Johnny Gaudreau's time in Calgary may be over, but he wants to set the record straight and says that he didn't string the Flames along during free agency, before signing a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"It was super close," Gaudreau said "I know a lot of people thought I was just stringing Calgary along, but no. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. I was sitting there, it was, like, 8 o'clock on the night before free agency, and I was still thinking about re-signing in Calgary."
He added, "So yeah, it was super close. I know that a lot of people won't believe me, but I remember sitting there with my mom and (my wife) Meredith, and it was just really, really hard. I didn't have an answer. I didn't know what to do."
The 29-year-old wanted to return closer to home and decided that Columbus was the best fit for him and his family. On the ice, it's been a pretty good start to his tenure with the Blue Jackets, although the team's success is almost non-existent.
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In 25 games this season, Gaudreau has 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists), eight penalty minutes and is a minus-three. He leads the Blue Jackets in points, but with a combination of injuries to key players and inconsistent play both defensively and in between the pipes, Columbus sits dead-last in the Metropolitan Division with an 8-15-2 record.
The Salem (New Jersey) native is set to face his former team for the first time since signing with the Blue Jackets, when the Flames take on Columbus on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.
Source: theScoreADS
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