Johnny Gaudreau explains shocking Blue Jackets move amid Devils talks

Johnny Gaudreau opened up on his decision to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets despite interest from his hometown New Jersey Devils.

In what easily the most surprising move in 2022 NHL free agency, the Columbus Blue Jackets emerged, seemingly out of nowhere, and signed Johnny Gaudreau to a massive seven-year deal. It had been widely reported that Gaudreau had no interest in returning to Calgary, but the expectation was that he'd look to play closer to where he grew up on the East Coast. The New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Islanders were all among the favorites to land the star forward in free agency, but now the 28-year-old has opened up on what led him to join the Blue Jackets, via Spittin Chiclets.

If the Blue Jackets didn’t come in with a last minute offer, Johnny Hockey would be a member of the New Jersey Devils.

📺: https://t.co/3PGvRNhC0J pic.twitter.com/TjYZEvJtMk

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) July 19, 2022

Gaudreau revealed that he had been in talks with the Devils and was working towards getting a deal done in New Jersey. As talks progressed, Columbus entered the mix late into the negotiations, and immediately managed to sway Gaudreau towards signing with them.

“I was trying to get a deal done with the Devils and then, most of the day I hadn't heard from Columbus,” said Gaudreau. “Then all of the sudden [the Blue Jackets] called at like 4:00, and I told my agent, ‘I want to go here. Just try to get this done. This is the spot I want to be right here.' He got it done in an hour and next thing you know I was signing with Columbus.”

While that will be music to the ears of Blue Jackets fans, supporters of the Devils are probably in disbelief that they failed to lock down free agency's top prize, especially given the two sides had been at the negotiation tables well before Columbus even got involved.

Gaudreau, a Salem County, NJ, native shocked the hockey world when he spurned the Devils' advances in order to sign for the Blue Jackets. While fans are still a bit perplexed by his decision, Gaudreau feels that the fit in Columbus is near perfect and seems genuinely excited to get to work on their first line.