Calgary Flames rumors could have them done with Johnny Gaudreau after latest playoff debacle
Anthony Scultore
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The Calgary Flames were eliminated last night in spectacular fashion. With their backs against the wall, the Flames took a three goal lead before surrendering 7 unanswered goals to the Stars dropping their series in six games.
One player in particular seems to be the poster child for the Flames inability to win in the postseason is Johnny Gaudreau. That seems pretty unfair for a guy who scored 7 points in 10 games in these playoffs (including the qualifying round).
Calgary Flames rumors with Gaudreau go back to November
Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames has been in the NHL trade rumor mill a few times this season. The speculation started in The Athletic back in November but died down. Those rumors picked up at the deadline and went off the charts when Gaudreau temporarily took the Flames out of his Twitter bio.
The Flames left winger is going to turn 27 this August. He had a decent year with 58 points in 70 games, but a far cry from last year’s 99 point campaign. Surely that can’t be the reason why you would trade a player entering his prime years.
Flames have some cap concerns
For the Flames it all comes down to money and the cap. Calgary operated with just under $1 million in space before the pause. Add on the fact the cap will remain flat at $81.5M for the next two seasons, and the Flames need to find some room. Heading into next year Calgary only has $16M in cap space with just 9 forwards, 4 defensemen, and 1 goalie signed.
If you do the math, that isn’t enough money to fill a roster. However, should the Flames trade Gaudreau, who has two years left at $6.75M AAV and will receive a $3.5M signing bonus before the start of next season, they could get it done.
Potential trade destinations for Gaudreau
- Philadelphia Flyers
- New York Rangers
- New Jersey Devils
- Carolina Hurricanes