I've said it before, I don't want to lose Brodie from this roster, but after next season he's either going to be gone for nothing, or making $6 million or more against the cap heading into his 30's. We can't afford to pay both he and Hamonic.
Plus, with the season he's had he would likely bring in a solid return of futures. 1st round pick and a couple of 2nds type of deal.
Then, as some have mentioned, guys like Andersson (is a RHD) and Kylington (has played a lot of D on the right side in the past) can battle for 5v5 ice time as Gio's partner. Aside from them you also have Hamonic. In other words you should be able to replace Brodie internally, clear cap space AND bring in a substantial return of futures that could help keep this teams window open even longer.
Giordano - Andersson/Kylington
Hanifin - Hamonic
Valimaki - Andersson/Kylington
As of right now you still have Stone kicking around as well.
In a cap world you can't keep everybody, even though you want to. It makes sense to recycle your assets whenever possible in order to achieve long term success. D just happens to be a spot the Flames are very deep right now, and as much as I like Brodie, I'd rather see the soon to be 30 year old making $6 million + dealt and replaced by a 22 or 23 year old, than to deal away the younger cheaper guy who doesn't have as much value.
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