The hysterical response to Johnny Gaudreau’s decision to leave millions on the table in Calgary and instead sign with Columbus was indeed just that. Players are routinely Lambasted across the professional sports landscape for being greedy mercenaries. Now this one is being targeted for taking a road less traveled.

Why No. 13’s path took him to Ohio is anyone’s guess. It is possible that he — and his wife, who he is expecting — fell in love with the city, much as Rick Nash did pretty much from the moment he arrived as the 2002 draft’s first-overall selection. It is possible Blue Jackets president John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen sold a vision of the franchise that coincided with the All-Star left winger’s.

It is also possible that the nearly 29-year-old’s agent, Lewis Gross, overestimated the market and number of bidders that would be in on Gaudreau.

If true, Gaudreau — who signed a seven-year deal worth $68.25 million — wouldn’t be the only one to experience this phenomenon. The flat cap has had a significant impact on the environment, including the rash of players who did not receive qualifiers because of concerns over arbitration outcomes. Supply has exceeded demand. No one will have to start a GoFundMe effort on behalf of any of these guys, but still, this is a new reality.

I have no idea why the Flyers did not make an honest effort to clear enough space to sign Gaudreau, and I am skeptical that Philadelphia general manager Chuck Fletcher could cogently explain this decision. The Flyers are a mess. Fletcher has been a GM in the NHL for 13 years, the first nine of which with the Wild. His teams have won a grand total of two playoff rounds.

The Islanders are a whole different column, stuck in a salary-cap calamity created by GM Lou Lamoriello’s decision to grant lucrative contract extensions to just about every veteran on the teams that fell short in 2019, 2020 and 2021. This is the anti-Lamoriello from his days in New Jersey … and that was even before the 2005-06 introduction of the hard cap.

It is understandable that the good folks in Calgary feel betrayed. But their ire is misdirected. I don’t care how many times Gaudreau may have indicated he would consider staying. I do n’t particularly care about the timeline of his decision-making process.

The fact is that when the Flames were unable to get his signature on an extension, it was GM Brad Treliving’s obligation to explore the rental trade market just as it was on the Islanders’ management and ownership to do the same during the unfortunate John Taveras experience . It is foolhardy to operate a franchise on hope.

Gaudreau, who has a chance to make a similar impact on the Jackets as Artemi Panarin did on the Rangers, made his choice. So did the Flames, who entered the playoffs with legit Stanley Cup aspirations before being dragged in five games by the Oilers. Each will have to live with it. Now we will see if the winger lives happily ever after.

The Penguins and their legions seem extremely impressed with themselves for keeping both Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang on long-term deals that will enable the team to run it back over and over again with much of the same crew that has not won a postseason round since 2018, going 6-15 in the process. Congrats!

And when the Penguins re-uppped Malkin, that opened the door for the Rangers to sign Pittsburgh native Vincent Trocheck, who otherwise would likely have been out of reach had a bidding war ensued.

Is it a lack of space or lack of interest that is preventing the Islanders from adding Sonny Milano to the mix?

Ondrej Palat brings a whole lot of skill, creativity, work ethic and championship pedigree to the Devils, but the question is whether and how well the winger will adapt coming from a team with perhaps the most structure in the league to one bereft of it.

How is it possible that the NHL has somehow run out of marquee No. 1 goaltenders?

By the way, to that point, I enjoyed Rick DiPietro’s spin on the state of NHL goaltending during ESPN’s free-agency coverage. He, Kevin Weekes and Brian Boucher were on point and educational without the need for shtick.

Maybe it’s me, but Toronto’s latest stab at finding a guy in nets who can win a round is reminiscent of the Flyers’ flailing through the post-Ron Hextall era when they most infamously jumped on John Vanbiesbrouck in 1998 when both Mike Richter and Curtis Joseph were available on the free agent market.

Now that was a goalie carousel.

This year was a wheel.

No organization has descended into a quagmire as quickly and as inefficiently as Vegas, which was gifted (in exchange for Bill Foley’s $500 million entry fee) the greatest cap advantage in NHL history and immediately forfeited it with wild overreach on just about every shiny toy on the market.

I’m pretty sure I’d rather have Nino Niederreiter on the left side of Carolina’s checking line with Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast than Max Pacioretty on the top six.

And this notion that the ‘Canes will improve with Jesperi Kotkaniemi replacing Trocheck in the middle, well, get back to me on that one in April, OK?

Hockey Hall of Fame observations:

If Guy Carbonneau is in, so should Butch Goring.

If Dick Duff is in, so should Claude Provost.

If Daniel Alfredsson is in, so should Patrik Elias.

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the trade

Penguins get: Defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Ryan Poehling

Canadiens get: Defenseman Michael Matheson and a 2023 fourth-round pick

Shayna Goldman: So, the Penguins weren’t done. We can see why they were clearing some cap space with the John Marino deal, since Jeff Petry comes in a bit higher (though with one year less) than Mike Matheson. It’s interesting that Pittsburgh moved Emily Matheson’s husband after having such a great year. Pittsburgh got to sell high, and if there’s any concern that he wouldn’t repeat his 2021-22 season, they no longer have to worry about it.

Matheson brings value as a second-pair defender who can help transition the puck up ice. But he’s going to be a lot more exposed in Montreal, so the coaches will have to manage his usage to keep him at his best. Overall, the Canadiens get a defender who is younger and costs less, which should be helpful in a few years as they retool to become more competitive.

Petry is very good still and, even though 2021-22 wasn’t his best, he managed to make a positive impact at both ends of the ice at five-on-five, despite the team falling apart around him. Now, he should have a lot more support in Pittsburgh. The 34 year old has three years left on his contract (and the Penguins did not get any salary retained), so if things go south — and they tend to for defenders in their mid-to-late 30s — it may hamstring his new club . It’s just super clear that Pittsburgh is focused on the right now, as they should be with their core group staying put. They can figure out the future later on.

Some cheap forward depth in Ryan Poehling isn’t a bad add for Pittsburgh either. Who knows? Maybe he’ll become the next Evan Rodrigues since the Sidney Crosby Effect is real.

The trade was a bit surprising, but it seems fine enough on each side.

Pittsburgh Penguins: B
Montreal Canadiens: B+

The Canadiens have traded Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Mike Matheson and a fourth-round pick in 2023.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/71Iu11Itmv

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 16, 2022

Sean Gentille: When Ron Hextall made his last trade — John Marino for Ty Smith — I thought I knew what the next one would look like. I thought wrong.

Hextall didn’t do anything to address his surplus of NHL defensemen, but he did change personnel. Out goes Mike Matheson (left side, top-four, offensively gifted, coming off the most well-rounded season of his uneven NHL career), in comes Petry (right side, top pair, coming off a brutal season after several years of excellence) ), along with forward Ryan Poehling (a 2017 first-round pick who could wind up as a bottom-six contributor for Pittsburgh this season).

From a cap standpoint, Hextall added $2.125 million to Pittsburgh’s number, with Montreal ditching just as much. Petry carries a $6.25 AAV for three more seasons and Poehling is at $750,000; Matheson is at $4.875 million for four.

In Petry, if last season was an aberration, the Penguins are getting an aging, offensively productive, well-rounded presence on the right side who can spell Kris Letang more effectively than, say, Marino if need be. The issue? Petry is 34, which makes it unwise to assume last year’s dip was due solely to Montreal’s disaster of a season. Pittsburgh seems to be betting otherwise.

In Matheson, if last season was an aberration, the Canadiens are getting an often-electric, often-madding player whose mistakes don’t adequately counterbalance his gifts. The plus side? Matheson made major strides last season; the mistakes are still there, but he made fewer of them.

Poehling is something of a necessary add for Pittsburgh, even if he doesn’t get any closer to tapping his potential. After years of neglect, the Penguins’ prospect system is short on cheap, quality depth forwards.

The salary stuff is largely a wash. Pittsburgh’s short-term outlook should matter less than adding players better equipped for one last run with the Crosby/Malkin/Letang core. Montreal gets some extra space for the next few seasons and an extra year of control over Matheson, who could well be underpaid by the time he hits free agency as a 32-year-old.

This might be a cop out, but this feels like yet another “good for both teams” deal. Neither defenseman is perfect, and both feel like better fits in their new spots. Montreal did well to add a legitimate second-pair guy, given Petry’s trade request. If Kent Hughes wants to flip Matheson elsewhere over the next couple years, he’ll likely be able to do so. Pittsburgh is gambling on a bounce-back season from Petry. If it comes, they’ll be a bit better off this season with him (and Poehling) on ​​the roster than Matheson. And at this point, not much else should matter to Hextall. Time to see what he does next.

Pittsburgh Penguins: B+
Montreal Canadiens: B

Dom Luszczyszyn: By name-brand value, this looks like a big win for the Penguins. Jeff Petry has long been a legitimate top-pairing defender while Mike Matheson has long been viewed as an overpaid borderline top-four defender. Considering the modest cap hit increase (especially after shipping out John Marino), the Penguins look like they did very well here on the surface.

But something interesting happened over the last year — Petry’s stock fell, while Matheson’s stock grew. Prior to last season, Petry was projected to be valued at 1.8 wins which is low-end No. 1 defenseman territory. Meanwhile, Matheson was around 0.3 wins, which is bottom pairing fodder. But after a trying year for Petry and a breakout campaign for Matheson, the duo are valued almost equally. That explains why they were essentially traded for each other, with Petry fitting Pittsburgh’s current timeline and Matheson having some upside while giving Montreal extra cap space. win-win.

The model currently sides with Matheson, ever so slightly, and there are two ways to look at it: age and priors. On the age side, maybe Matheson looks more appealing given he’s six years younger than Petry — last year may have been a sign of decline. On the priors side, 2021-22 was an irregularity for both defenders and a return to normalcy favors Petry. I lean toward the latter and like this bet for the Penguins for that reason. In Pittsburgh’s system, with the team’s depth up front, Petry should thrive and get back to his old ways.

Pittsburgh Penguins: A-
Montreal Canadiens: B+

Corey Pronman: Ryan Poehling is a former top prospect whose transition to pro hockey didn’t go as smoothly as hoped. He’s a very smart center, with good enough skill and compete levels. He’s not a great skater, though, and the offense in his game does n’t get you overly excited. There’s enough to his game to make you think he can be a long-time bottom-six center with a (dwindling) chance at more.

Jeff Petry is getting up there in age, and he’s not the player he once was, while being paid a lot of money for three more seasons. He’s still a strong-skating right-shot defenseman with size who is a highly intelligent puck-mover and can contribute offense in the NHL while holding his own defensively.

Michael Matheson’s skating ability has always stood out. He can transition pucks at a clear NHL level due to his feet. His hockey sense is average, so he is not a standout at either end of the rink. He’s a solid third-pair defenseman, who can play a bigger role in Montreal.

For my money, I would take Petry over Matheson in a game tomorrow, although I don’t know if that will be the case in a year or two. The Penguins get the best player in the deal and a decent young player — even if Petry is overpaid at this stage of his career. Montreal moves on from Poehling who didn’t live up to expectations, and in Matheson they now have a younger defenseman than Petry they can use to fill minutes in some tough years ahead, and likely turn around in the future for more young talent.

Pittsburgh Penguins: B+
Montreal Canadiens: B

(Photo of Jeff Petry: John Cordes / NHLI via Getty Images)

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The Montreal Canadiens traded veteran defenseman Jeff Petry, along with forward Ryan Poehling, to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday in exchange for defenseman Mike Matheson and a fourth-round draft choice in 2023.

Petry is signed for the next three seasons with a $6.25 million salary-cap hit. Montreal did not retain any of his salary in the transaction.

The 12-year veteran has appeared in 803 NHL games between the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers. Petry was traded to Montreal in 2015 and enjoyed a mostly successful tenure with the club. It was more recently that the 34-year-old struggled under former coach Dominique Ducharme, and Petry requested a trade out of Montreal last November.

Ducharme was fired midway through the season, and while Petry’s play improved under new coach Martin St. Louis, the veteran still hopes to be moved for family reasons.

“When you’re trading for good players, you’re going to have to give up good players. Mike is a good player. We just feel like Jeff, at this point, is a little better fit for us,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said in a video news conference. “He can play all situations, he can log big minutes.”

The Canadiens were also clearly entering a rebuilding phase that would focus on its young core. Petry’s contract made it difficult for general manager Kent Hughes to find a willing trade partner, especially since Hughes wasn’t keen on just dumping Petry anywhere or keeping any of his cap hit on the books.

No deal came together before March’s deadline, and Petry finished out a down season in Montreal with six goals and 27 points in 68 games.

Hughes said last week that moving Petry was “a priority” but reiterated it had to be the right deal for Montreal. Completing the trade now gives the Canadiens much-needed cap flexibility with approximately $2.4 million in space for next season.

Poehling is a former first-round pick (25th overall) by Montreal in 2017. The 23-year-old has been a solid depth forward in 85 NHL games with 13 goals and 22 points. He is signed through the end of next season.

The Penguins had been looking for a right-shot defenseman, and swapping Petry for the left-shot Matheson helps them do that. Still, Pittsburgh has a glut of NHL defensemen as it is and will now be paying Petry nearly $2 million a season more than they were Matheson. This might be one of multiple moves by the Penguins to sort out their logjam. Earlier Saturday, Pittsburgh dealt defenseman John Marino, 25, to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Ty Smith, 22, and a third-round choice in next year’s draft.

Matheson should be a strong add for Montreal. He’s coming off a career season on Pittsburgh’s second pairing (11 goals and 31 points in 74 games), he likes to play in transition but does n’t sacrifice in his own zone. The 28-year-old does n’t project toward being a top-pairing player but he should make consistent contributions.

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John Marino was traded to the New Jersey Devils by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for Ty Smith and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

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When Adam Sykora came off the ice after scoring the first goal of the prospect scrimmage on Friday, which concluded development camp, the Rangers told him they were going to sign him.

“Best day ever,” Sykora, the 63rd-overall pick from this year’s draft, said with a smile that rarely leaves his face.

The Rangers signed the Slovakian forward to a three-year, entry-level deal after he showed off his energetic play throughout the prospect camp this week. Sykora opened the scoring during the scrimmage, cleaning up a rebound to jump-start the White team to an eventual 5-1 win.

Sykora, 17, will now report to training camp for Team Slovakia ahead of the World Junior Championships.

“How can you not like him?” Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer said of Sykora. “He’s got a smile on his face all the time. Just positive, he wants to work, he’s excited to be here. Great energy in the room. It was fun to work with and get to know him this week.”

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Johnny Gaudreau shocked the hockey world when he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the opening day of NHL free agency Wednesday.

But according to Gaudreau — who was one of this year’s most coveted unrestricted free agents — the decision to agree on a seven-year, $68.25 million pact with the Blue Jackets was a no-brainer.

“I wanted to come here. This was always a place circled on my list,” Gaudreau told reporters during his introductory news conference on Thursday. “I’m not really sure about any other players. We’re not talking about why people don’t want to Columbus; it’s not a topic in the locker room. For me, I just heard so many great things from former players, and it made me feel really comfortable with my decision to come here.”

The 28-year-old left wing arrived with the Blue Jackets after spending his entire nine-season career to date with the Calgary Flames. Gaudreau told the Flames earlier this week that, despite general manager Brad Treliving’s best efforts to get an extension done, he would not be coming back to the team.

Gaudreau hit the open market instead, leaving Calgary after scoring 609 points in 602 games. He hit a career-high 40 goals and 115 points in 82 games last season playing with Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm. They were one of the NHL’s best lines throughout the year, and Gaudreau had never performed better.

Calgary was the Pacific Division’s top seed, and despite a second-round playoff exit, the future looks bright for the Flames. The forward still felt compelled to move on.

“Calgary was a special place for me. I was part of their organization for 12 years,” he said. “I loved every second I was there. But for me, I think it was just time for me to make a little bit of a change. I’ll leave it at that. But I loved it there. And the fans were great to me.”

Once word that Gaudreau was leaving Calgary began leaking out, the New Jersey native was immediately tied to teams near his home state, including the Devils, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. Columbus wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a potential landing spot — not even Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen’s — until Wednesday afternoon.

Columbus had to do some creative accounting to manage Gaudreau’s hefty new contract, knowing restricted free agents like Patrik Laine still have qualifying offers to accept that will go on the books, but Kekäläinen is confident he can fit everyone in.

“When we realized that this was possible and realistic that we could get this done, we got to work,” Kekäläinen said. “We were excited and we had to crunch numbers and look at different things, and we all agreed that we just can’t pass on an opportunity like this with a player of his caliber wanting to come here.”

It’s been an ongoing narrative that Columbus has issues retaining talent. In the past, the Blue Jackets have traded away Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson, David Savard, Nick Foligno and others. Kekäläinen said those opinions are unwarranted, and Gaudreau’s decision to come on board backs him up.

“I get a rash every time I hear the negative comments about Columbus, and it’s so unfair because we have a great organization, we have a great city,” he said. “Sometimes players leave, and people think they left but the reality is that we didn’t even offer a contract. We have a great organization. We have a good team, and we’re going to keep getting better.”

That’s what Gaudreau is counting on. He and wife, Meredith – who he is expecting – are in with Columbus for the long haul as place to grow their family. The Blue Jackets have missed the postseason the past two years, but Gaudreau likes what he sees in their ranks and wants to help the team bounce back.

“I think there’s a lot of potential,” he said. “I thought it was a good spot for me personally. We can have a lot of success here. They’ve got good players on this team. And I’m really looking forward to jumping in with this group. I’ve heard a lot of great things. They’re a close-knit group, and that’s who you want to play with are guys who get along in the locker room and love coming to the rink and working together every single day, and it’s just a healthy environment to be around, and that’s exciting to me.”

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Perhaps the first thing you should know about the Rangers’ new second-line center is that Vincent Trocheck is a Gerard Gallant player. That is distinct from simply stating that the free agent signee played for the Rangers’ head coach when both were in Florida.

Because Trocheck, the 29-year-old who reaped a seven-year contract at an annual salary-cap hit of $5.625 million, represents everything Gallant wants in a forward. He plays with pace, he plays with bite, he contests every free puck, he is in on the forecheck, and he tracks back hard on the defensive side of the puck. He is strong at the dots.

He is a pain in the neck against whom to play, as the Rangers can attest after facing him seven times in the second-round victory over Carolina less than two months ago. He gets in opponents’ faces. He can be a Yapper.

And oh, there is talent and creativity, too, an ability to make plays and keep up with creative wingers. These will be necessary when he lines up and sees Artemi Panarin on his left.

Ryan Strome, who signed a five-year deal with the Ducks on Wednesday, was a very good Ranger in his three-plus years on Broadway. He formed a strong union with Panarin, recording 0.81 points per game over the past three seasons, which ranked him eighth among NHL centers with at least 200 games played. He was part of the leadership group.

And lest we not forget, on the cusp of free agency, Strome put his health at risk by playing Game 6 at Tampa Bay despite dealing with a restrictive and painful injury to the pelvic area that had limited him through the series. He could have protected himself. He did not do that. He tried to play. He was a very good Ranger.

So if Trocheck may not necessarily be a slam-dunk upgrade over Strome, he brings a different skill set to the mix. He adds elements that the Rangers needed and need. For the Blueshirts ultimately were beaten by the Lightning in the conference finals because they couldn’t win pucks, couldn’t get to the inside, couldn’t get to the net.

The Rangers were not as homogeneous a year ago as they had been under the previous administration, but the top-six was still too polite. Still too white collar. Trocheck carries a lunch pail to work. Would it be ideal if he were 6-foot-4, 230 pounds instead of 5-10, 185? Yes, but then he likely would have cost $10 million a year.

Here’s a stat: Last year, Strome averaged 1.81 hits per 60:00, while Mika Zibanejad was in at 2.52 hits per 60:00. Trocheck recorded 7.66 hits per 60:00.

What you’re going to see is what Gallant got from Trocheck when the pair hooked up with the Panthers, from 2014-15 through the first quarter of 2016-17 at the start of the center’s career.

“I got to know Turk really well and had a really good relationship with him,” Trocheck said. “He’s one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had, so having him in New York was another huge draw for me to come here.”

If you are concerned about the length of the contract, if you are fretting over what Trocheck will look like at age 35 in 2028-29, you really ought to get a different hobby. This isn’t about six years from now. This is about winning the Stanley Cup this year or next year or the year after — while Igor Shesterkin is under contract and veterans such as Panarin, Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are still upper-echelon productive members of society.

The cap number works for the Rangers and, as general manager Chris Drury acknowledged after pulling off the deal, the cap number is lower because the term was higher. Everyone can or should be able to live quite well with that. This was good work from the GM.

The Rangers replaced Strome with Trocheck, but they are going to have to rely on kids and untapped talent, such as Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov and Sammy Blais, to replace top-six deadline acquisitions Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano — who fled to Detroit and Anaheim, respectively, as free agents. Brennan Othmann will surely be given a long look at camp. Will Cuylle will be given every chance to force his way into the conversation.

There were significant defections from the fourth line as well, with the Blueshirts simply unable to afford Tyler Motte and Kevin Rooney under the cap, though Drury ideally would have wanted to keep both. There will be a different look there, as well.

The Rangers have approximately $5.2 million of cap space with which to sign restricted free agent Kakko and add a 13th forward and seventh defenseman, after signing backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak and trading defenseman Patrik Nemeth.

It will be important for Drury to husband as much as possible and not max out so the team has the wherewithal to deal with injuries and be in position to bid when the rental market opens. When Patrick Kane becomes available, the Rangers must have the space to accommodate him.

That is for later. For now, the Rangers added a Gallant player. The more the merrier.

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Forward Artturi Lehkonen is sticking with the Colorado Avalanche with a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension.

The veteran was traded to the Avalanche from the Montreal Canadiens in March and played his way into a significant raise after a terrific second half to the season and memorable contributions in the postseason.

Lehkonen, 27, is a strong middle-six presence who makes teammates better, and he really came alive for Colorado during its Stanley Cup run.

“Artturi was a great fit to our team last season and obviously played an essential role in our championship run,” general manager Chris MacFarland said. “He is incredibly versatile, can play anywhere up and down the lineup. He has a non-stop motor and never takes a shift off. He’s really smart, highly competitive, he knows his role no matter what is asked of him.

“Getting length and term for a player of his quality was a top offseason priority and we’re thrilled to have him for the next five years.”

Lehkonen finished with eight goals and 14 points in 20 playoff games, and scored key markers too, including the game winner in Game 4 of the Western Conference final vs. the Edmonton Oilers, as the Avalanche punched their ticket into the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Avalanche, rumored to be interested in star forward Claude Giroux during the regular season, made the move to acquire Lehkonen to fill a similar role after Giroux was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Florida Panthers. Giroux signed with the Ottawa Senators in free agency on Wednesday.

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The Rangers had a lot of selling points when it came to free-agent center Vincent Trocheck, who signed a seven year, $39.375 million contract with the club after the NHL free-agent window opened Wednesday.

For starters, it was an opportunity to reunite with head coach Gerard Gallant, under whom Trocheck blossomed during their three seasons together with the Panthers from 2014-17. But the Rangers were also upfront in sharing their vision of Trocheck stepping in as the No. 2 center and playing next to star winger Artemi Panarin.

“We talked briefly about what my role might be, slotting in as a second-line center and potentially playing with Artemi is something that we talked about — and that’s obviously extremely appealing,” Trocheck said on a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday.

“The chance to play with [Panarin] is something that everyone would dream of. He’s obviously a special talent, and getting to watch him over the years has been fun. Having a chance to play with a guy like that is something I’ve never really had in my career, so it’s something to really look forward to. I’m really excited.”

Trocheck, who turned 29 earlier this week, is a consistent point producer who has some snarl to his game, which the Rangers saw firsthand during their second-round series against Carolina in the 2021-22 playoffs. He pieced together his most productive season in five years this past season with the Hurricanes, scoring 21 goals and dishing 30 assists in 81 regular-season games before racking up 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 14 playoff games.

Plus, Trocheck was one of just four players in the NHL last season with 50 or more points and 180 or more hits (along with Tom Wilson, Brady Tkachuk and Andrei Svechnikov).

The 5-foot-10, 183-pounder, who spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career with Florida, played some of the best hockey of his career under Gallant. Trocheck noted that Gallant being in New York had a lot to do with his decision to sign with the Rangers. His best campaign was 2017-18, when he posted 31 goals and 44 assists for 75 points.

“I had a really good relationship with him down there,” he said. “He’s one of my favorite coaches that I’ve ever had, so having him in New York was another huge draw.”

Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said he was comfortable committing long-term to Trocheck. Drury said he expects Trocheck to be a good player for a long time. The fact that the deal’s average annual value came out to $5.625 million certainly helped as well.

Notably, Trocheck is a career 52.1 percent faceoff winner. The Rangers, who finished 24th in faceoff win percentage (48.1) last season, have been in need of some help in that category. Considering his versatility was another enticing factor, Trocheck is expected to contribute on special teams.

“Obviously a great team, really young, a ton of potential to be a good team for a lot of years to come,” Trocheck said of why the Rangers are a good fit for him. “The opportunity to play with guys like Mika [Zibanejad], [Chris Kreider], panarin. … It’s kind of been a rivalry of mine almost. Seeing how good they’ve been the last couple years and how they’re trending upward is something that drew us towards it.”

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — It will go down as one of the most memorable days in franchise history, the moment when the Blue Jackets not only landed the biggest name in this year’s free agent crop but also perhaps the moment when the rest of the NHL began to see the city in a different light.

Johnny Gaudreau had his pick among NHL clubs, from major metropolitan markets to hockey-crazed Canadian cities. The highly skilled left winger, coming off a 115-point season, could have had a bigger payday by staying with the only NHL club he’s ever known, the Calgary Flames.

But in a move that stunned hockey fans everywhere — especially those in central Ohio — Gaudreau, 28, chose the Blue Jackets to spend the prime of his career, signing a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with Columbus on Wednesday. The deal will pay Gaudreau $9.75 million each season, which is also the cap hit. Gaudreau also has a no-move clause for the first four years, then a limited no-trade clause in the final three years.

Why did Gaudreau pick Columbus? How did the Blue Jackets, who’ve never advanced past the second round of the playoffs, land one of the NHL’s star players?

Gaudreau said the Blue Jackets were on his list before the free agency period opened, based on the experiences he’s had playing in Nationwide Arena and on conversations he’s had with current and former Blue Jackets, who raved about it.

“I’d never been to Columbus before until I made it to the NHL, so when I started playing there I didn’t know what I was walking into, and I was just … ‘Wow!’” Gaudreau told The Athletic by phone late Wednesday. “They’ve always had great crowds, really into the game. I said to myself then, ‘This looks like a really fun place to play.’

“But it was more than that. I played in the (world championships) with Zach Werenski. I’ve known Eric Robinson for like 15-20 years. And some former guys, like Cam Atkinson and Dalton Prout … those guys were just like, ‘You’re going to absolutely love the place.’”

Gaudreau joked that his contentious relationship with the Nationwide Arena cannon, which blasts each time the Blue Jackets score, has already undergone a change of heart.

“That cannon kind of scares me a little bit, and I’ve had a run-in with that cannon a couple of times,” said Gaudreau, who officially will be introduced in a news conference Thursday. “I used to not want to hear it. Now I want to hear it all the time.

“Hopefully we’ll get that thing really blasting this season.”

The move has the potential to vault the Blue Jackets back into the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference after a two-year hiatus. (Yes, GM Jarmo Kekalainen plans to sign and keep restricted free agent Patrik Laine, although $5 million worth of moves will be necessary to get under the NHL’s salary cap.)

Just as important, perhaps, is what this means to the franchise off the ice. After sweeping Tampa Bay in the first round of the 2019 playoffs, the Blue Jackets have lost significant talent and gained a reputation — perhaps unfairly — for not being an attractive place to play.

Kekalainen started his conversation with The Athletic by stressing how important Gaudreau is to his vision for the club, how his presence on the ice will make the Blue Jackets a more dangerous offensive club, etc.

But it means so much more.

“I think we can finally get rid of the bullshit that this is somehow a bad destination, a bad city, whatever,” Kekalainen said. “Because it’s never been true. We got a bad rap because a couple of people decided all along that they weren’t going to be here long-term for various reasons, but it has never been about the city or the organization.

“We’ve just had to shut our mouth and deal with that, but every time I see a comment like that, I get a rash.”

The Blue Jackets have contacted big-name free agents in previous offseasons. Three years ago, they discussed an offer sheet with Toronto forward Mitch Marner, but never got it signed. Two years ago, they had conversations with veteran defenseman Alex Pietrangelo before he signed with Vegas.

Their initial contact with Gaudreau’s agent, Lewis Gross, was expected to play out in a similar fashion. The Blue Jackets had Gaudreau at the top of their wish list, and they extended an offer shortly after the window opened at noon Eastern.

Many expected Gaudreau to sign with a club close to his family home in New Jersey. Philadelphia, the New York Islanders and New Jersey were seen as favorites. But by mid-afternoon, the Blue Jackets were alerted that they were very much in the running.

Kekalainen met with the media around 3 pm to discuss the signing of defenseman Erik Gudbranson. It was sometime after that gathering that talks with Gaudreau and the Blue Jackets got serious.

“It kind of came out of the blue,” Kekalainen said. “Like, are you serious about this?

“Everybody’s talking about him being one of the biggest fish on the market. We always do our list and at the appropriate time we contact the people on the top of our list, but to hear back that, yeah, they’re one of the teams they want to come to…”

Calgary reportedly had offered eight years at $10.5 million per season, but Gaudreau decided early on that he wasn’t going back to the Flames. The Flyers, long expected to be the destination, didn’t make an offer, GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters, because it would have prompted other trades by Philadelphia.

New Jersey offered seven years and more than $9 million per season, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.

The move was a stunner, even by free agency’s standards.

“This guy wanted to come here,” Kekalainen said. “When you get a player like this, this caliber, you have to make a move and that’s basically what we did.

“He’s obviously a superstar. It’s a must-have when a guy like that tells you he wants to come here.”

Gaudreau said he was blissfully unaware of the hockey world’s response to his signing. He hadn’t been on Twitter all day, he said.

“It’s all outside noise to me,” Gaudreau said. “I’m super excited about where I’m at. I think it was a great decision for me and my wife and we’re just over the moon right now. Super excited.”

Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, is a pediatric nurse. She’s expecting the couple’s first child in late September.

“Hopefully the boys will let the new guy off for a couple of hours so I can witness that in person,” Gaudreau joked.

The Blue Jackets had too many forwards and a glut of wingers before this signing. A week ago, Kekalainen needed to unload some forwards to clear space for his young talent to get a proper opportunity in the lineup.

Now, he’ll need to move multiple forwards to get under the NHL’s $82.5 million salary cap. If you project an $8.5 million contract for Laine, the Blue Jackets will be at least $4 million over the cap. But they’ll need more than that to allow for injuries as the season moved along.

“We thought about it long and hard,” Kekalainen said. “We’re confident we can make it all work. This doesn’t change our position on Laine at all. We’re going to approach (negotiations with Laine) like it’s a work in progress, but we have plans to keep ’em both.”

It’s somebody else who will have to move. Oliver Bjorkstrand? Gustav Nyquist?

The Blue Jackets haven’t had even minor cap issues since the 2019 season, but it’s a small price to pay for adding a player like Gaudreau.

In 82 regular-season games last season, he had 40 goals and 75 assists, trailing only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (123) in points. He was third in assists and led the entire NHL with a plus-64 rating.

Since Gaudreau became a regular in 2014-15, he has 608 points, trailing only McDavid (697), Patrick Kane (687), Sidney Crosby (640), Leon Draisaitl (616) and Brad Marchand (609) in that span.

Gaudreau has played mostly left wing, but he can play on both sides of center. The Blue Jackets could use him with Laine or Jakub Voracek on his off wing.

“He fits anywhere, and he’ll make everybody around him better,” Kekalainen said. “That’s how good he is.

“He had 115 points last year. Look at our power play now. Look at how we can drive the play up the ice, and now we have a guy again who can drive the play like a center, but do it from the wing.”

The Blue Jackets organization has only had a few opportunities to bask in glory quite like the Gaudreau signing created on Wednesday.

There was June 22, 2002, the day they drafted Rick Nash No. 1 overall; April 8, 2009, the first time they clinched a playoff berth; and April 16, 2019, the night they vanquished Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs.

Add another line — July 13, 2022: The day Johnny Hockey picked Columbus.

(Top photo of Johnny Gaudreau: Sergei Belski / USA Today)

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