Johnny Gaudreau

The Battle of Alberta is over. What a series. It's a shame it couldn't have gone seven games. The Edmonton Oilers advance to the Western Conference final, ...

And in all likelihood, Gaudreau’s next contract would outlive Sutter’s time with the Flames. But I think what it boils down to is this: Gaudreau is coming off the best year of his career on a very competitive team. The two sides agreed to put off talks long ago, and my feeling is Gaudreau has come this far and shouldered all of the risk playing out a contract year, that it only makes sense for him to get a feel for the market before deciding. MIKE MCKENNA: If I had to bet, I think Gaudreau stays in Calgary. But it would only be 60/40. A lot of it depends on his teammates. The Flames have the upper hand in that they are the only team that can offer eight years and thus have the advantage in total dollars. Until the wheels fell off goaltender Jacob Markstrom during the Battle of Alberta, Calgary looked like a legitimate Stanley Cup threat for most of this season, and Gaudreau formed one of the sport’s elite lines with Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk. Plenty of speculation will link Gaudreau to his childhood team – which, to set the record straight, is the Philadelphia Flyers, not the New Jersey Devils, as Gaudreau is a South Jersey boy – but signing with a team like Philly would set Gaudreau’s championship aspirations back years. I don’t think money is going to be the root of his next contract. But the Flames will do what it takes to keep Gaudreau if he wants to stay. He has enough time left to sign a lucrative long-term deal with Calgary, compete for championships and then enjoy a homecoming with the Flyers on the contract after this one if it’s what he really wants. Easy for critics to suggest the team has won little with Gaudreau in the fold, and it’s true on some levels. I’ve written a couple of times already this year on how difficult it will be for the Flames to keep this group together, with RFAs Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane and Oliver Kylington to be signed in addition to Gaudreau. It will be a monumental task to fit all of their weapons in under the cap, but unless Johnny wants to leave or prioritizes money above all else, I think he and the organization find a way to keep him in Flames colors. True, the Flames fell short in the playoffs, bowing out in five games to Edmonton, but Gaudreau was once again a leader for the Flames with 14 points in 12 games, although his star was dimmed by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane in the just-completed Battle of Alberta. We saw a lot more from Gaudreau in this playoff year than we have in the past and thus it’s hard to imagine there isn’t a strong desire on both sides to see this relationship continue. MATT LARKIN: Game 5 will not go down as Gaudreau’s final game as a Flame. Not when the Flames showed so much potential in 2021-22.

What will Johnny Gaudreau choose to do? That's the big question for the Calgary Flames this summer and general manager Brad Treliving has already said he ...

WynnBET has the round total set at 5.5 with the OVER set at -130 and the UNDER set at +110. At plus-money, I'm going to back the UNDER 5.5 rounds. The Miami Heat have been battling a lot of injuries in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston. As a result, they’ve looked for center Bam Adebayo to pick up the slack, but he has struggled to do so. He went off for 31 points in Miami’s Game 3 win, but as Van Gundy noted, Robert Williams sat out that game for Boston. In the other four games of the series, he has been held to 10, 6, 9 and 18 points. "I think he knows this is his football team and he's working like it on the field and he's leading the way that we want him to lead and he's doing all the right things," McDaniels added about Carr. "I couldn't ask more from Derek Carr and very pleased with what he's doing so far." Jeffery Springs gets the start for the Rays in what will be his fifth start of the year. Neymar's deal reportedly earns him €35 million a year, and his wages coupled with the fact that injuries have kept him out of 50% of PSG's games during his time with the club may make him difficult to sell even though Premier League side Chelsea could pursue his signature this summer. He scored 115 points (40 goals) this past year and at the age of 28, there are still enough good years in him that he’ll be of good value for at least five or six of the seven or eight-year deal he signs. Spoelstra said earlier this week that he believes Herro sustained the injury during the first half of Game 3 on Saturday. Herro averaged a career-high 20.7 points and 4.0 assists across 66 games (10 starts) during the regular season, while matching his previous high of 5.0 rebounds per contest as well. First, the Flames were a bit of a surprise club in 2022-23. But, can the Flames afford to keep him at that rate and have anywhere close to as strong a team as they did this season? But, a disappointing series loss, a huge pending contract extension, and the Flames’ need to keep money in the reserves for names like Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane mean a Gaudreau extension won’t come without sacrifice. That’s the big question for the Calgary Flames this summer and general manager Brad Treliving has already said he plans to “move heaven and earth” to keep Gaudreau in the fold.

The Edmonton Oilers' best player scored the walk-off goal. Advertisement 2. Story continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article ...

We know there were some discussions, but a deal didn’t get done. Article content Article content Article content Article content Thing is, you know that some of his counterparts around the league have already booked a Brinks truck, or two, in case Gaudreau hits unrestricted free agency in mid-July. Article content Gaudreau’s future is now the biggest storyline around these Flames. Article content Thanks to Connor McDavid’s series-clinching overtime tally, the Oilers are off to the Western Conference final. Article content Article content

NHL rumors: Flames plans after playoff exit, Flyers interest in Gaudreau, Canadiens and Blackhawks trade talk, Canucks and Chiasson.

Jim is a daily must for readers who want to be “in the know.” Murphy writes that the Canadiens could use the size and skill of Dach. Murphy suggests something like the 29th pick, a top prospect and a roster player like Mike Hoffman, Josh Anderson, or Jeff Petry for Dach. According to Capfriendly.com, the Flyers have just $5.1 million in cap space, and that’s with four or five more roster spots left to fill. According to ESPN.com’s Greg Wyshynski, the Calgary Flames’ offseason will center around one big decision: what happens with Johnny Gaudreau. It was a career year for Gaudreau who had 115 points but it also happened to be an unrestricted free agency year. And, if he can’t be bought out because he underwent surgery several weeks ago, that could pose an issue for the Flames.