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Premonitions Gaudreau - Sept. 26, 2022 – Vol. 76, Issue 04 - Jared Clinton

It was called the Premonitions Bureau, and in mid-1960s Britain, it was psychiatrist John Barker’s attempt to establish a database of supposed visions had by everyday individuals and, in some cases, those purporting to have the gift of precognition or psychic foresight. Often, the submissions made by those who contacted the bureau were morbid; tragedy, death and disaster were common fodder. That wasn’t so with all. Some, as outlined in Sam Knight’s brilliant New Yorker reportage-turned-book on the bureau, were far from macabre.

It will, of course, surprise few to learn the vast majority of these premonitions failed to materialize. Ironically, in what was equal parts morose turn of events and an all-time caution of the ills of taking home one’s work, one prediction that did come to fruition was that of Barker’s untimely death. Two who frequently submitted premonitions had cautioned him such a fate would befall him. All told, though, the submissions that became reality were few and far between and, truthfully, best chalked up to coincidence. Sling enough mud at the wall and some is bound to stick.

This brings us to the NHL Rumor Bot. Now, no one is about to call a Twitter account generating stick-and-puck Mad Libs prophetic, especially not when the entire gimmick is plugging ‘X’ player into ‘Y’ scenario or aligning them with ‘Z’ team. For example, when the account published, back in August 2021, that Johnny Gaudreau had signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the absurdity was the supposed joke. Gaudreau? To the Blue Jackets? As a free agent, no less? Yeah, right.

Well, it turns out the only people laughing now are the Blue Jackets and Gaudreau himself, who stunned the hockey world when he signed a seven-year, $68.25-million pact with Columbus in the late hours on free agency’s opening day. To outsiders, it was a legitimate shock. To insiders? Even Jarmo Kekalainen can admit he didn’t necessarily see it coming. While he touched base and gauged Gaudreau’s interest, not even the Blue Jackets GM knew he had the inside track on New Jersey or Philadelphia – perceived frontrunners given their proximity to Gaudreau’s hometown.

It wasn’t until Gaudreau’s camp circled back late in the day that things took off. “We were a bit surprised – pleasantly surprised – that he had chosen us as one of his preferred destinations,” Kekalainen said. “We got to it real quick where we said, ‘If you guys are really serious, then let’s talk serious talk right now. What would it take for him to come here?’ And after that, it didn’t take very long, actually, to come to a conclusion. There was a bit of delay because our owner was in the air, and a contract of this magnitude needs some approval from him. But once he landed, we got it signed and sealed.”

None of that, however, answers the question gobsmacked observers were asking in the moments following the signing: Columbus? Really?

Yes, Columbus. Yes, really. And to hear the GM tell it, it came down to Gaudreau doing what every player should (but many fail to) when deciding their destination: homework.

In the days leading up to free agency, Gaudreau was working the phones, touching base with fellow players and former teammates and considering far more than the number on his paycheque. He didn’t just want a team. He wanted a home, a place where he and his wife, Meredith, could put down roots with their first child on the way. “There are teams I was looking at that didn’t have that kind of feedback that I got,” Gaudreau said. “When players tell you about other teams, you want to be a part of an organization that treats you well, a good fan base, a good place to live, and Columbus had all the checkmarks. It just got me more excited and more excited.”

That doesn’t mean the process was easy. Weeks after his signing, his surprise at the stress and at his own naivety remained evident. In fairness, Gaudreau wasn’t just choosing a new home. He was also making the difficult decision to leave his second one, in Calgary, the only NHL organization he had ever known. The way Gaudreau talks about the gut-wrenching moments, sleepless nights and constant wavering related to departing the Flames, it’s as if he shaved a few years off his life. The relationships he built throughout his decade-plus with the franchise were deep and meaningful, and telling Flames GM Brad Treliving it was time to move on wasn’t easy.

It wasn’t only with Treliving that Gaudreau had a difficult chat. Consider his talks with New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, whose son Ryan played with Gaudreau – and roomed with Gaudreau’s brother, Matt – at Boston College. Those connections have brought the families close, but when push came to shove, Gaudreau had to turn Fitzgerald down. “It was a place I was super close to going to,” he said. “It didn’t work out, but at the end of the day, I’m pretty happy. I feel like I’m in a way better spot for myself and for where my career is at at this time for me to go to Columbus. But it was close.”

On This Date In Columbus Blue Jackets History: Columbus Signs Johnny Gaudreau On this day three years ago, the CBJ made what could be the biggest free agent signing in NHL history when they signed Johnny Gaudreau. No player of his caliber had ever reached free agency. Players like this are usually locked up long before hitting the open market.

Close or not doesn’t matter now, though. He’s in Columbus. Again, yes, Columbus. And, really, Gaudreau is done talking about the whys, and he wants to ensure the what-nows don’t get overlooked. And his goal is clear. He wants to transform a Blue Jackets team chock-full of potential into a playoff outfit.

To that end, Columbus inking a player of Gaudreau’s caliber can’t be undersold. Not only was he the big-ticket item this summer, he’s the highest-scoring UFA to switch teams not in the past five years, not in the past 10, but the entire salary-cap era. His 115 points are nearly 20 more than the second-highest scorer in that category. (For the trivia inclined: No. 2 is Marc Savard, who left the Atlanta Thrashers and signed a four-year, $20-million deal with the Boston Bruins in 2006.) The impact Gaudreau can have on Columbus’ offense alone is near immeasurable.

Surely, cynics will argue Gaudreau’s career-best production was due in no small part to playing alongside Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, not to mention on a power play that ranked 10th in the league. But those cynics are overlooking the tantalizing talent Gaudreau will skate with in Columbus. Premier power-play setup man Gaudreau will mesh well with Patrik Laine, whose triggerman tendencies have ‘Johnny Hockey’ practically drooling. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an opportunity to play with a player with a shot like that,” Gaudreau said. “I’ll play my game, try to get the puck to him, find him as much as I can, hopefully get him 50 or 60 goals and go from there. That kid, he’s got the opportunity to do that, because his shot is first class.”

How exactly Gaudreau will be utilized will be the choice of coach Brad Larsen. The logistic requirements of uprooting one’s life after eight years north of the border have limited the time coach and player have had to discuss what next season will look like, but the conversations between the two have been productive so far. Most important to Gaudreau is Larsen doesn’t expect the 600-game veteran to be someone he’s not. As Gaudreau put it, he’s not being asked to “come in and change the world.”

That’s not to say Gaudreau won’t have marching orders. Not in the least. Any presumption Gaudreau will shrink from pressure or responsibility is laughable, too. Last season, some predicted Gaudreau would be the oil to Flames coach Darryl Sutter’s water, the notoriously demanding coach’s style somehow neutering Gaudreau’s playmaking. The career-best totals contradicted such forecasts, and Gaudreau is ready for the weight of Larsen’s expectations. “I’ve heard a lot of great things from past players who have played for him, and he’s a coach that demands a lot out of his players and wants his team to win games, and that’s important,” Gaudreau said. “You don’t want a coach who just wants to be your friend, you know? You want a coach who wants to win games and expects his players to be at their best.”

But what perhaps stands to have the most significant impact on Gaudreau’s personal and the Blue Jackets’ overall success across the duration of his contract is a matter of influence. Kekalainen has taken careful steps the past two seasons to press reset – he rebuffs the word “rebuild” – in Columbus, carefully executing deals that allowed a restocking of the cupboards. The departures of Nick Foligno, David Savard and Seth Jones were difficult, but the resulting standings tumble paired with acquired draft capital has seen Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger brought aboard and an injection of talent that gives the Blue Jackets one of the league’s strongest prospect crops.

How does Gaudreau fit? Kekalainen points to the star acquisition’s insatiable work ethic, hunger to improve and the leadership he can provide. “What he’s accomplished already in this league so far is remarkable, and you know you’re going to get the attention of all the young players on everything that he does,” Kekalainen said. “They’ll be watching him, observing him, imitating him, doing things that he does and trying to get to the level that he is every day. I know that, for sure. There’s nothing better than having a guy who just lives that and does it every day. That’s the best kind of leadership.”

It’s a role Gaudreau is keen on embracing. He cited former Flames captain and current Toronto Maple Leafs rearguard Mark Giordano plus former Calgary teammate Jiri Hudler as two important and positive influences. Gaudreau wants to play the same role for the Johnsons and Sillingers. He also quickly praised Zach Werenski and captain Boone Jenner as two players who are already positive role models for the up-and-coming talent. “When you have those leaders like that,” Gaudreau said, “you can add an older guy like myself – I guess I’m an older guy now? That’s weird to say that – but when I can come in and maybe help these younger guys, and we can push to make the playoffs, and try to win a few series and go from there, that’s exciting to me.”

"I'll play my game, try to get the pick to Laine, find him as much as I can, hopefully get him 50 or 60 goals and go from there" - Johnny Gaudreau

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And, in its own way, that is the feeling that remains most difficult to parse, that suddenly very real and very palpable excitement about the Blue Jackets. Understandably, that reads as a slight against the city or franchise. It’s not – or at the very least not an intentional one. Rather, it’s a comment on where the organization seemed to be in its cycle. Prior to signing Gaudreau, there was little reason to believe this project was anywhere near its completion, nor that a team that finished 21st in the NHL last season and nearly 20 points out of the playoffs would be a draw to free agency’s biggest fish.

Suddenly, though, the Blue Jackets are flush with intrigue, and Gaudreau’s landing spot no longer seems so strange. So, Columbus? Yeah. Right. “I don’t know if statement is the right word, but maybe, finally, we can shed some of this nonsense that we’re somehow not a good destination for players, for any of the reasons that are out there,” Kekalainen said. “We have a great city. We have a good, young team. We have lots of talent. And it’s a definite hockey town with real passionate fans. When players of this caliber have done their homework and choose us, that is the statement right there.”

Blue Jackets Could Have Three 30 Goal Scorers In The 2025-26 Season Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets had two 30-goal scorers in Adam Fantilli (31) and Kirill Marchenko (31). That was the first time that’s happened since 2015-16 when Brandon Saad and Boone Jenner accomplished the feat.

From The Archive: A Columbus Discovery The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.

Former Blue Jackets Defenseman Finds New Home In The Metro Former Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Gavin Bayreuther is back in the Metro. 

New CBA Rule To Benefit Teams Like Columbus Insider Frank Seravalli reported last night that there's a new rule coming in the CBA that teams will be extremely excited to take advantage of.

From The Archive: Better Every Day The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.