Talk of the hockey community: Will Gaudreau stay?

The clock is ticking for Calgary Flames forward Jonny Gaudreau to sign a contract with the team before midnight eastern on Tuesday, as he wraps up his six-year contract.

“I think the Flames are probably just like a lot of their fans, they’d like to know an answer,” said Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet Hockey Reporter.

“Right now Calgary’s advantage is that they can sign him to an eight-year contract, but after that date, they can no longer do that and can only give him seven,” Friedman said.

Gaudreau currently sits at fifth all time for Flames assists, points, and even-strength goals.

“I think that he is one of the best players to play for this team, but I don’t think he’s at that legacy tier yet. His goal in game seven against Dallas this year was the first huge step to getting there, but I think he needs to sign long-term here to become a legacy player,” said Karim Kurji, founder of The Win Column.

Gaudreau has captured fan’s attention since his first game with the Flames.

“I think every team should be in the mix to sign up Johnny Gaudreau. He’s a superstar, he finished second overall in points last year. The guy is one of a kind, there’s not a lot of Johnny Gaudreau players in the league,” said Kurji.

Gaudreau spent the last few days with his Flames teammates, as they attended teammate Sean Monahan’s wedding, but this could be his last get together with the team.

“I think it’s most likely that if he’s not a Flame, it’ll be somewhere in the northeastern United States. I wouldn’t wanna handicap it, there have been so many crazy rumors over the past couple of days that sometimes makes your head spin and question what the truth really is,” said Friedman.

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Philadelphia and New Jersey have long been rumored to be a destination for Gaudreau, as they’re the hometown teams of his family, and he tied the knot last summer to a nurse from the Philadelphia region as well.

“If he does end up deciding that, so be it, that’s his decision, but I think as an athlete, you have to prioritize what your prime years and maximizing those prime years, and I just don’t see a better fit than Calgary right now,” said Kurji.

If he doesn’t re-sign with the Flames, fans will mourn the loss, but will still cheer on the kid the Flames drafted in the third round all those years ago.