Flames must learn lessons from Gaudreau exit as Tkachuk future looms

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The past 48 hours have been arguably the darkest in Calgary Flames franchise history. 

After weeks of endless speculation, following the Flames’ second round playoff defeat to the Edmonton Oilers in the Battle of Alberta, Johnny Gaudreau – the star winger coming off a career-best 115 points in 2021-22 – informed the team the day before free agency began that he would not re-sign with Calgary and instead test the open market.

He then shocked the hockey world by inking a seven-year, $68.25-million deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

"Calgary was a special place for me. I was part of their organization for 12 years,” Gaudreau said at his introductory press conference as a Blue Jacket on Thursday. 

“I loved every second I was there. But for me, it was just time for me to make a bit of a change. I'll leave it at that."

Negotiations between the Flames and Gaudreau continued through Tuesday, but the 28-year-old native of Salem, N.J., eventually left over $10 million on the table to move on from Calgary. It’s a serious blow to a team that would have been a legitimate Western Conference contender had he returned next season.

With a pivotal negotiation with 24-year-old left-winger Matthew Tkachuk on the horizon in an already-pivotal off-season, the organization has to assess how the past months off the ice have gone, learn from those experiences, and apply them to their upcoming business.

Gaudreau, who was drafted by Calgary in the fourth round (104th overall) in 2011, mentioned that he needed a fresh start and wanted to play in an Eastern Conference market to be closer to his family.

"I always dreamed about playing a tad closer to home,” he said. “It didn't matter where I was signing. Our decision