[Jay Random]

Overpayment, yes. No argument from me on that.

But I'm going to be a weirdo and look at it from my 'good-team player/bad-team player' angle. Engelland looks to me like a classic case of a good-team player who is not a good player. The Flames were looking for guys to fill several roles:

1. Someone who can drop the gloves in case McGrattan is injured, suspended, or in the box
2. RH defenceman
3. Bottom-pairing physical defenceman who can clear the front of the net
4. Utility RW who can fill in for an injured player

They could have filled these roles with three or four different players, and probably paid $2.9m per year for the lot of them. But that would have taken up three or four roster spots. Engelland fills all four roles and only takes up one roster spot.

The fact that Engelland can play both D and RW is particularly useful. I think it's a smart idea for every team to have a player who can switch between D and wing, because you never know what will happen with injuries and penalties during a game. But there aren't many players who can do that. My guess is that Engelland was the only real RW/D hybrid on the market this year, and that helped to drive his price up.

One thing I've learned in other areas of life: It's better to overpay and get exactly what you want than to buy something you don't want for a bargain price. I'm OK with this signing.