Gaudreau understands why his choice can be seen as a betrayal in final goodbye to Calgary

Johnny Gaudreau had informed the Calgary Flames the night prior to the opening of free agency that he would test the market. Barely 24 hours later, it was announced that he had signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Feeling that the star forward was heading closer to home as a free agent, many Flames fans were stunned by his choice and upset that he accepted less money than what Calgary had reportedly offered him in order to keep Gaudreau on the roster long term.

Fans remain upset and that might have prompted Gaudreau to pen a final goodbye to the Canadian fanbase through the Players’ Tribune on Wednesday.

“To my Flames Family, I hope you can understand my decision more after reading this letter. I appreciate how much you wanted me to stay and I hope you can see how hard this decision was for me,” he writes first.

“It’s hard not to see any free agency decision as a betrayal.”

There it is.

However, Gaudreau is adamant that it comes down to family, and getting closer to them, even though he remains a 6-hour drive away is better than being in a different country entirely.

“My dad’s heart attack in 2018 was a big moment for that. It was really so bad and he’s lucky to be here today. A very scary situation. And seeing him in that hospital bed … it hit me extremely hard. I thought about how little I’d seen my parents since I’d been in the league. These moments and experiences change you as a person.”

“I’ve learned a lot from her about how to balance those two things: a passion for your work with a passion for the people in your life. I’ve learned a lot about the person I /want/ to be. Which is a good son, a good husband, and (soon!) a good father.”

Gaudreau mentions how this was the toughest decision he had to make. Gaudreau took less money with Columbus. But he wants fans to know that he never use the Flames as leverage and that he didn’t know what his final decision was going to be until he had no other choice than to make a final call.

“I’ve heard people say that I was using Calgary for leverage, and that I “always knew” I was leaving. I’ve heard people say that, with the kind of money I’m making, and with how easy it is to hop on a plane, location shouldn’t be an issue. And while I normally wouldn’t give that stuff the time of day, I feel like I owe it to Flames fans to be honest.

For what it’s worth, I didn’t know for sure what I wanted to do up until the last hours of the last day. Man, even after I turned down the eight-year deal from Calgary, I still thought about going back and trying to work on a seven-year deal to stay. It was all on the table for the entire process. Maybe that seems messy … but life is messy, you know?”

All Gaudreau wants to do with this letter is to be honest:

“I know those answers aren’t going to please everyone, just like I know my decision didn’t. But all I can do here is tell the truth.

And this is the truth, I promise: I cherished the time I spent in Calgary. For a long time, Meredith and I saw our future there. We wanted to re-sign last summer. We were looking at homes to start a family. But it just didn’t work out and we thought this summer might be different.

But that doesn’t change the way I feel right now. I’m so proud to have been on this team, and to have represented this city.”

This is a beautifully penned letter, and we get why Gaudreau took the time to put these words out to the fanbase in Calgary. The question is, will fans forgive him and applaud his return when the Flames host the Blue Jackets in 2022-23?