[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by getbak

You don't have to wait until free agency to re-sign one of your own players (or they could acquire another team's pending free agent and sign him).

Ryan, Leivo, Simon, and Nordstrom all meet the exposure requirement for games played. Ritchie is currently 6 games shy of the requirement, and he will also likely reach that mark before the end of the season. If any of them are signed to at least a one-year extension prior to the expansion draft, he would meet the exposure requirement and the Flames wouldn't need to expose Backlund.


Right now, the Flames have three options for meeting the forward exposure requirement (assuming Lucic will take one of the two spots):

1. Expose Backlund
2. Sign one of Ryan, Ritchie, Leivo, Simon, or Nordstrom to a 2021-22 contract (or trade for another team's pending UFA/RFA and sign him), and leave him exposed in the expansion draft
3. Trade for a player who is under contract for 2021-22 who meets the games played requirement and leave him exposed

They have to do one of those three things prior to the expansion draft.

I would not be surprised if they signed Ritchie