Quote:
Originally Posted by Oil Stain
It will be interesting to see if Treliving's RFA negotiation tactics will impact the contracts of guys like Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Mangiapane.
When Brad had the hammer in negotiations he ground these guys down for every last dollar and cent.
Now that the shoe is on the other foot, will these guys look to get every last dollar or will Brad be able to convince them to see the bigger picture?
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I think the only one that might understandably have a beef is Mangiapane. Gaudreau's final year looks like a bargain, but when the deal was signed, it was market value for a player with his production at the time.
Tkachuk got an extremely player-friendly deal. It wasn't without risk for him, but the amount of control over his future and the forced qualifying amount was probably something Tkachuk liked. In fact, if Tkachuk only signs a qualifying offer then walks to unrestricted free agency in a year, that could be a fireable offense for a GM.
I am only 50/50 on whether Gaudreau re-signs. I believe he sincerely loves the team and the decision is hard for him, but I also can't help but think that if it was 100% going to get done, it would be done. I doubt Treliving is playing hardball with him. Unless Gaudreau is demanding to be the highest paid player in the league or something, in which case, you have to move on. The Flames can't put themselves in a worse position than the Oilers by having 2 people eat up extremely disproportionate cap space.
I actually think Tkachuk is more likely to sign a long term extension. I don't know why, just a feeling I get from him.