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With the calendar set to flip over to September, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman joined NHL Network for an appearance Wednesday evening to update fans on several key contract issues.

The Calgary Flames and Johnny Gaudreau’s camp have still not come to terms on a pact for the restricted free agent.

“It’s not imminent, from what I understand,” relayed Friedman. “Johnny Gaudreau put a bit of a soft deadline on this for the World Cup of Hockey; that once he reports for the Team North America lineup on Sunday, there will no discussions that involve him until after the World Cup is over. And I’m told it seems unlikely it’ll be done before then.

“One of the things I’ve tried to check and see is if there’s a short-term deal in the possibility here. It doesn’t sound like it. It sounds like both sides are looking at a long term. I’ve been told they’re grinding away, trying to get things done, but it doesn’t look like anything is imminent – even with the Monahan deal done – with the Gaudreau one.”

During an appearance on the same network a week prior, Friedman offered this following a discussion on Sean Monahan’s contract.

“I’m sure that Calgary would like to get Gaudreau in in that area too, but I think Gaudreau is asking higher.” noted Friedman. “I do think we’re looking at a situation where if you take a look at Gaudreau and what he’s done in the first couple of years in the league, there aren’t a lot of comparables for it. And that’s kind of what we’re looking at here. We’ve got a situation where his offensive numbers – you really struggle to find somebody who would come in at his level of experience and do what he’s done in the first couple of years.

“So I think he’s looking higher. I think he’s looking for term. I think the team is looking for term. I think what Gaudreau is probably saying is, ‘Well, if you want to do term, it’s got to be a pretty big number.’ I think they’ve talked a little bit in the last couple of days since Monahan was signed. Nobody is really discussing it, but I’ve got no information that anything is really close.

Source: NHL Network/ Transcript: Nichols

Friedman: Nothing imminent on Gaudreau contract front