Tampa spent a lot of draft capital acquiring these rugged types with skill to finally win a couple of cups.
Now teams like the Flames who also didn't draft enough skilled physicality have to go and pay a premium for them on the UFA market.
It makes me like this year's draft picks a bit more in that regard. I don't know where the cut-off I would make when it comes to Coleman - 4 years? 5 million? That still seems like an overpay, and it will probably come in under what the eventual contract is likely to be. However, that's the cost of trying to fill holes on a team.
I hope that the Flames end up picking more of a variance. I was surprised at how many 'undersized' guys were in the system, and you couple that with how many guys aren't physical who are of at least average size, and you have built a fairly weak team that suddenly has holes to fill.
You absolutely need the Ferland-types and the Bennett-types in the playoffs - guys who can play that rugged game, and generate offence in a different way, and preferably that you can play in your top 6. Those guys will always end up getting paid, though they often end up to be terrible contracts in their last years as they slow down dramatically due to their injuries.
Still, grabbing Coleman makes this team better. He isn't going to replace Backlund as the 3rd C - Backlund may be on the roster in the third line centre spot, but he is hardly the third C. He plays the tough match-up minutes and does most of the heavy lifting quite well. It wouldn't make sense to get rid of Backlund for Coleman, and then hope that Lindholm, Monahan and Coleman can pick up the slack. What Backlund does is allow the other lines more freedom and opportunity to put up points. Removing Backlund makes it a bit more difficult for them. I think for as long as the Flames are trying to win a cup (and for as long as Backlund can still skate like he does), then it remains a strong fit for the Flames having Backlund in the lineup.
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