[sureLoss]

http://www.tsn.ca/reading-the-trade-...eaves-1.436138

The Caroline, Alta., native wants to stay with the Flames; the Flames have, generally speaking, expressed a desire for him to stay.
But the two parties haven’t gotten down to the nitty gritty in contract negotiations. And while sentiments are one thing, trying to navigate what might be a noteworthy financial divide may be another.

Here’s the thing: Russell is currently a fantastic bargain with a cap hit of $2.6 million. More nights than not, he plays well over 20 minutes and, at age 28, with his mobility and puck-moving ability, he’s a heady if undersized blueliner who’s pretty much in his prime and arriving to free agency at a very good time for him. The next deal Russell signs will be the best deal he ever signs; he’s going to more than double his current salary.

You don’t have to look very hard to find the guys Russell would view as open-market comparables: Montreal’s Jeff Petry got five years at $5.5 million and so did Edmonton’s Andrej Sekera. Similarly under-sized blueliner Jared Spurgeon collected $5.2 million per year on a three-year term in Minnesota.

Were Russell to go to July 1, is there any doubt he’s going to get at least, emphasis on at least, a five-year offer for $5.5 million? And he may well be looking for more than that, both in term and dollars.

He goes on to say that the Flames did have discussions with other teams on moving out Wideman to help manage re-signing Russell, but with the suspension those trade talks have come to a halt. (Nothing was imminent or close before the suspension)