flames sign Johnny Gaudreau to six-year deal
The Calgary Flames have agreed to a six-year deal with forward Johnny Gaudreau.
The negotiations between the Calgary Flames and Johnny Gaudreau have been long and painful for both sides. With the regular season starting on Wednesday, the Flames and Gaudreau have finally agreed to a six-year deal. The deal is worth $40.5 million and has an annual cap hit of $6.75 million.
The two sides differed on the average annual value of the contract, but the Wednesday unofficial deadline made both sides more willing to negotiate. Overall, the Flames get a nice deal for Gaudreau. Gaudreau finished sixth in the NHL last season in scoring with 78 points and his 30 goals were tied for 19th while his 48 assists were tied for 11th.
Give credit to the Flames for sticking to their guns. They didn’t want to pay Gaudreau more than their captain Mark Giordano. Gaudreau has the same annual cap hit as Giordano with his new deal and that cap hit of $6.75 million places him fifth among left wings.
Overall, Gaudreau gets paid as well, so it’s a win for him as well. He earned a big contract and he certainly got one. Gaudreau has emerged as a hero for the Flames both on and off the ice. The Flames now have both Gaudreau and his center Sean Monahan locked up for the foreseeable future, which is a win for Calgary also.
The Flames selected Gaudreau in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Thought by many to be too small to play in the NHL, Gaudreau has proven the critics wrong with 143 points in his first two NHL seasons. Gaudreau has already been to two All-Star games and finished third in the Calder Trophy voting in 2014-15.
Calgary begins its season on Wednesday when the Flames travel to Edmonton to take on the Edmonton Oilers.
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