Quote:
Originally Posted by liamenator
Kotkaniemi is the kind of move that make a lot of sense for where a team like the Flames is at. He's young and talented but has never quite figured it out. The Canes want to get out from under his contract, but it's not such a boat anchor that it screws you if it doesn't work out.
The contract is also not so bad that the Canes will have to add much to dump it. Maybe they bite on Mangiapane on an expring deal, straight up, though Flames might have to retain 30% or so.
Whether or not it's Kotkaniemi, these are the kind of deals I think (and hope) we see Conroy making over the next couple of years.
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If they are looking at buying out Kotkaniemi I would gladly take him for future considerations.
His underlying's remain pretty strong, he played at a 40 point pace over his first two seasons in Carolina, his production decline last year was almost entirely shooting percentage driven.
Even if he's just a 40 point, middle 6 forward, $4.8M is not going to be an issue when the cap is above $90M. But if he could develop a bit more then it has the upside of being a potential bargain.
If he was like a 15th overall pick people would be fine with his progression, but since he was a top 3 pick, that was then given a foolish offer sheet, he gets more flack than maybe he should.