Former Flames star Johnny Gaudreau benched in Columbus loss
Things haven’t been going well for former Calgary Flames superstar Johnny Gaudreau this season.
The 30-year-old is off to a rough start in his second season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring just a single goal in the first 11 games of the season. These struggles came to a head on Saturday night as Columbus head coach Pascal Vincent benched the former 40-goal scorer for the last 16 minutes of a 2-1 loss against the Washington Capitals.
Johnny Gaudreau played 11:55 tonight, no shifts in last 16:07 during 2-1 Columbus loss to Washington
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 5, 2023
After the game, Vincent was asked about the lack of ice time for his star player, to which he criticized Gaudreau’s effort level.
“We know Johnny can make a difference when he’s skating and when he’s involved, and tonight I felt he wasn’t there,” Vincent told reporters. “We’re going to play the guys who are playing. It doesn’t matter who you are. It’s about the Blue Jackets, and I didn’t like [Gaudreau’s] game.”
This is a far cry from what Gaudreau showed in his last season with the Flames in 2021/22, where he broke out to score 40 goals and an astounding 115 points. Since leaving the Flames for Columbus after that season, Gaudreau has struggled to reach those heights again.
Last season wasn’t terrible. The former Hobey Baker Award-winner potted 21 goals and 74 points to lead a struggling Blue Jackets club. Coming into this season, the expectations were a bit higher for both Gaudreau and the team.
Unfortunately, both have been disappointing so far. The Jackets are currently sitting with a 4-5-1 record, which has them second-last in the Metropolitan Division and seven points back of the division-leading New York Rangers.
Gaudreau will have to figure things out in Columbus, or else the team will be in a bit of a bind with his contract. Gaudreau is currently in the second year of a seven-year contract that holds an annual cap hit of $9.75 million.
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