The Flames are in desperation mode to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they may have to do so without their leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau.
The Calgary Flames are two losses away from being mathematically eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, and even winning every game from here on leaves them with a less than one percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Sports Club Stats. The Flames need every bit of luck they can get, and they are getting none right now.
The Flames are already missing leading goal scorer Sean Monahan, sophomore rising star Matthew Tkachuk, and top four defenseman TJ Brodie, but now they will, unfortunately, have to add their leading point scorer Johnny Gaudreau to that list.
Sunday afternoon, the Calgary Flames organization announced that Johnny Gaudreau had flown home to New Jersey to deal with a family matter, and will not be in the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.
Coach Glen Gulutzan reports Johnny Gaudreau has flown home to deal with a family matter. He won't play Monday against the Kings.
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 25, 2018
Monday afternoon, the Flames provided an update that elaborated on the situation. Gaudreau’s father, Guy Gaudreau, suffered a cardiac event on March 25 and is currently undergoing medical procedures. The team also stated that Gaudreau will remain with his family until further notice, and with only six games left on the Flames schedule, that could mean the rest of the season.
The organization is in full support of Gaudreau during this time, including head coach Glen Gulutzan who expressed his support after the announcement.
"We wish Johnny and his family all the best ... we are with them 100 percent."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 26, 2018
- Glen Gulutzan, who stressed the importance of family within the Flames organization pic.twitter.com/Qdbu7kC7fr
The 24-year-old Gaudreau leads the Calgary Flames in scoring with a career-high 23 goals and 82 points, 18 points ahead of Sean Monahan for the team lead along with 12th overall in league scoring.
As it stands right now, the Calgary Flames have a 0.00055 percent chance of making the postseason. They sit nine points behind the St.Louis Blues for the final wildcard spot, and they’re missing four key players for the final six games. The Flames also don’t have a first or second round pick in this years NHL draft, which they dealt to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman Travis Hamonic, who has one goal and 10 assists in 72 games.
This was the year that the Flames were supposed to take the next big step and become serious contenders in the post season, boasting a deep offense and an admirable defensive core, but injuries and inconsistency derailed those plans. Without their first and second round picks, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the Flames this season, but fans can hope that next year will see a Flames team motivated by the disappointments of the last few seasons and ready to take that next step.
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Our thoughts are with Johnny and the Gaudreau family during this difficult time, and we wish Guy Gaudreau a swift and full recovery.