I'm sure Ricardo has no proof of anything, but that doesn't make his concerns invalid. As much as I love Tkachuk as a player and believe he will be a major contributor to the Flames success moving forward, there are always concerns.
He had a concussion two seasons ago that ended his season, and he was popped by Zadorov in the playoffs and was ineffective for the rest of the series. Another concussion? Who knows. Point being there is always risk. Also, is 8x8 the new 6x6? If so, then might as well sign him, but can't fault Treliving for trying to push a hard bargain. He is not the Flames best player right now, period. He is probably third-best with Backlund and Monahan right there with him.
I think the lower-than-expected cap increase has a lot of GMs worried about meeting current salary demands. Is it a one-time thing or is this the new normal? No one really knows and with the uncertainty comes risk.
The kid is going to get paid, no doubt, but I'm happy for our GM to play hardball to keep the dollars down.
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