[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

But it isn't hurting the team to be competitive, unless you'd bring in another centre instead of Stajan. So you have to ask yourself. Are you happy with Bennett and Mony being pegged as our #1 and #2. IF yes, then Stajan's contract becomes irrelevant given it expires as Bennett will need a raise.

Except Bennett and Monahan aren't problems for the team. Finding another top six winger or two is, and that is where proper salary management is crucial. Stajan is a bottom line center being paid third line money. With Backlund on the team, making third line money, Matt Stajan is an unnecessary contract.

Even if you could get rid of Stajan, you wouldn't do so and bring in another centre. So then you are left with using his money on a player for 2 years or less. Any player signing a UFA deal at 2 years or less isn't a player we are looking for, that's another Raymond type flyer (and if it works out, the money isn't there to remind-sign after). You could argue that maybe you could get a player via trade, but the same issue exists when the contract expires, and I don't think the Flames have the assets that we'd be willing to part with to acquire such a player.

That's right, you don't bring in another center, you promote from within. Whether that be Derek Grant or Bill Arnold you make that move so you can save $2M+. You need that money to pay that much needed top six winger, regardless of you bring him in.

The whole point is, anyone complaining about the Flames cap space has lost the plot on this rebuild and gotten impatient. The Flames aren't trying to be peaking next year or the year after, nor should they be. Very easy to look at our place in the standings, and get uncomfortable that a basement dweller is pushing the cap. But that ignores the expiry dates of our bad contracts, when our new young core is going to peak, and the fact that even if we had that cap space that there likely wouldn't be any assets to use it on because we need the money to be used wisely down the road as the players we are building around come if their entry level deals.

I didn't realize that a rebuild had a specific course and there was specific timing involved? I thought rebuilds were organic and developed as quickly or slowly as the individuals and team dynamics emerged. Thinking their is a specific time frame with a rebuild is a little silly. Both Monahan and Gaudreau stepped up a lot quicker than some would imagine. Getting Hamilton accelerates any rebuild. Timelines change and can change rapidly. Tying yourself down with albatross contracts is what holds teams back. Stajan, Wideman, Raymond, Smid and Engelland's contracts are hurting the rebuild.

There is no cap issue with the Flames, just a patience issue with the fan base as to when this team is truly being built to be a contender. I'd love it to be next year too, but that's simply realistic based on the age of our key players.

So the Flames should just wait for these contracts to expire, while wasting important years on other player's deals? They shouldn't be proactive in fixing what is holding the team back? They should sit on these over-priced borderline useless veterans because their contracts will expire in the near future? I think that would be a very bad move. I think that would lose this team fans as the losses pile up because of those players they need to cull from the herd. To me, that sounds like a team that doesn't take winning seriously.