Love Bouma as much as the next guy, but in the big picture he's a 4th liner. You cannot invest a lot of money in guys that are going to play on your 4th line. You do so, you screw up your salary structure. The Flames have plenty of guys that can replace Bouma, so if ends up with a big payday he's likely trade bait. the rumor of Bouma being offered around in trade was poo-pooed by most on this site, but it made sense from the perspective of him pricing himself off the team. Bouma may see himself get a big contract, but may end up on a team other than the Flames, and one with less future. And that will be fine for the Flames. That will make room for Arnold or Agostino or Hathaway, and save the team a million dollars or more. It would be nice if it didn't come to that, but it looks like this is the way it is going to play out for Mr. Bouma and the hockey team.
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