from Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald,
On Tuesday — officially, finally — Glen Gulutzan has the wee whiz-kid on his side.
Gaudreau signed a six-year, US$40.5-million deal on Thanksgiving Monday, ending the contract impasse that had been hanging like a dark cloud over Gulutzan’s first training camp as head coach of the Calgary Flames.
“It’s going to be really nice to see him,” said Gulutzan, who witnessed plenty of Gaudreau’s offensive dazzles and dipsy-doodles during his time as an assistant coach with the Pacific Division rival Vancouver Canucks. “I spoke to him on the phone this summer a couple of times, and I hear really good things. Obviously, as a player, he’s a dynamic player.
“It gives us a lift. If anything, we’ve put in a lot of work in training camp but I think to everybody here, moreso than even myself, it felt like something was missing. Now that he’s here, I think that’s going to give us a little push.
“I think, generally, it’s a little bit of a sense of relief. I had my player meetings today and yesterday (Monday and Sunday) and a couple of veteran guys spoke about how important he is to the team. I think it’s a sense of relief for them to have him here.”
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