Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
I so suck at understanding stuff written like this but if i am reading it correctly, they needed whatever cap room they had at the deadline + whatever expiring contracts they had coming up on Monday to total whatever it was that Stone was making last year? (7.5 IIRC)
Did they not have that AND way more since they are sitting at 13 million in space as of today?
Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but this is the kind of minutiae I really dont pay a ton of attention to as i find it mind numbing, but something that obviously can affect things as well.
|
So it's a two pronged complication.
As I understand it, they would not have had the tagging room because of the pending bonuses potentially owed. I believe bonuses count until such a point as they are no longer achievable but getbak will probably correct me here.
The other part here is risk: if you have to move Neal and Mike stone to afford to re-sign Mark Stone, you're taking on SUBSTANTIAL risk that you will be able to move those contracts prior to July 1st when tkachuk can be offersheeted.
Neal's contract removed any flexibility the flames had. Trading for stone without subtracting Neal would've been a disaster, which is why Neal to Ottawa was a major component of the deal. Even now, Neal's contract is a huge problem for the flames to navigate around. They would be able to keep Frolik AND Brodie if Neal wasn't on the roster.
A big reason those contributing valuable roster players have to move is because of a non contributing no value (non)roster player.
If you trade for stone without subtracting Neal you can't sign him to an extension right away which increases the risk he reaches this courting period without a deal which basically guarantees he's a goner.
That was the 'not moving valimaki for a rental' argument. The price for making stone not a rental was 2x1sts, valimaki and Andersson to absorb Neal.
Based on what the leafs paid to drop a single year of Marleau, 2x1sts + Andersson may have been a relatively cheap price for Neal.