Johnny Gaudreau could come home to the Flyers in a trade five years from now

Ever since Johnny Gaudreau first rocketed to hockey stardom, Flyers fans have dreamed of seeing him wear the orange and black some day.

But only the most fervent dreamers thought that the South Jersey native and Gloucester Catholic product might come home any time soon.

So it wasn't really surprising when Gaudreau announced on Monday that he signed a six-year contract extension with the Calgary Flames, the team he has called home since first becoming a professional in 2013.

The timing might have been a little close for Calgary fans' comfort, since the regular season starts Wednesday night - and with the Flames playing at archrival Edmonton, to boot. It also didn't help that Gaudreau spent the summer as a restricted free agent.

But the deal got done, as the Flames agreed to write checks for $40.5 million through 2022. The annual salary cap hit will be $6.75 million. So there was much celebration up north on a day that was also Canada's Thanksgiving holiday.

Except... wait a minute... what's that little news item hiding amid the leftover pie?

Oh, really. Is that so. I wonder if... well... maybe... possibly...

Aha.

Look, five years from now is obviously a long time. But Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny will be just 24. Travis Sanheim will be 25, Sam Morin will be 26, and Sean Couturier and Shayne Gostisbehere will be 28.

Gaudreau will be 28 at that point too, and probably even more of a star than he already is now. He told Sam Carchidi earlier this year that he wants to play for the Flyers at the end of his career. With the this new deal is structured, it seems fair to believe that Gaudreau could come here sooner than that.