[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

There can be no argument that the Flames would love to get out of the Brouwer contract.

He is 12th in points - everyone below him (other than Hamonic and Stone) have played significantly less games.

He is 14th in goals.

He has the 6th highest cap hit on the team - 3rd highest if you are looking at just forwards.

Without question, that is a poor contract. Don't have to believe my take - just listen to Treliving's wrap-up after the first season. He said that Brouwer had a disappointing year and he expects him to rebound. Well, that's obviously not happening, and I can't imagine Treliving is content with having that contract on the books. The only reason he is still here is that there hasn't been an opportunity to move him (without taking another poor contract back or giving up assets).

With that being said, Brouwer is playing much better this season than last. He has not lived up to his contract (I think value there is around 1.5 million or so, not 'just' 1 million over paid).

What I do find funny about Brouwer is how "Jekyll and Hyde" he is on any given shift. He really wows me often with how he reads the play, gets into a good position on the defensive side, finds a way to retrieve the puck, makes a strong play to evade the forechecker, skates the puck up the ice, and then once in the offensive zone makes an uncontested (or nearly uncontested) turnover. He does wow me at times with some of the stuff he does. I find him infuriatingly consistent on how often he does a strong play and a poor play.

I don't think the Flames are losing games with him in the lineup. I don't think that they really need the cap space that he is using up at the moment. I don't see the urgency to get rid of him. I just think that if Treliving had any opportunity to do so, he would have done so, and you don't pay a guy 3 million above what his performance dictates for 'leadership'. If that was the case, Jagr would have remained on the team, and we would already have heard of Stajan getting re-upped for next season. There are no positive arguments as to why Brouwer is important to this team at that cap hit, but luckily there are no arguments why the Flames HAVE to find a way to jettison him off the team.

He is a poor player and a poor producer, but he has moments of being effective. As long as Gulutzan doesn't over-use him, he won't lose you games, and the Flames can just wait it out a bit longer. I just don't see how anyone with a straight face can say that he has been valuable to the Flames and that the Flames value what he brings. By any metric - advanced or otherwise - it doesn't add up to anything other than an overpriced contract, and overpriced contracts cost you in a cap world.

This right here is what leads me to believe it's an effort thing for Brouwer. The dude just doesn't care.