Article content continued

Gaudreau, as it turned out, missed all of training camp and the exhibition slate.

The Flames were scrambling to find a flight itinerary that would get him to Calgary for Tuesday’s morning practice.

It’s a sure thing that he’ll be in the lineup — on the top trio, the first power-play unit, in the shootout order, if necessary — for Wednesday’s regular-season lid-lifter against the Oilers in Edmonton (8 p.m., Sportsnet).

“Oh, he’s playing,” Treliving said. “I think the coach is OK if he hasn’t had a lot of practices. I think he’ll find a spot for him.”

The possibility that Gaudreau would miss a handful of early-season clashes wasn’t the only fear for some fans across Southern Alberta.

There was worry his new deal could be a bank-breaker for the Flames, already tip-toeing close to the NHL’s salary-cap ceiling. Not so.

Gaudreau becomes the Flames’ highest-paid forward and won’t be short on spending money, but an annual payout of $6.75 million — even-steven with what captain Mark Giordano now collects — is not exactly a ransom for a guy who finished in a tie for sixth in the NHL’s scoring race last winter. In fact, Gaudreau’s initial ask was reportedly in the neighbourhood of $8 million per campaign.

There was also some concern in the C of Red that No. 13 would prefer a short-term pact, with an eye on eventually signing closer to friends and family two time-zones over. Not so. The Flames bought one year of unrestricted free agency, with the wee winger locked up until after the 2021-22 campaign.