Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
He deserves credit for Frolik, Hamilton, Johnson, Elliott, and Stone. And Gulutzan.
But let's not pretend he is infallible. he has earned more time to be GM but he hasn't proven he can manage the cap. And while Stone is good, there still is a risk we overpay him. Tre's job needs to be to hold this core together, not sign fourth liners for 2nd line money.
If a cap squeeze forces us to lose Ferland or Bennett when Tkachuk needs a raise, our window may close just as it opens.
|
I think it's totally fair to suggest that Brouwer may end up being a concerning signing. Right now, he's not living up to what we'd hope he'd bring (although I'd say it's still early on that, and many would have said the same for Frolik last year). And if it does, Tre needs to take his lumps for that.
But the money issue you bring about future signings is a bit of smoke and mirrors. If it wasn't Brouwer, it would be someone else the Flames needed to target to fill out the roster, and potentially pay UFA dollars for (not withstanding that we want that signing to work out). Future planning around our key upcoming contracts (as much as I like him, not sure Ferland gets to be in that convo yet) is very much a thing, but let's not pretend going out and signing a UFA that this roster needed was done in isolation with out consideration of the long term planning with this team. Right now you've got your crystal ball out and fabricating issues that don't exist.
If you want to critique Tre right now because Brouwer hasn't been the 2nd line player we'd hopped he'd be when signed, that's fair I guess although could still be premature, but don't extrapolate that into the disaster you are trying to pretend it is at this point simply cause you are lacking real ammo for your argument right now.