In a move that will shock the fan base and the entire NHL world, a team that didn't seem to be anywhere near the rumors to reel in the biggest fish of the free agency world did just that Wednesday,
inking the high-scoring, nearly iconic NHL winger to a seven-year contract worth $9.75 million per year
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How big of a catch is this for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen?
There have been some tremendous players to don union blue over the years. There's the man whose No. 61, Rick Nash, hangs in the rafters of Nationwide Arena. There's Sergei Fedorov, who was one of the hottest players on and off the ice before he arrived in Columbus. There's Sergei Bobrovsky, who delivered NHL trophies to the capital city.
But Johnny Gaudreau?
The man is called Johnny Hockey. What more is there to say?
If you want to look at the numbers, there's plenty that can make you excited. He's a point-per-game player at the NHL level, notching 609 points in 602 games over nine seasons with Calgary. In the last eight seasons, only five NHL players -- Connor McDavid, Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand -- have more points.
Gaudreau is coming off his best season in the league, too, posting a 40-75-115 line that put him tied for 15th in the NHL in goals, third in assists and tied for second in points (he also threw in a league-best plus-64 rating as well on the most dominant line in hockey with Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk). He got the job done in the postseason, too, posting 14 points in 12 games.
Kekalainen is not noted for being the biggest fan of the free agent market, but this is the kind of deal that is simply too good to pass up. At age 28, there should be plenty of gas left in Gaudreau's tank, as this is the kind of contract that likely will age well.
