Being of the opinion that we should qualify Colborne is fair. Suggesting that not qualifying him is "stupid" isn't.
Burke has made it clear that they will not overpay for Colborne. The only way to maintain control over that is to not qualify him. The second you qualify him you are allowing him to go to arbitration and if the ruling is under 2.9 million the Flames are not able to walk away.
Not qualifying him does not mean losing him for nothing. It means you can now negotiate without the threat of arbitration and hopefully sign him to a contract you are comfortable with.
This comes down to how much the Flames value Colborne. If they think he is going to be awarded more then they are willing to pay their only option is to not qualify him. Which makes it a reasonable option.
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