Johnny Gaudreau's decision to not extend with Flames was settled during a car ride with his wife

Johnny Gaudreau's wife, Meredith, reportedly played a key role in his decision to leave the Calgary Flames last offseason during a car ride with her.

Gaudreau was selected 104th overall by the Flames in the 2011 NHL draft and spent his first full eight seasons with the Alberta-based team. He became a free agent last year.

Many thought he'd stay in Calgary and become a franchise player, while others reckoned he'd head elsewhere in free agency. The New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers were rumored to be the 30-year-old's next destination.

However, Flames fans were taken aback when Gaudreau signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the opening day of free agency.

Gaudreau's decision to join the Blue Jackets was a bombshell for Flames fans, who were disappointed. They assumed that the then-29-year-old had no intentions of returning to the Scotiabank Saddledome Arena in the future.

That was not the case, though, as Gaudreau's decision to leave the Flames was for a different reason.

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Why Johnny Gaudreau left the Flames?

Following Gaudreau's departure, NHL insider Frank Seravalli discussed what could have been the reasons behind the 30-year-old's decision to leave the Flames last offseason.

As per Seravalli, Johnny Gaudreau was confused about whether he should stay with the Flames or head elsewhere before the day he signed for the Blue Jackets. The NHL insider also said that the winger had no issues coming back, and he also wanted to be with the franchise:

“I don’t even think it was Johnny. I don’t think Johnny had any issue coming back. I think he wanted to come back,” Seravalli said. “In fact, not to relitigate this again, but the Flames the day before thought that he was coming back.

"There was an afternoon sort of buzz and spring in everyone’s step as the hours dragged on before free agency where they thought they were getting him back."

Seravalli added that talks between Gaudreau and the Flames had progressed to the point where both parties were comfortable with the numbers. Gaudreau then went on a car ride with his wife and informed the Flames about his decision to not sign a new contract, explaining:

"They had negotiated the contract, gotten to where everyone was comfortable with numbers, and then Johnny Gaudreau went on a car ride with his wife and then called the Flames back tearfully and said, ‘sorry, I can’t do this’."

Notably, Gaudreau later explained his decision to leave Calgary as a family decision, with Columbus being his preferred destination.