[bigrangy]

Brouwer is a good player, signed for market value, that fills the biggest hole on this team.

I like the signing from that angle.

The Flames will have intentions on becoming a cup contending team sometime before Brouwer's contract is finished. My main concern is that I don't think a team with Brouwer and Frolik as their #1 and #2 right wingers will ever be a favorite for the cup, unless JG is the best player in the league, both Bennet and Monahan become elite #1 centres, and Tkachuk can be a 1st line winger stuck on a second line. I don't think any of these are a lock (except for johnny of course), let alone all 4 of them being likely. The end result of whatever the Flames are building has to result in a team that can be looked at as a strong contender to win it all, and with the Brouwer and Frolik deals structured the way they are, I can't see it happening before those deals are up. Both Brouwer and Frolik are good players, and are worth their contracts, but a contending team won't be able to have 8.8 million tied up in players that would ideally be your #2 and #3 right wingers, at least imo. Conventional wisdom said the Pens wouldn't have a shot at the cup with the defense they had, but they managed to find a way. The Flames are going to need everything to go right with the way they are building their team, and I believe the Brouwer signing to be a little more risky than it had to be.