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On Monday night, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving announced that superstar left winger Johnny Gaudreau would not be returning next season. That was a bit of a surprise, considering the year the team just had and the season the Gaudreau had himself. Calgary reportedly attempted very hard to hold onto their superstar, but he was looking for a change.
On Wednesday, amid a flurry of moves around the NHL, Johnny Gaudreau signed a massive seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. In doing so, he joined some exclusive company.
Johnny Gaudreau joins a small group of prolific point-getters to switch teams in the offseason pic.twitter.com/yGdVPRQywi
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) July 14, 2022
Gaudreau had the fourth most points in NHL history for a player to change teams during an offseason. Only Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr and Marcel Dionne had more. Gretzky, like usual, lapped the field with 169 points on this list before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Meanwhile, both Jagr and Dionne both had 121 points before their respective trades.
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Technically, that means Johnny Gaudreau had the most points in NHL history for a player to leave in free agency. He finished last season with 115 points, scoring 40 goals and 75 assists. He helped lead the Flames to a Pacific Division crown and the second seed in the Western Conference.
They ultimately fell to their rival, the Edmonton Oilers, in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The future Hall of Fame winger played all eight seasons of his illustrious career in Calgary. He goes from a team built to contend to one in rebuilding mode. The Blue Jackets finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division last season. Considering the depth of the Eastern Conference, it's unlikely Gaudreau will move the needle enough for Columbus to keep up in the East.
