[getbak]

George Johnson on the deal coming together: https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/trel...rm/c-282544822

The agreement helps avoid any distasteful public wrangling and injects a serious bit of mojo into Calgary's lineup.

Gaudreau is, as everyone is well aware, the young, fresh face of a franchise trying to re-define itself. Its undisputed poster boy. Responsible for 51 per cent of Flames' jersey sales.

And, most importantly, a whoopee-cushion of a winger, capable of ejecting people from their seats like the passage side of 007's Aston Martin's DB5.

Young players want to emulate him, their dads want his autograph, their moms want to mother him and their sisters want to marry him.

"It's like a bowl of chicken wings, right? If there are 15 in the bowl, everyone wants one but some guy eats five, somebody starves.

"At the end of the day, players want to win. But in trying: 'I'm not trying to harm you or disrespect you, but it's got to work for both sides."

"You need a little meat left on those chicken bones to feed the others."

Looks like all the people who complained about Burke and Treliving going for dinner with the family were worried for nothing:

The tide began to turn, according to Treliving, when he made a jaunt east for some face-to-face chat.

"I went out to New York and Philadelphia and met with the agent (Lewis Gross) one night and met with the family and Brian (Burke) came in, too.

"And we started to get momentum. Since then it's been all-day, every-day."