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Originally Posted by Textcritic
So, what do you see as the solution, here? The Flames are in a situation where they need to shed salary before the start of the season. Their options for doing so are limited to either trading high-salary players for picks or prospects, or buying out players on expensive contracts.
Ideally, the Flames would trade Stone and Neal and that would be the end of it. But the practical reality is that these players are currently not appealing to anyone to accept in a trade. This means moving salary attached to a player with some value—hence 2020. pending UFAs TJ Brodie and Michael Frolik.
If there is a better option here I am all ears. What do you think the Flames should do?
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Certainly dumping a key cog for nothing shouldn't be in the plans when this team has a window to win right now. If you can get something of value by packaging up players like Frolik and Brodie that you otherwise could not get alone, then you go for that. A player like Bennett is certainly not filling those shoes and it is way too much to ask of guys like Dube or Mangiapane to shoulder that role until they actually are regular, everyday NHLers for more than a few weeks.
Long story short - it's a fools errand to start deleting guys like Frolik for nothing to simply clear cap space. An actual hockey trade (Brodie + Frolik or some combination) and possibly a buyout of Stone can easily clear room, provided the Flames are willing to part with a guy like Kylington or a pick to sweeten the pot as well.