Quote:
Originally Posted by OptimalTates
It’s almost like they are completely different scenarios and knowing what Gaudreau would do at the draft mattered while an actual arbitrary deadline in summer doesn’t mean anything when you retain the rights of a player for one year regardless.
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The moment the Flames filed for arbitration, they set a deadline that is absolutely binding for both sides. There is nothing arbitrary about it. You wanted the Flames to set a one-sided deadline on Gaudreau, with nothing to bind Gaudreau or his agent to it. Of course the Flames would have liked to make a deal before the draft, but what was in it for Gaudreau? Nothing.
The thing about an arbitrary deadline is that when it goes past, nothing actually changes. The real deadline for Gaudreau and the Flames was the evening of July 12, when it was no longer possible for him to get an 8-year contract. The real deadline for Tkachuk and the Flames is now the arbitration date.