Quote:
Originally Posted by dino7c
You can't match a 1 year offer sheet because then you can't trade him
Blues could give him a 1 year offer sheet for whatever (nudge nudge, wink wink) and then extend him during the season for 8 years
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I think you still need to operate that Tkachuk, as a Tkachuk, isn't parlaying this situation into a 9 year contract unless it maximizes his earnings. I don't see a situation where that occurs.
He forgoes UFA to sign with a team who needs to offer more than 9M this year to earn more than he could have just got by signing the QO. Then he risks injury or a drop in play before he can sign in January. Huge risk. And if he gets the 9 years he becomes a UFA when he's 33? Too old to really cash in on another massive UFA contract. If he makes it to UFA after signing a one year deal he could have just stuck with the Flames without the offersheet to do it but he still ends up as a UFA when the cap is artificially low because of the escrow balance.
If Tkachuk was focused on maximizing his earnings I think somehow getting a three year deal, taking him to UFA as a 27 year old when the escrow payment is expected to be repaid and the cap jumps and teams have cap space due to that jump is his best bet.
In this specific situation, due to their draft picks being traded, St. Louis can currently only offer sheet under 6.3M or over 10.5M. I don't see a situation where Tkachuk signs for under 6.3M and the Flames take the compensation if over 10.5M. Obviously it was an example and St. Louis could try to recoup the picks but right now the only teams that can offer him more than 6.3M (but less than 10.5M) are the Ducks, Coyotes, Blackhawks, Jackets Wings, Oilers, Kings, Canadiens, Predators, Islanders, Kraken and Canucks.
Columbus doesn't have the space after they signed some kid this off-season, the Islanders and Predators could make it work with a relatively minor trade for cap considerations, but the Islanders have Barzal in the exact same situation next year and probably don't want open season there, especially if Tkachuk is already handcuffing them a bit when it comes to re-signing Barzal. Plus the Islanders yo-yo but they were out of the playoffs by 16 points last season. The other teams I think you just take the 2 first round picks and thank Tkachuk for his effort level while here.
So I think if an offersheet, one year or not, is a problem for the Flames it needs to be because they are close to a deal (in which case they are trying to sign before arbitration without the offersheet getting in the way) or a trade (which isn't completely different). In either case they shouldn't make it to arbitration, but it sucks if they do.