His former teammates are expecting an emotional evening.
"I think whether they're booing or not, I think everybody really appreciated what he brought to the city and brought to the team," Flames forward Blake Coleman said. "If they start booing, it's almost kind of comical and part of how it is.
"You're not booing a guy that just left and nobody's missing. I'm sure Johnny takes it that way, too."
Selected by the Flames in the fourth round (No. 104) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Gaudreau had 609 points (210 goals, 399 assists) in 602 regular-season games and 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 42 Stanley Cup Playoff games for Calgary from 2014-22. He signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract ($9.75 million average annual value) with the Blue Jackets on July 13, one day after Flames general manager Brad Treliving announced the forward would test free agency.
This season, Gaudreau leads Columbus with 44 points (13 goals, 31 assists) in 46 games.
"Sports is awesome," Gaudreau said Friday. "It brings people together ,and I got to play there for 10 years, nine years, and I had some great memories, and they're probably a little upset that I'm not there anymore. I get it.
"They love their team, and that's why I loved playing there so much and I loved being part of that organization for 12, 13 years. It's going to be fun going back."
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Flames alternate captain Mikael Backlund, who played with Gaudreau during each of his nine seasons in Calgary, was prepared for his former teammate to leave, though, sensing last summer that 2021-22 would be Gaudreau's final season with the Flames.
"I was like, 'Oh, this guy is not coming back,'" Backlund said. "Then through the season he said more and more he wanted to stay. He didn't just say it. You could tell he meant it. But then it took a little too long and it felt like it wasn't going to happen.
"I was prepared he wasn't going to sign here. It wasn't a big shock for me, just knowing him and that he wanted to play in the (United States) at some point in his career. You knew that could happen."
The Flames also know that because of Gaudreau's decision to leave, it's possible he'll hear some jeers. Earlier this season, fans booed Matthew Tkachuk, who told the Flames he wouldn't re-sign with them last offseason and was traded to the Florida Panthers for forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar on July 22.
However, they celebrated Sean Monahan's return on Dec. 1. The Flames traded Monahan and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 18 for future considerations.
Regardless, the game will likely be a memorable moment.
"Probably be a pretty cool moment coming back here," Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin said. "He was here for a long time and a big part of the team for a long time. I'm sure it'll be a fun night, pretty similar to when 'Chucky' was here. [Gaudreau] was a super dominant player and a really good player for the organization for a long time."
Although it'll be his first time as an opponent in Calgary, Gaudreau already played the Flames this season, winning 3-1 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Dec. 9.
Still, it will be different this time around.
"I think there might be some boos," Backlund said. "I actually don't know. I'm sure there'll be a nice video tribute for him. He was here a long time and played really well for us and was a great teammate. A lot of good things while he was here. It'll be a nice tribute. I don't know if people will clap their hands after or cheer, I don't know what to expect.
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow."
NHL.com independent correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report
