Johnny Gaudreau says he was always ready to stay with the Calgary Flames.
However, the pull to be closer to family became too strong.
The star winger wrote an op-ed in The Players’ Tribune published Wednesday where he tried to explain his decision to leave the only NHL team he’s ever known for the Columbus Blue Jackets in free agency.
Gaudreau said he hasn’t made up his mind he’ll leave Calgary, even after turning down an eight-year contract extension before hitting the open market.
“I was still thinking about going back and trying to work on a seven-year deal to stay,” he wrote. “Everything was on the table for the whole process.
“Maybe this looks messy, but life is messy, you know?”
In laying out what contributed to his decision to flee southern Alberta for Ohio, the 28-year-old, who grew up in New Jersey, said the notion of “just getting on a plane” to see loved ones was not is as easy as people think of being an NHL player.
Gaudreau signed a seven-year, $68.25 million U.S. contract with Columbus last Wednesday after scoring 40 goals and 115 points in 82 games with Calgary in 2021-22.
“I am extremely grateful to be an NHL player and to make the salary I do,” Gaudreau wrote. “I don’t take it for granted for a second. Which contributes to why money wasn’t the main deciding factor for me. But the idea that Meredith (his wife, who is expecting the couple’s first child) and I can just fly to and from home, or have loved ones visit without a problem because we have the money?
“It is not that simple. Our families still work full time. Our brothers and sisters have their own lives. Our nieces and nephews are in school. It’s a tough journey for people, and it’s getting even tougher with the pandemic.”
Drafted by Calgary in the fourth round of the 2011 draft, Gaudreau called his departure “the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”
He left Calgary having scored 210 goals and 609 points in 602 regular season games. Gaudreau added 33 points in 42 playoff appearances.
“I appreciate the time I spent in Calgary,” Gaudreau wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “For a long time, Meredith and I saw our future there. We wanted to re-sign last summer. We were looking for homes to start a family. But it just didn’t work out and we thought this summer might be different.
“But it doesn’t change how I feel right now. I am so proud to have been on this team and to represent this city. And for the past few weeks, I struggle every time I think about it. All the relationships we’ve built here, all the amazing friendships we have – I felt them in my chest every time I thought about leaving.”
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