At best, Brouwer is the 7th best winger on this roster, so on the 4th line and PK. At worst, he is jumped by young guys and is the 13/14th forward, stepping in for injuries.
It's clear he needs to move on, but I feel if there was a deal with salary retained, he would be gone already.
That all being said, since he is still an NHL capable player, you only buyout if painted into a corner.
Stone could be traded, as teams always look for depth on D, but he is one of the few capable PK guys we have.
Hanifin could be bridged, but there is risk either way with good deal. Long term ties up money that he doesn't yet love up to, in order to save more later. Bridge risks deferring more cap hit to later, after Tkachuk's raise. That all being said, a 2 year bridge takes Hanifin to expiry at same time as Brodie, Stone and Hamonic. That would allow a restructure on D depending on which prospects have made the grade.
Essentially it boils down to this: keeping Brouwer is paying your depth forward 4.5M for 2 years, and buying out is paying 2.35M for 4 years (buyout plus cheap player). Do the flames need cap now, knowing they will be limited for 4 years, or ride out the pain on this deal?
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