Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Treliving’s UFA signings……. Starting to look like a strength

Vinny01 · 11-09-2021, 09:27 AM

I would say one of the most common criticisms of our GM is that he makes huge mistakes in free agency and while that has been true in the past I think there is a lot of good news in the last couple years so we can revisit his biggest moves.

For the sake of this I am not really considering the minimum deals that work out (Versteeg) or don’t work out (Leivo) as those boom/bust moves seem to happen with every GM. Also looking strictly at UFA signings so RFA’s, and players that were re-signed are not considered.

2014
Hiller -2 years $4.5M per (good)
This signing is good because Hiller played 52 games that helped this team make the playoffs in year 2 of the rebuild. He completely fell off in gear 2 where the team sunk back down the standings but thanks to the short term this didn’t drag on too long to become a bad deal

Raymond- 3 years $3.15M per (bad)
This seemed to be a signing to help replace the loss of Cammalleri which it didn’t come close to. This deal had to be bought out and just never worked out

Engellend- 3 years $2.917 per (good)
This deal was panned by everyone but it turned into a solid deal. Engellend brought toughness and was key when Gio went down in 2015.

2015
Frolik - 5 years $4.3M per (good)
Frolik was sought after and chose Calgary at 27 years old after the Flames had an unexpected run to the second round. Frolik was a top 6 forward for almost all of this contract and was able to be flipped for a late pick in the last year. It could be argued this cap hit was prohibitive when they tried to sign Tkachuk in the summer of 2019 and lead to the bridge deal.

2016
Brouwer- 4 years $4.5M per (horrible)
This was an absolute brutal deal for the Flames. Zero value was brought and hurt the development of Bennett. This deal had to be bought out midway through but could have easily been bought out sooner. Flames finally out from this buyout next summer

2018
Ryan - 3 years $3.125 per (good)
this was a solid signing where it looked a little rough in the last year with Ryan being waived he still was solid in his time here including a great first year where he Hathaway and Mangiapane formed one of our best lines down the stretch.

Neal - 5 years $5.75M per (horrendous).
Easily the worst Free agent signing in Treliving’s time. Seemed like a decent bet at the time as Neal was coming off back to back finals appearances and 10 straight 20 goal years. He didn’t come with any trade protection, or bonuses and signed for less than the rumored 6x6 he was seeking. He was still so bad in year 1 and was a complete failure. Treliving salvaged this by taking a risk acquiring Lucic but that move worked out well for the team.

2020
Tanev - 4 years $4.5M per (great).
This is looking like Treliving’s best free agent signing. Tanev has been incredible in his role and helped elevate the game on Hanifin in year 1. His amazing play forced the Flames to protect him over Gio which resulted in the Flames gaining the 6.75M in cap on Gio’s last deal. The most important part of this is the opportunity it opened for Kylington who looks great playing in the top 4 with Tanev. This signing helped salvage Kylington which in my opinion helps make it the best of Treliving’s signings.

Markstrom - 6 years $6M per (good)
This deal has a chance to go either way but so far so good for Markstrom who had an uneven year 1 in Calgary. He has 7 shutouts in 52 games as a Flame and is putting up elite numbers this year. Markstrom is filling a huge gap this team had in net for years. I think this could be looked at as a great signing when it is all said and done.

2021
Coleman - 6 years $4.9M per (TBD)
The most recent of Treliving’s big UFA signings is too soon to tell. He has been enjoyable to watch so far and there is a lot to like about this signing but there are reasons for concern so at this point it is too early to make a call one way or the other.

Considering Calgary is not a top UFA destination I do think Treliving has done fairly well in getting the bigger names on the market to consider Calgary. He has taken a lot of heat for this over the years and I think it is somewhat unfair. I think he nailed it with the 2 Canucks in 2020 and luckily was able to salvage his worst move by getting Lucic, 500k in space and a draft pick for Neal.

11-09-2021, 09:27 AM	#1
Vinny01 Franchise Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: CGY Exp:	Treliving’s UFA signings……. Starting to look like a strength I would say one of the most common criticisms of our GM is that he makes huge mistakes in free agency and while that has been true in the past I think there is a lot of good news in the last couple years so we can revisit his biggest moves. For the sake of this I am not really considering the minimum deals that work out (Versteeg) or don’t work out (Leivo) as those boom/bust moves seem to happen with every GM. Also looking strictly at UFA signings so RFA’s, and players that were re-signed are not considered. 2014 Hiller -2 years $4.5M per (good) This signing is good because Hiller played 52 games that helped this team make the playoffs in year 2 of the rebuild. He completely fell off in gear 2 where the team sunk back down the standings but thanks to the short term this didn’t drag on too long to become a bad deal Raymond- 3 years $3.15M per (bad) This seemed to be a signing to help replace the loss of Cammalleri which it didn’t come close to. This deal had to be bought out and just never worked out Engellend- 3 years $2.917 per (good) This deal was panned by everyone but it turned into a solid deal. Engellend brought toughness and was key when Gio went down in 2015. 2015 Frolik - 5 years $4.3M per (good) Frolik was sought after and chose Calgary at 27 years old after the Flames had an unexpected run to the second round. Frolik was a top 6 forward for almost all of this contract and was able to be flipped for a late pick in the last year. It could be argued this cap hit was prohibitive when they tried to sign Tkachuk in the summer of 2019 and lead to the bridge deal. 2016 Brouwer- 4 years $4.5M per (horrible) This was an absolute brutal deal for the Flames. Zero value was brought and hurt the development of Bennett. This deal had to be bought out midway through but could have easily been bought out sooner. Flames finally out from this buyout next summer 2018 Ryan - 3 years $3.125 per (good) this was a solid signing where it looked a little rough in the last year with Ryan being waived he still was solid in his time here including a great first year where he Hathaway and Mangiapane formed one of our best lines down the stretch. Neal - 5 years $5.75M per (horrendous). Easily the worst Free agent signing in Treliving’s time. Seemed like a decent bet at the time as Neal was coming off back to back finals appearances and 10 straight 20 goal years. He didn’t come with any trade protection, or bonuses and signed for less than the rumored 6x6 he was seeking. He was still so bad in year 1 and was a complete failure. Treliving salvaged this by taking a risk acquiring Lucic but that move worked out well for the team. 2020 Tanev - 4 years $4.5M per (great). This is looking like Treliving’s best free agent signing. Tanev has been incredible in his role and helped elevate the game on Hanifin in year 1. His amazing play forced the Flames to protect him over Gio which resulted in the Flames gaining the 6.75M in cap on Gio’s last deal. The most important part of this is the opportunity it opened for Kylington who looks great playing in the top 4 with Tanev. This signing helped salvage Kylington which in my opinion helps make it the best of Treliving’s signings. Markstrom - 6 years $6M per (good) This deal has a chance to go either way but so far so good for Markstrom who had an uneven year 1 in Calgary. He has 7 shutouts in 52 games as a Flame and is putting up elite numbers this year. Markstrom is filling a huge gap this team had in net for years. I think this could be looked at as a great signing when it is all said and done. 2021 Coleman - 6 years $4.9M per (TBD) The most recent of Treliving’s big UFA signings is too soon to tell. He has been enjoyable to watch so far and there is a lot to like about this signing but there are reasons for concern so at this point it is too early to make a call one way or the other. Considering Calgary is not a top UFA destination I do think Treliving has done fairly well in getting the bigger names on the market to consider Calgary. He has taken a lot of heat for this over the years and I think it is somewhat unfair. I think he nailed it with the 2 Canucks in 2020 and luckily was able to salvage his worst move by getting Lucic, 500k in space and a draft pick for Neal.