The Battle of Alberta is over. What a series. It’s a shame it couldn’t have gone seven games. The Edmonton Oilers advance to the Western Conference final, while the Calgary Flames have to stare down some difficult offseason questions now. Most importantly: will superstar left winger Johnny Gaudreau, an unrestricted free agent, re-sign?

That’s the topic of this week’s Daily Faceoff Roundtable: has ‘Johnny Hockey’ played his final game in a Flames uniform?

SCOTT BURNSIDE: Oh this is a tough one. Gaudreau finished tied for second in league scoring during the regular season with 115 points. And more importantly for us, he earned high praise from old-school coach (and Jack Adams Award frontrunner) Darryl Sutter for the completeness of his game. In every sense, Gaudreau answered the bell during this his contract season. True, the Flames fell short in the playoffs, bowing out in five games to Edmonton, but Gaudreau was once again a leader for the Flames with 14 points in 12 games, although his star was dimmed by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane in the just-completed Battle of Alberta. We saw a lot more from Gaudreau in this playoff year than we have in the past and thus it’s hard to imagine there isn’t a strong desire on both sides to see this relationship continue. What will it cost? Lots. North of $9 million per year depending on the term the two sides can settle on. Easy for critics to suggest the team has won little with Gaudreau in the fold, and it’s true on some levels. But this year seemed to be a corner turned in terms of Gaudreau’s overall game. And if you decide to let him walk, where do you find those 115 points? And at what cost? Nope. As long as Johnny Hockey wants to be a Flame I see zero reason not to make it so.