Former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau penned letter to Calgary

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Unrestricted Free Agents “are completely free to negotiate and sign a contract with any team without any penalties or restrictions, rights of refusal or compensation to their existing team,” according to Sportsnet.

After signing with the Columbus team, Gaudreau wrote the open letter to Calgary in hockey publication The Players’ Tribune.

“I had the option to stay at (Boston College) and become a free agent and sign with any NHL team the following year, or report to the Flames. But all I wanted was to be a Calgary Flame,” he said.

“When I was drafted in 2011, I honestly couldn’t point out Calgary on a map.”

He said that Flames’ fans welcomed him and urged him to sign with the team.

“Ever since those early days, I’ve understood: Hockey in Calgary is just different,” he wrote in the letter.

He said his decision to leave the team was because he wanted to be closer to his family. His father had a heart attack in 2018, which made him think about how little he’d seen his family since he joined the NHL. He then met his wife, Meredith.

“As much as we both love Calgary, I think Meredith and I just felt that it was going to be very hard to continue living as far away from our families as we’ve been living — especially as we’re starting a family of our own,” wrote Gaudreau.

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