Gaudreau believes he’s found a ‘special place’ in Columbus

In the end, it all just made too much sense for Johnny Gaudreau. 

As he entered his one big chance to hit a free agency payday, the NHL star was looking for a young, up-and-coming team to win with, a good city to raise a family and, most importantly, a place that would feel like home. 

He found all of those with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

It was a decision that shocked many in the hockey world but became obvious to Gaudreau and his wife, Meredith, as the process unfolded. 

A team he was interested in as he started to look around suddenly became the place he wanted to be, culminating in the biggest free-agent signing in team history Wednesday evening when Johnny Hockey signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Blue Jackets. 

Video: CBJ sign Johnny Gaudreau

“Throughout the process, I did my homework on places that I felt were good for me,” the former Calgary superstar said at his introductory press conference Thursday. “I talked to some former players and after hearing some things, every time I talked to a different person about this city, it seemed like the person I was talking to was more excited than the last person I was talking to. 

“It sounded like a perfect spot for us. We are so excited, and it’s going to be a special place for us, I think. It’s hard not to like what we’ve seen already today. It’s been great.” 

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The press conference was part of a whirlwind tour of the capital city that included a quick tour of the arena, the press conference that featured a presentation of his new union blue No. 13 jersey by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and head coach Brad Larsen, and ended with a drive around Columbus that included a stop at the home of former CBJ player and fellow Boston College product Cam Atkinson. 

Gaudreau’s previous stops in Columbus have been work trips, with Calgary visiting just once a year and Gaudreau also playing in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Nationwide Arena. But that hadn’t stopped him from hearing great things about the city and the team from such people as Atkinson, former World Championships teammate Zach Werenski and childhood friend and fellow New Jersey native Eric Robinson. 

“At first, I was pushing him and wanting to come with a little bit of hope, but I wasn’t really sure how much ground I was making on him,” Robinson told BlueJackets.com. “But yeah, when you see the tweet that said it’s official, it’s surreal. It’s obviously exciting to be able to go through something like playing in the NHL with someone that you’re so close with. It’s special.”

Those types of relationships and ties proved crucial as Gaudreau went through the free agency process. He likely could have signed with any team in the league after an eight-year run in Calgary that included six All-Star Game appearances, 609 points in 602 games, the sixth-most points in the NHL in that span, and an incredible 2021-22 season that included the second-most points in the NHL.  

That 40-75-115 season would have blown away CBJ records for assists and points, and it made Gaudreau one of the most production free agents ever to hit the market in the NHL. And when it became clear there was mutual interest between parties, Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made no bones about the fact the Blue Jackets worked aggressively to make it happen. 

“We’re usually pretty careful on the opening day of free agency,” he said. “When this opportunity was in front of us, we were not careful at all. We went right for it.” 

But for many, the question remained — why Columbus? The city has often received full marks from former players and visiting media as a growing hockey market, and while it hasn’t often been seen as a free-agent hotspot, Gaudreau noted that the conversations he had with former players did nothing but paint the town in a positive light.  

On the ice, while the Blue Jackets have failed to make the playoffs each of the past two seasons, the team’s 37-38-7 campaign a year ago put the squad well ahead of where the experts predicted at the start of the season. 

A number of young players took massive steps forward, such standouts as Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski and captain Boone Jenner had big seasons, and the NHL’s youngest team saw 18-year-old Cole Sillinger highlight a group of five first-round draft picks over two summers that should help the team grow into a force to be reckoned with. Add in the Wednesday signing of Calgary teammate Erik Gudbranson and Gaudreau saw a lot to like. 

“I think there’s a lot of potential,” Gaudreau said. “I thought it was a good spot for me personally. I think we can have a lot of success here. It’s somewhere that I had circled on my list for a while now from what I’ve heard about the city and where you live. They have good players on this team, too.  

“I’m really looking forward to jumping into this group. I’ve heard a lot of great things. They are a close-knit group. That’s who you want to play with — guys who get along in the locker room and love coming to the rink and working together every single day. That’s the environment you want to be around.” 

The addition of Gaudreau should bolster the Jackets even further, and it’s not hard to seeing the young, talented squad pushing into contention soon after finishing sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference a year ago. 

Gaudreau helped Calgary to a Pacific Division title this past season, then led the Flames in playoff scoring with 14 points in 12 games. In all, he’s made five playoff appearances with Calgary and hopes to bring what he’s learned in that arena to Columbus.  

“I think I always want to be a difference maker on the ice,” he said. “That’s been my game throughout my whole career. I want to find a way to push our team to be a little bit better and get that game-winning goal or make a nice play in the offensive zone or and make a big play in the defensive zone. Little things like that, that’s what makes you a good hockey player, and I’m really looking forward to working hard, trying to show some of the younger guys or whoever that we’re all committed to trying to win hockey games.” 

And if all goes well, Gaudreau will finally make friends with the famed Nationwide Arena cannon, a longtime nemesis that the sniper is happy to have on his side now. 

“I’ve heard a lot of jokes about that already,” he said. “I’m going to have to get used to that for sure. It’s scared me one too many times here. I’m going to maybe sit in the rink for five or 10 minutes one day and just let it blast off.” 

Other than perhaps the cannon, everything lined up for Gaudreau and his family, as he noted during his press conference that Meredith — who is set to deliver the couple’s first child this fall — hadn’t lost the smile on her face since the time the couple arrived in Columbus. 

Gaudreau could have ended up anywhere in the league, but when it was all said and done, connecting the dots led to just one place. 

“My wife and I thought it was a really good fit for us,” he said of Columbus. “We looked at some similar options, but I think this was the best one for us personally and where we’re at in our life. It just made the most sense.”