Quote:
Originally Posted by kirant
The concept for those supporting a Chicago styled rebuild is the idea that you can stuff young players on cheap contracts during your big Cup run years. Kane and Toews were lower cap hits making pretty low amounts (3.8 and 2.88 respectively) and a few other players made about 60-70% of next year's salary (huge example is Keith being on 1.5 million), which gave them room to absorb Huet's bloated contract and buy in some expensive UFAs to polish off the team...
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This only works with regards to contracts in groups, and in the event that a team is close. If the Flames were within three or four years of competing for the Stanley Cup, then it might make sense to save the year of Monahan's ELC. The Flames are most likely at least four years away, and this most likely makes the loss of one ELC year practically negligible.
There will be more opportunities for the Flames to capitalise on ELC years, but from other players than Monahan, so long as they manage the next three-four years effectively. I expect that the players who will give the Flames the most "bang for their buck" are likely to be the 2015–16 rookie crop. Gaudreau should make the team next year, along with a defenseman (Seiloff or Wotherspoon), and possibly Poirier. The following year we should expect then to see pushes from Klimchuk, Jankowski, Arnold, and another defenseman or two. It is THESE PLAYERS who will benefit the Flames the most on their ELC deals, not Monahan or Baertschi, or likely even Gaudreau.