Gaudreau signing win not only for Blue Jackets, but all of Columbus
High-scoring free agent forward coming to 'perfect spot,' vindication for 'great city'
You could tell at Gaudreau's introductory news conference at Nationwide Arena on Thursday, when general manager Jarmo Kekalainen called it an exciting day for the Blue Jackets and "a great day for the city of Columbus as well."
You could tell by the questions as much as the answers. The first question was simply, "Why? Why Columbus?" The second question was about the city's reputation in locker rooms across the NHL. At other points, the questions were about what this means to the fans, what this means to the players.
Bottom line: Gaudreau chose to play in a place many other star players have left over the years for whatever reason. He gave the Blue Jackets goosebumps, a welcome change.
"I get a rash every time I hear the negative comments about Columbus," Kekalainen said. "And it's so unfair, because we have a great organization. We have a great city. We have an unbelievable facility that will be even better after we get through the renovation] this summer. I will put it against anybody's facility in the League, no doubt about it. And that unfair perception, somehow it [becomes
($9.75 million average annual value) with Columbus, which missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons. The Blue Jackets have won one playoff series since joining the NHL in 2000-01, sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2019.
But if anyone understands how the Flames feel, it's the Blue Jackets. In 2019 alone, they lost goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers), forward Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers) and center Matt Duchene (Nashville Predators) as unrestricted free agents.
"So it happens in this league that players get the right to choose where they want to go," Kekalainen said. "Sometimes there's nothing you can do about it, and I'm not going to go back to talking about players leaving in 2019. Sometimes players leave. People think they left, but the reality is that we didn't even offer a contract. But we don't talk about that, because it would not be professional. That's the way I'm going to keep it in the future too.
"But Columbus is a great city. We have a great organization. We have a great head coach (Brad Larsen). We have a good team. And we're going to keep getting better."
Gaudreau said little about Calgary on Thursday other than that it was a tough decision and time for a change. The native of Salem, New Jersey, said he always wanted to play closer to home.
His options were limited on the open market because many teams were up against the NHL salary cap, including his hometown Philadelphia Flyers, who did not make a bid, GM Chuck Fletcher said Wednesday.
But the Blue Jackets had cap space, allowing the small market to land the biggest name on the market this time. Gaudreau said he enjoyed playing at Nationwide Arena as a visitor and did his homework by speaking to former Columbus players.
"Every time I talked to a different person about this city, it seemed like the person I was talking [to] was more excited than the last person I was talking to," Gaudreau said. "It sounded like a perfect spot for us. We're so excited, and it's going to be a special place for us, I think."
Gaudreau said the Blue Jackets have a lot of potential as a team.
"They've got good players on this team too," Gaudreau said. "I'm really looking forward to jumping in with this group. I've heard a lot of great things. They're a close-knit group. That's who you want to play with, guys who get along in the locker room and love coming to the rink and working together every single day. It's just a healthy environment to be around. That's exciting to me."
Gaudreau will help that environment, like defenseman Zach Werenski did when he signed a six-year, $57.5 million extension (average annual value $9.58 million) on July 29, 2021.
"He chose to come here," Larsen said of Gaudreau. "I won't get into contract details, because that's on their side and how he did it. But the decision that he chose us, this organization, this city, to grow his family, really coming into the prime of his career, is a big statement. It really is, and it shows his belief in what we've got going on here."
