[Caged Great]

This is a great contract both in term and money.

For those that are worried about the length of the deal, it's really not a big deal. In the 4th - 5th - 6th years if he declines significantly and the Flames need to trade him to free up his cap hit, there will always be a team that is needing to reach the floor that could use him for leadership purposes. The return might not be awesome, but it would be possible. Instead we have him at least for the next 4 years while he is likely going to be a top tier D-man and come to that bridge when we get there.

His dollars also help to insure that the Flames will have the best opportunity to compete for the cup over the next 4-5 years as well. If the Flames can keep Hudler for 5.5-6.5 over the next few years as well, then that would be huge in the leadership department.

We will only need to cycle out a bunch of the higher dollar contracts that are currently on the team. Guys like Raymond, Smid (May become an IR case like Savard/Pronger), Engelland, Jones, Hiller, Ramo, Stajan, Bollig, Russell and Wideman could all be moved and their dollars re-allocated. That's 3, 3.5, 2.9, 4, 4.5, 3.8, 3.125, 1.25, 2.6, and 5.25 respectively that could be re-assigned. Only Russell, Jones and the two goalies are UFA, so that's 14.9 million that could be allowed to walk, which would cover the extensions of Gaudreau, Monahan, Gio, and Hudler with some $ left over (assuming that Gaudreau + Monahan get 4.5 million dollar raises each, and Hudler gets a 2 mil bump).

The good thing is that we have plenty of forwards, defensemen and goalies ready to make the jump. Ortio and Gillies could easily step in next year and be the goalie tandem, Morrison will likely be on the full time roster at some point this year, with Spoon being another candidate, never mind the whole group of potential forwards like Arnold Klimchuk Poirier etc.