'I love the team here': Johnny Gaudreau focused on positives in Columbus

Johnny Gaudreau was confused, if not amused. It was Saturday nighttime successful Long Island, and each clip the Blue Jackets winger touched the puck, Islanders fans astatine UBS Arena booed him.

"I was talking to my manager aft the 3rd shift, and I was like, 'I don't get it,'" Gaudreau said. "I didn't speech to [the Islanders] erstwhile passim the full escaped agency."

Such is beingness for Gaudreau. It's been 4 months since the 29-year-old signed a seven-year, $68.2 cardinal woody with Columbus -- turning down the Calgary Flames, his squad for the erstwhile 9 years, and respective different organizations, whether their involvement was existent oregon perceived.

And the hockey satellite is inactive obsessed with it.

It's successful portion due to the fact that the Gaudreau-Columbus matrimony seemingly came retired of nowhere. The different part? It's uncommon to spot moves similar this successful the NHL.

"It's bully to perceive a instrumentality basal wanted you and didn't get you, but I didn't expect to perceive things for this long," Gaudreau said. "A batch of players successful my presumption extremity up re-signing with their teams. [Filip] Forsberg [in Nashville], [Nathan] MacKinnon successful Colorado. I went successful a antithetic direction."

The spotlight is apt backmost contiguous erstwhile the Blue Jackets look the Flyers (7:30 pm, ESPN+/Hulu), different squad Gaudreau was linked to.

Columbus (4-9-1) has stumbled retired of the gate, hampered by a brutal bid of injuries. But Gaudreau -- who has 12 points successful his archetypal 14 games, including each six of his goals astatine location -- focuses connected positivity.

Choosing Columbus was inherently astir what was champion for Gaudreau the person. And adjacent if his code has shifted a spot 1 period into the play -- settling into the team's existent world -- his escaped bureau determination was ever a agelong play.

"I'm present for the agelong run," Gaudreau said. "I evidently privation to marque the playoffs this twelvemonth but if it doesn't hap yet, you person to larn from those things. I'm not putting it past our squad to get retired of this funk, but I besides cognize immoderate happens, we person a batch to look guardant to."

AT THE PRESEASON subordinate media tour, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski gushed astir the vibes shifting successful Columbus. It wasn't conscionable Gaudreau who chose Columbus. Patrik Laine besides committed to a four-year extension.

Werenski noted that for years the Blue Jackets were known arsenic a antiaircraft team, but present had respective accomplishment players that would alteration the identity. And aft being stuck with the communicative arsenic a spot guys didn't privation to stay, the other was happening.

"Our individuality is changing," Werenski said. "And I can't hold to beryllium a portion of it."

But aft Laine missed 2 weeks with an elbow sprain - returning conscionable successful clip for the teams' travel to his autochthonal Finland - the winger sprained his ankle against the Islanders and is sidelined different 3 to 4 weeks.

Laine and Gaudreau are expected to squad up connected Columbus' apical line. Gaudreau said by the extremity of preseason, helium and Laine "were truly starting to recognize each other" arsenic they figured retired details successful their game, similar anticipating erstwhile Laine wanted the pass. They were conscionable starting to get going again aft Laine's setback, "which has been tough," Gaudreau said.

The prognosis was worse for Werenski; the team's apical defenseman is expected to beryllium out for the remainder of the season with a enarthrosis wounded helium sustained past week. "I felt much atrocious for [Werenski] than anything, due to the fact that helium was ace excited astir this season," Gaudreau said. "It conscionable sucks. He's specified a person connected this team."

The Blue Jackets besides mislaid their No. 2 defenseman Nick Blankenburg (broken ankle, six-to-eight weeks) successful the aforesaid game. Coupled with agelong word injuries to veterans Sean Kuraly and winger Jakub Voracek, and it's frankly been a nightmare scenario.

Gaudreau said helium has nary prime but to absorption connected the positives -- and the biggest affirmative is that younger players volition get important reps. "The young guys with accomplishment connected this squad are truthful impressive," helium said. "Cole Sillinger, Kent Johnson and Yegor Chinakhov. It's amusive to bent retired with them and play with them each time astatine practice."

In Calgary, Gaudreau was mediate of the battalion erstwhile it came to experience. In Columbus, he's the fourth-oldest subordinate connected the team. And helium feels a work to talk up more, paying guardant the mentorship moments helium benefited from aboriginal successful his career.

As for an appraisal connected his ain game? "My antiaircraft crippled has gotten better;" helium said. "Maybe I was slacking a small spot to commencement the season, but I consciousness bully astir however it's going."

Gaudreau falls backmost connected the connection that helium received from manager Brad Larsen earlier the season: "He told me, 'I privation you to bash the aforesaid nonstop happening you did successful Calgary, beryllium the aforesaid player. Remember, you're conscionable 1 player. You can't transportation a squad by yourself.'"

IT WASN'T UNTIL 3 oregon 4 weeks agone that Gaudreau said helium yet felt settled successful Columbus. He described the determination arsenic "hectic." Then successful October, helium and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their archetypal child, a girl named Noa.

He's already feeling the manner changes of fatherhood. Less clip hunting, 1 of his favourite activities to get his caput distant from the rink. Less clip playing video games with buddies. And a batch little sleep.

It's each been eased by the determination East -- the important origin successful his decision. Travel successful the Eastern Conference has been importantly little burdensome. "Plane rides are a batch shorter. And too the Finland trip, I deliberation I've lone spent 5-6 nights successful a hotel," helium said. "So it's a batch much clip astatine home, and little connected the road. And we're besides adjacent to household now. My parents tin present travel retired for a random Sunday nighttime game, which wasn't imaginable before."

Gaudreau says he's recognized little successful Columbus than helium was successful Calgary, but the interactions consciousness much meaningful.

"People travel up to maine and say, 'thanks for choosing Columbus, acknowledgment for believing successful us, it means truthful overmuch to us'" Gaudreau said. "And that means a batch to me."

Because the process to find his caller location wasn't easy.

"Honestly if I had to bash escaped bureau again, I don't cognize if I would've done it," helium said. "The instrumentality basal successful the metropolis you're successful wants you back, that's hard connected you arsenic well. It was a beauteous unsmooth two-to 3 months there."

He knows that radical volition ever talk, but determination was 1 communicative that didn't beryllium well.

"People thought I was trying to pursuit wealth but that's the farthest from the truth," helium said. "It was astir what was champion for maine and my household and my woman and her family. I emotion the metropolis present successful Columbus, I emotion the squad here, I'm truly excited to beryllium here. Even if it wasn't the commencement we wanted, I wouldn't alteration my determination for the world."