Blue Jackets land NHL's top free agent in winger Johnny Gaudreau
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen doesn't like to take swings in free agency. But this year, with winger Johnny Gaudreau available after choosing not to return to Calgary, Kekalainen went for it.
It was widely believed that Gaudreau wanted to play closer to his native New Jersey, making the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils the presumptive top three teams.
It wasn't until late Wednesday afternoon that reports began to swirl that Columbus was in the mix, and around 7 p.m., the first reports that Gaudreau had chosen Columbus began.
At 8:40 p.m., just over an hour and a half after the news sent shockwaves through the hockey landscape, the Jackets made Gaudreau's choice official.
Gaudreau will make $9.75 million per year over the next seven seasons, which below the $10.5 million over eight years that was reportedly Calgary's final offer.
The 5-9 forward was considered the top free agent available this year after scoring 40 goals and tallying 75 assists to finish second in the NHL with 115 points in 82 games this season. He's one of the best passers in the NHL and highly effective both distributing and shooting the puck off the rush.
In 602 career NHL games, Gaudreau has scored 210 goals and collected 399 assists for total 609 points, including 171 points on the power play. He was selected by Calgary with the No. 104 overall pick in the 2011 draft and ranks sixth in the NHL in points since playing his first full season in 2014-15.
“Johnny Gaudreau is a superstar in the National Hockey League, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome him to the Columbus Blue Jackets family,” Kekalainen said in the team's release. “He is an elite player with great character that makes the players around him better. We are thrilled to add a player of his caliber to our group. This is an exciting day for our franchise, our fans and the city of Columbus."
In an instant, Gaudreau's choice to sign with the Jackets changed the makeup of their forward group and set the tone that Columbus is ready to step out of the reset.
And though signing Gaudreau ate up a large chunk of the Jackets' remaining salary cap space, Kekalainen told The Dispatch that re-signing Patrik Laine is "still in the works". Columbus would have to free up some money to make room for Laine's presumed $8-9 million per year contract, but the possibility of pairing two of the NHL's most skilled wingers on the same roster is too tantalizing for the Jackets not to explore.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Johnny Gaudreau chooses Blue Jackets in free agency
