Quote:
Originally Posted by dino7c
next two years when the Oilers are paying Neal 2M and the Flames are playing Lucic ZERO you might be singing a different tune
and "perfectly fine" is a stretch
|
Why would I be signing a different tune?
The whole point of a buy out is short term gain for long term pain.
IMO the Flames needed to take advantage of Giordano and Gaudreau being on sweetheart contracts when they had the chance. A Norris trophy D-Man and a dynamic forward on great contracts are pieces you could build a contender around.
They weren't able to do it, and Lucic making $4 million more than he was worth through that period was certainly part of the reason Treliving couldn't get the team over the hump.
Freeing up $4 million from the Neal contract for the last 4 seasons would have been more beneficial to the Flames than having an extra $2 million for the next 2 years IMO.
Maybe if the Flames make some kind of pivotal move that catapults them into contender status in the next couple of years that is a direct result of them having an extra $2 million dollars I'll change my mind on the issue, but unless that happens, I'll probably keep the same opinion that I had on the day of the Neal/Lucic trade.