Like every other team that has been successful since the Cap came in, you pay them now and then deal them for youth and picks when things need re-structuring.
No GM in the league will be able to set theoretical structure now that will still be the same in a few years when other contracts are up. Unless you have a crystal ball, you don't know what players will be doing by that time or who might get injured. Or what prospects will emerge.
Pay him now and worry about it later. Chicago, LA, and Pittburgh have all had to deal with it like that. The Flames will be the same if we are lucky.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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