Johnny Gaudreau

At 31 years old, Johnny Gaudreau has this physical status:

Playing career

Gaudreau played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he competed in the 2011 USHL All-Star Game and helped his team win the Clark Cup as the USHL champions. Gaudreau's outstanding play during the season culminated in his selection to the USHL All-Rookie Team and the All-USHL Second Team. He was also named as the Year's Top Rookie of the Year.

Gaudreau's 2011 NHL Entry Draft Draft took place in the 4th round, 104th overall, by the Calgary Flames. Gaudreau, who was listed at 5'6", was one of the draft's youngest players.

Gaudreau began his involvement in the NCAA with the Boston College Eagles' team in the Hockey East conference following their participation in the 2011–12 season. He started signing a Letter of Intent to play with Hockey East rival Northeastern University, but he left for Boston College in June 2011 after Northeastern Hockey head coach Greg Cronin resigned to join the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gaudreau, a Boston College freshman, scored 21 goals and 23 assists (44 points), leading all freshmen in scoring. He was instrumental in Boston College's National Championship victory, scoring a highlight-reel goal late in the third period as the team's 4–1 victory over Ferris State University. Gaudreau was named the Most Valuable Player of the Hockey East Championship Tournament by Bill Flynn. He was also a member of the Eagles to win the traditional Beanpot Tournament for the third year in a row, and was named Beanpot MVP after the tournament.

Gaudreau's sophomore season as the team's star and improved on his already impressive figures, with a 21–31–51 scoring line in 35 games, leading the nation in points per game at 1.46. Since helping to win a gold medal for the United States at the 2013 World Juniors, he led the Eagles to their fourth straight Beanpot championship. Despite losing in the Hockey East tournament semi-finals and losing out of the NCAA tournament in the first round against Union College, he was named an ACHA First Team All-American for his outstanding offensive performances. Gaudreau, along with Eric Hartzell and Drew LeBlanc, were named one of the three finalists for the 2013 Hobey Baker Award on April 3, 2013. St. Louis, Texas. Drew LeBlanc of Cloud State was the recipient of the award.

Despite rumors that Gaudreau would retire and join the Calgary Flames, he decided to stay at Boston College for his junior year. One of the primary reasons for his stay, according to him, was to play with his younger brother Matthew, who joined the team in the fall. Gaudreau's decision to stay in Boston College was fortunate for the school, with 36 goals and 44 assists in 80 games, the most prolific scoring category since 2003. Gaudreau was paired up with Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes on a line, which soon became college hockey's most offensively potent line, with 46 goals and 68 assists for 114 points as a trio after a 5–4 Eagles loss to Holy Cross in November. Gaudreau also tied Paul Kariya for his best single season scoring streak at 31 games, scoring 29 goals and 61 points during the span. He was named league Player of the Year for his second straight season, as well as the league's scoring champion with 36 points in 20 games, and he was named a unanimous First-Team All-Star for his outstanding season. On March 20, he was also a top-ten finalist on March 20 and a top three "Hobey Hat Trick" finalist for the second year in a row.

Despite losing in the Frozen Four on April 11, Gaudreau was named the 2014 winner of the NCAA's best ice hockey player award to the NCAA's top ice hockey player.

Gaudreau joined the NHL on the same day as receiving the Hobey Baker award. Gaudreau and Eagles teammate Bill Arnold signed entry-level contracts with the Calgary Flames on April 11, 2014, shortly after the ceremony, with Arnold being drafted by Calgary in 2010. Both players appeared in the Flames' last game of the 2013–14 season against the Vancouver Canucks, making their NHL debut. Gaudreau scored the Flames' only goal on his first shot of his first professional game.

Gaudreau earned a spot on the Flames' roster to continue his NHL career in 2014-2015. Gaudreau did not win until the sixth game of the year, slowing down. However, he grew up quickly, scoring 12 goals and 30 points in 37 games. In a 4–3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on December 22, 2014, he scored his first career NHL hat-trick, beating Joe Nieuwendyk, the youngest Flames player to score a hat-trick since Joe Nieuwendyk in the 1987–88 season.

Gaudreau was selected to compete in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio, on January 25, 2015, earning praise for their antics during the shootout competition. The shootout attempt, which imitated Ryan Johansen's previous move (who helped seven-year-old Cole Vogt, the son of Columbus Blue Jackets trainer Mike Vogt, score a goal on Corey Crawford), went viral. Gaudreau's small stature in comparison to other NHLers led some to believe he looks like a child, with others comparing him to Johansen's size and youth. Gaudreau was originally selected to the All-Star Skills Competition Rookie Team, but was later promoted to Sidney Crosby as a backup, but he was unable to participate due to injury. Gaudreau was named to Team Toews and had two assists in the game, both on goals scored by the Nashville Predators' Filip Forsberg.

Gaudreau scored his 50th point of the season on March 11, 2015, becoming the first Flames rookie to reach the milestone since Jarome Iginla in 1996-97. Gaudreau shared the rookie scoring lead with Ottawa Senator Mark Stone during the regular season. Gaudreau had 24 goals and led all rookies with 40 assists, while Stone had 26 goals. He was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best rookie, but the Florida Panthers' Aaron Ekblad was named third, with Gaudreau finishing third. For the 2014–15 season, he was selected to the NHL's All-Rookie team.

Gaudreau's 2015-2016 season was a banner year for the sophomore, with career highs in goals, assists, and points en route to finishing sixth among all NHL players in total points. Gaudreau played in the NHL All-Star Game for the second year in a row, the 61st in NHL history. Gaudreau was selected as a finalist for the All-Star Game MVP award, which was later given to controversial and unusual write-in candidate John Scott. Gaudreau's Flames, on the other hand, failed to live up to the high hopes bestowed upon them after their remarkably successful 2014–15 season, finishing 26th in the NHL and missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons.

Gaudreau's training camp was postponed for the entirety of the Flames' training camp due to a labour dispute. Gaudreau signed a six-year, $40.5 million contract worth $6.75 million annually, on October 10, 2016, two days before the Flames' season opener. Gaudreau sustained a finger fracture during a game against the Minnesota Wild on November 16, 2016. The following day, he underwent surgery. Gaudreau returned after ten games despite rumors that he would miss six weeks of the season. Gaudreau led the Flames in scoring after finishing the season with 61 points in 72 games. Gaudreau also scored two assists in four games against the Anaheim Ducks in the 2017 playoffs.

Gaudreau led the Flames and finished top-20 in the NHL with 84 points scored during the 2017–18 season, with 84. His 60 assists were in the top ten for the category. He was named an NHL All-Star for the fourth year in a row, but he would not play in the playoffs as the Flames fell short of a late-season bid for the last wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Gaudreau's best regular season to date, the 2018–19 season was the best to date for the Gaudreau. He had a career best 99 points, including career highs in goals (36), assists (63), and points (99). He was ranked seventh in league standings at seventh place. The Flames dominated the Pacific Division and were the Western Conference's top seed in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Gaudreau came in fourth in the annual Hart Memorial Trophy, which was awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to the league's Most Valuable Player.

However, the Flames lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. Gaudreau only made one point, not assist, in the five-game series, which was singled out as the Flames' top weakness in the postseason.

Gaudreau had a bad season in 2018-19, with just 18 goals and 40 assists in 70 games, downing from his high success in 2018-19. The COVID-19 pandemic lead to the regular season being postponed in March. The NHL later decided to hold the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in Edmonton and Toronto as a bubble. At the time the regular season had been postponed, the Flames had been eighth in the Western Conference, and they had met the ninth-place Winnipeg Jets in a special qualifying round. Gaudreau scored his first playoff goal since 2015 in Game 1 of the series, helping the Flames win the game 4–1. The Flames defeated the Jets 3–1 in the qualifying round before the Flames faced the Dallas Stars in the first round. Gaudreau failed to produce in the playoffs again, and the Flames lost the series four games to two.

Due to the raging pandemic, the NHL resynchronized its divisions for a brief season. All seven Canadian teams competed in the North Division in the North Division to avoid cross-border travel. Gaudreau's year started slowly, and more difficulties arose as a result of Geoff Ward's departure midway through the season, when Darryl Sutter was postponed midway through the season. Following the change, adapting to Sutter's style was daunting, and Gaudreau's only seven points in a span of fifteen games. However, his scoring improved during the final months of the regular season, as well as general improvement of the team. In a game against the Edmonton Oilers, he scored his 300th career assist on a goal by teammate Sam Bennett. During the regular season, Gaudreau led the Flames in goals (19) and assists (30). The Flames did not qualify for the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, falling four points shy of the Montreal Canadiens for their final berth in the North Division.

The NHL's divisions and style have been restored to their pre-pandemic standards for the 2021–22 season, the Flames' first full season under new coach Sutter. It would be one of the most successful regular seasons in team history, with Gaudreau at the helm of the team's triumph. Both centerman Elias Lindholm and left winger Matthew Tkachachuk formed one of the NHL's most popular forward lines, and the three players have reached numerous personal and collective milestones over the course of the season. For the first time in his career, he reached the 100-point mark on April 12. Gaudreau's 40th goal of the season came in an April 29 loss to the Minnesota Wild, marking Lindholm and Tkachachuk for the first time in 28 years, and the first time in a span that a team had three 40-goal scorers. He finished the season with 40 goals and 75 assists for 115 points, finishing second overall in points standings for the Art Ross Trophy, behind only Connor McDavid. This was also the second-most points for a Flame, behind only Kent Nilsson (131), who died in 1980-81. Several people have argued that Gaudreau's performances during the season lead them to believe that he should be a leading candidate for the Hart Memorial Trophy, despite the fact that he was not a finalist in the polling. The Flames won the Pacific Division and finished sixth in the league, finishing fifth.

In the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flames defeated the Dallas Stars, a rematch of the bubble playoffs two years ago and a matchup in which the Flames were regarded as the favorite in the series. Gaudreau's future prospects were the subject of a lot of skepticism in the aftermath of poor results in previous years. The Stars were more difficult than many had expected, largely due to Jake Oettinger's superb play. Gaudreau scored the game-winning goal to tie the series in Game 4, his first of the playoffs, after falling behind 2 games to 1. Gaudreau's performance in the early games earned him the praise of coach Sutter, who said he felt he had "taken the initiative" to do as well in the playoffs as he had during the regular season. Gaudreau's second game of the playoffs was also a game-winner, this time in overtime in Game 7, advancing the Flames to the second round for the first time in seven years. In the second round of the Edmonton Oilers, the Flames' first playoff "Battle of Alberta" in 31 years. In five games, the Flames were defeated by the Oilers, bringing the playoff season to an end.

Gaudreau's employment ended, many believed him to be the top unrestricted free agent of 2022, and whether the Flames would be able to re-sign him was a point of considerable debate. Gaudreau will not return to Calgary on July 12, 2022, despite the club's vigorous internal campaign to re-sign him, which included a monetary compensation that would have made Gaudreau one of the best compensated players in the league. Gaudreau's decision was described as a "disappointing day, to say the very least," according to GM Brad Treliving, but Gaudreau cited Gaudreau's desire to move closer to his family as "completely." John has every right, and we have nothing but admiration for him and John the individual."

Gaudreau's first day as a free agent on July 13, 2019, the Columbus Blue Jackets' average annual income of $9.75 million, less than the Calgary and New Jersey Devils' comparable offers to play for the team. Both because Columbus had not been one of the most popular destinations for free agents before and because Columbus had a reputation as a dangerous destination for free agents. Jarmo Kekäläinen, the general manager of the Blue Jackets, expressed hope after the signing that "we might now get rid of the bullshit that this is clearly not a bad destination, a bad city, or something else. "It's never been true" before.

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