It wouldn't be a shocking headline that an unrestricted free agent goes to their hometown team. It happens (Tavares to Toronto or Parise to Minnesota for example).
I know Francis is just doing Francis stuff, but it is a realistic scenario that we need to consider. Once he fulfills his contractual obligations in Calgary, he doesn't owe the Flames anything and we should expect him to make the best decision for himself. If negotiations to extend him don't look like they are going to pan out, we need to trade him, and preferably while he still has a year left to maximize value.
I am leaning towards this being Johnny's last year as a Flame. I am not terribly upset about it either because it may force the shake-up that the team needs anyway.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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