Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
And I don’t understand the logic that these guys can’t be traded because their contracts are too good. The goal is to win the Stanley Cup, not have the most efficient salary cap while bombing out in the 1st round every year cause we don’t have enough speed, grit and heart.
Why would you consider trading Gaudreau or Monahan? Because they are core players and they didn’t show enough grit, heart and speed (in Monahan’s case). The Flames have to decide if they think either of those guys will be able to lead in the playoffs in the future if they have a lot of doubts on either guy then you definitely explore a trade. Maybe they give them another year, maybe they make a move elsewhere.
The idea that they are untraceable because their contracts are too good makes no sense to me.
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It's not that they are untradable, it's that they replacement cost would destroy the team's cap structure. Sure if you can get a replacement player to play 1C at a number that fits under the cap, then go for it. But why would another GM let that player leave?
It's like buying your house before a boom for say 250K and knowing that your house is now worth 500K. Sure you can sell it, but you still need somewhere to live so you have to buy back into the same market. It would be nice if you could buy another place at the pre-boom prices, but that's not a realistic idea. The only way you can score on the inflated pricing is if you owned two houses and sold your extra one.
The Flames have two assets in Johnny and Mony that are worth way more than market value. The only way to really get a return on those assets is in a rebuild, because they just finished atop the west and will still need a 1C and 1LW going forward. I don't know of any teams that are going to trade a better pair to the Flames at a combined cap of about 13 million. Let's pretend that the Bolts will let Point go in a trade (because he's the fancy name around here). Point will cost in the neighbourhood of 9-10 million per year. So the Flames would have to fill the 1LW with 2-3 million. Sure you could move Chucky there, but then you need to fill the 2LW with that money, not likely.
So to say that they are untradable, that's not it. They are definitely tradable. I just don't see a scenario where the Flames improve as a team without them under their cap, given that they are a cap team. Trading Johnny and Mony is more a math issue than a hockey issue in my opinion.