COMMENTARY – ON GAUDREAU’S DEPARTURE: I GET IT

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AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS ONLY SEEMED LIKE THE WILDEST NHL FREE AGENT SEASON EVER BECAUSE IT WAS MY FIRST BEING IN AN NHL MARKET.

BUT NO, WITH 75 PLAYERS CHANGING TEAMS ON DAY 1 OF FREE AGENCY ON WEDNESDAY AND THE BIGGEST BEING JOHNNY GAUDREAU ASTONISHINGLY LEAVING CALGARY FOR COLUMBUS, IT IS INDEED THE MOST MIND-BOGGLING FREE AGENCY WE’VE SEEN.

AND LET ME SET THE STAGE. FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS FLAMES FANS HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF GAUDREAU AND PRESSED THE TEAM TO SIGN HIM TO AN EXTENSION AHEAD OF FREE AGENCY.

HE’S ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FLAMES EVER, HAVING LED THE TEAM IN SCORING IN SIX OF HIS EIGHT SEASONS AND IS COMING OFF HIS BEST SEASON EVER.

TO BE FRANK, I’D COMMENTED OVER THE YEARS THAT GAUDREAU LOOKED DISINTERESTED OUT ON THE ICE AND WOULDN’T FINISH HIS CAREER HERE BUT HAD MY HEAD BITTEN OFF BY THE FLAMES FAITHFUL FOR SAYING SUCH A THING.

AS I’VE SAID MANY TIMES, SOMETIMES IT’S LONELY PLAYING THE LONG GAME.

THANK GOD I’VE GOT THE PATIENCE OF JOB.

TUESDAY NIGHT WORD CAME DOWN THAT GAUDREAU INFORMED THE FLAMES HE WOULDN’T BE RETURNING. IT WAS A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW BUT FANS BOUGHT INTO THE NOTION THAT HE WANTED TO SIGN WITH A TEAM NEAR HIS HOMETOWN LIKE PHILADELPHIA OR NEW JERSEY. OR EVEN NEW YORK.

ABSOLUTELY EVERY SINGLE PLACE I TURNED, PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT. EVERY WORKER AT THE GREY EAGLE CASINO KEPT AN EYE ON THE TV SCREENS FOR BREAKING NEWS.

IT WAS THE TALK AT THE GAS STATION AND THE DAIRY QUEEN.

AND THEN NEWS HIT THAT GAUDREAU WAS SIGNING WITH THE COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS AND THE FANS HERE SAW RED.

COLUMBUS??!!

THEY IMMEDIATELY LOOKED UP NEXT YEAR’S SCHEDULE AND SAW THAT THE BLUE JACKETS VISIT THE FLAMES ON JANUARY 23 AND THEY’RE ALREADY PLANNING TO GIVE GAUDREAU THE RUDEST OF WELCOMES.

I GO BACK TO WHAT I ORIGINALLY SAID. GAUDREAU NEVER LOOKED TOTALLY HAPPY PLAYING HERE.

I DON’T THINK HIM LEAVING HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH COACH DARRYL SUTTER BEING HARD ON HIM BECAUSE HE LOOKED LISTLESS LONG BEFORE DARRYL TOOK OVER THE TEAM.

THE FLAMES WILL BE FINE WITHOUT A PLAYER WHO DIDN’T WANT TO BE IN CALGARY, AND ONLY SCORED 115 POINTS BECAUSE IT WAS A CONTRACT YEAR. THERE WASN’T ANYTHING ELSE GM BRAD TRELIVING COULD DO.

IF YOUR HEART’S NOT IN IT, IT’S NOT IN IT AND IT’S TIME TO GO. NOW EVERYBODY NEEDS TO ACCEPT THAT JOHNNY’S DOING WHAT HE FEELS IS BEST FOR HIM, AND MOVE ON.

IF ANYBODY GETS THAT, IT’S ME.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)