Stamkos worries me mostly because of the salary cap. The Flames need to look ahead 2 years when figuring out their salary cap situation, because lots of dead weight come off the books, and Bennett gets his first big contract.
We know it should look something like this:
Gaudreau - $7.5M
Monahan - $6.5M
Bennett - $6.5M
Frolik - $4.3
Backlund - $3.575
Stajan - $3.125
Bouma - $2.2
Giordano - $6.75
Hamilton - $5.75
Brodie - $4.654
TOTAL = $50.854
Let's say the CAP goes to $80M in 2 years. There's $30M to sign 3 D, 2 G, 5 F. Luckily the current signed D should be the 3 highest paid as should Gaudreau, Monahan, and Bennett up front. If the rest of the players average $2.5M that adds $20M to the total, giving $10M for the goalies.
Stamkos may be able to fit in 2 years, but what if this year's draft pick becomes a superstar who commands $6M plus in 3 years? Chances are reasonably high that this will be the case if the Flames get a top 5 pick. What if Ferland deserves $4 million+ or Kylington turns into Gostisbehere? That means Stamkos could burden the Flames in 3 - 4 years time, and there's no certainty that he will be worth the contract given.
The Flames are in rebuild mode, still. Gaudreau is 21, Monahan is 20, Bennett is 19, Hamilton is 22, Brodie is 25, and there's no goalie. The Flames need to continue to groom their young players, while shedding the salaries of the vets who aren't needed any more. Signing Stamkos to a big, long-term contract at this point in time doesn't fit into what the Flames should be doing. If in 2 years time there's cap room then the Flames should go after a top player.
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