Coleman reveals Gaudreau wanted to extend with Flames in 2021

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Frustration may have played a big part in why Johnny Gaudreau is no longer a member of the Calgary Flames.

Fans were furious with Gaudreau following the 2021-22 season, when they learned he had left the Flames and instead signed a seven-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. They took it as a major slap in the face that he would prefer to leave Calgary for a destination that isn’t often popular amongst NHLers.

As it turns out, however, Gaudreau may have originally been the one who wanted to stick around, while the organization was hesitant about it. In a recent interview on the Cam & Strick podcast, Blake Coleman did his best to break the entire situation down.

“I had heard rumblings, just, you know, frustration with how things had been with his relationship [with the team],” Coleman said. “The summer before, he wanted to extend and all these things.”

To make matters even worse for Flames fans, Coleman said he doesn’t think Matthew Tkachuk would have wanted to leave had Gaudreau re-signed.

“I think if Johnny stays, I don’t know that Chucky left,” Coleman said.

This has to be extremely painful for Flames fans to hear, as this team would undoubtedly be more competitive with Gaudreau and Tkachuk still around. Instead, they were replaced by players such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, and MacKenzie Weegar. The latter two have been good players for the Flames, but there’s no denying the swap has hurt the team.

One can’t help but wonder if Gaudreau would want a do-over on this entire situation as well, as he has struggled for two straight seasons on what has been a poorly constructed Blue Jackets roster. Through a combined 161 games, he’s managed only 33 goals and 134 points, while putting up a horrendous plus/minus rating of -60.

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