But if you like the contract, and like the player, and are happy they remain with the Flames, who gives a flying fata why they waited a few more days than you thought necessary? Do you not think it's fair to say that the Flames brass had all possible information acted in their best interest in relation to Byron (and all player transactions/signings)?
Of course everyone wants to avoid arbitration. And they did so by not giving him a QO, and therefore, not allowing him to go to arbitration. Whether or not they were going after someone else is completely irrelevant as any player they were looking to sign would not have been hindered by Byron's status one or the other. The Flames have oodles of cap space and plenty of room for contracts, so to say the were holding off on signing him to see if something else came through first would be a very odd mindset for the Flames to have.
The salary possibly awarded in arbitration also doesn't matter. You're looking for evidence of fringe NHLers getting big deals, but it's also beside the point. Teams want to avoid arbitration because its a painful process. They basically sit in a room and scathe the player from all angles. I'm sure they weren't worried about his dollar figure.
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