The way this is going, it seems to me as is the Flames actually want to sour public opinion so they can make a move easier. Murray Edwards is a business man. And a smart one. Perhaps he's determined that just as he has on a personal level, Calgary just isn't the place to be anymore on a business level, and he wants out of the market for a myriad of reasons, and Ken King is just his mouthpiece.
The only other possible conclusion I can draw from this is the Flames feel the city is going to take a viable run at the Olympics, which would require the city build a new arena, and this is a stall tactic to see where that washes out. If Calgary threw an official winter bid into the mix, I think there is a very strong possibility it's approved, and voila, free arena 2.0. So completely remove yourself from the table now and refuse to negotiate like a big baby, until that decision is made.
Either way, I'm very soured towards the Flames right now. The optics of 'refusing to negotiate' to me say they likely are looking for a reason to pull up the stakes.
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