[News] Cammalleri has NOT been traded. Upd: Cammalleri likely heading to free agency

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I have to think that Cammy is seeing Calgary as a possibility, if not a front runner, if he didn't ok a trade.

Huh? Cammalleri had a limited NTC. He could only name 10 teams that he could not be traded to.

Cammalleri didn't move because Burke didn't get the type of offer he was demanding, not because Cammalleri vetoed a trade.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

I'm hoping for this.

If it's money he wants, we have the space for it. Burke could sign him and then trade to contender of Mike's choice while retaining a hefty chunk of salary to make the cap hit to the cap-strangled contenders less tight.

-Calgary gets assets from a contender (very likely a pick/prospect) in return for a 25-30 goal scorer with an attractive cap hit

-Cammalleri gets what he wants, money and to play on a contender team


Everybody wins!

Had not considered this previously.
Sounds like ideal scenario

[foshizzle11]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Had not considered this previously.
Sounds like ideal scenario

I think that sounds too good to be true. What if Burke can't get the return he is looking for? Cammy would be stuck with the Flames, he obviously wants to go somewhere else and win.

He won't sign, I think he walks for nothing.

[FaFaFlamey]

Of course he's gonna sign somewhere else and we end up with nothing in return. But at least we didn't get fleeced and become the laughing stock of the NHL.....LOL.

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by Poe969

so I'm pretty sure they'll do a sign and trade at the draft....

This has come up a number of times concerning Cammy, and possibly on some other threads as well. Although this is a regular occurrence in the NBA and other leagues, I can't think of any time it was ever done in the NHL. Can anyone think of an example?

Either this scenario, or one where he signs for a year at a big salary, arn't in the best interest of the player, and I don't think an agent would let it happen.

Or maybe this is one of those old jokes I didn't read the beginning of....

[Poe969]

Well what I was eluding to and what Gaskal said would be perfect for him. Maybe there weren't enough teams interested in Cammy because of his cap hit. The wild wanted Vanek but couldn't get him under the cap, maybe a team wants to have him but they're tight to the cap. Calgary can sign him to a 4 year deal worth 6 mill and then trade him to a contender at half his cap hit so they'd get a 6 mill player for 3 mill. I would just wonder what kind of compensation that would require. Either way, that would be the best for everyone (except maybe the Flames owners who would be paying half a contract for however long just for assets). As a fantasy GM, that's a dream trade.

[The Yen Man]

I don't see why Cammallari wouldn't go to free agency. He can wait until he's UFA to see what other teams are offering, and still end up signing with the Flames if he wanted to. I guess the risk here is that Burke offers him something different, but if he say's they're giving him a "fair" deal, then I don't think it changes that much.

[Poe969]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

This has come up a number of times concerning Cammy, and possibly on some other threads as well. Although this is a regular occurrence in the NBA and other leagues, I can't think of any time it was ever done in the NHL. Can anyone think of an example?

Either this scenario, or one where he signs for a year at a big salary, arn't in the best interest of the player, and I don't think an agent would let it happen.

Or maybe this is one of those old jokes I didn't read the beginning of....

I'm pretty sure the sens did it with one of Hossa or Heatley or something. It's not something that happens often at all but with the new cap and the compliance buy outs, it just makes sense to do this summer.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

I think he walks for nothing.

If that does happen it's purely for a business reason - or wanting to win. That may very well happen but Mike and the Flames organization have a very good relationship for him to do something like that for any other reason.

From what Burke said, it sounded like they sat down to discuss and the first contract (maybe like 6 mill?) sounded too low to Mike. Of course Cammy wants to see if a contender will dish out for him, but for reasons pointed out earlier that's not terribly likely to happen.

I can see Burke reaching out again post UFA day to see how the offers are for him. If Cammalleri re-signs, I think it's the best possible move for both Burke and Cammy if he pulls it off:

1.) "I'd rather let him walk for free rather than be lowballed with that silly 3rd rounder"

14/15 trade deadline, even after Burke hires the GM - every other GM will know that he's really Burke's puppet. Burke said he's looking to pop someone's GM cherry, so they will be brand new to the role. It's hard to imagine one otherwise.

With that being said, they'll look back on this year's deadline - where Moulson and Gaborik netted meh-to-ok results, and Vanek for magic beans. They didn't think to take a chance on Cammy at the time because 1, he's in a slump, 2, c'mon Burke can't be that serious, right? As it turns out, Cammy goes on a ridiculous scoring streak on a bad team, making them all facepalm. Burke did exactly as he said, he's a man of his word. He's ballsy enough to let Cammy walk for free rather than get lowballed.

At this point, even if Cammy does sign with a contender, they know not to #### with Burke in future when it comes to selling short. If someone at next year's deadline wants Hudler, for example they'll pay what Burke demands.

2.) "And I brought him back anyway, so there"

This is important that 1, it gives the contenders another chance next season to grab Cammy with the same offer of Burke's this year (50% salary retained), and 2 Cammy signed for a hefty amount will let the league believe he's a very valued asset which may take a little bit more prying to get. It means we'll get something really nice back in return.

It gives both Burke and Cammy a better bargaining position, especially if we're willing to pay half his paycheck. Burke can bluff the sun outta the sky with the GMs and one of them will fork over quite a hefty package for him at 50%.


So in the end: Cammalleri gets money, gets to go full-playoff in the playoffs next year with a team who could really use him, and we get a sweet deal.

Everything is awesome.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I don't see why Cammallari wouldn't go to free agency.

The scenario described is one of the reasons why this might be better for all involved.
Team A is a contender and would love to have him, but are tight to the cap. Cammalleri wants a 3 year 6 million per deal, but team A can't fit that in under cap.
So, Flames sign him to that deal, then trade him to team A for a blue chip prospect and a second round draft pick, retaining half his salary in the trade.

Unlikely? Maybe
Interesting idea? Absolutely

[Fire]

Originally Posted by Poe969

Well what I was eluding to and what Gaskal said would be perfect for him. Maybe there weren't enough teams interested in Cammy because of his cap hit. The wild wanted Vanek but couldn't get him under the cap, maybe a team wants to have him but they're tight to the cap. Calgary can sign him to a 4 year deal worth 6 mill and then trade him to a contender at half his cap hit so they'd get a 6 mill player for 3 mill. I would just wonder what kind of compensation that would require. Either way, that would be the best for everyone (except maybe the Flames owners who would be paying half a contract for however long just for assets). As a fantasy GM, that's a dream trade.

I think Burke would demand a late 1st rounder and a good prospect for him to do that.

[Poe969]

IF a team is willing to do that, a late first and a prospect would be worth it in my eyes. That could always be packaged together to move up in the draft too... The Flames are actually sitting pretty when it comes to the draft and UFA market, losing Cammy would suck but it really wouldn't set the franchise back at all.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Anaheim does have two draft picks.... That's who I would approach first. They have Ottawa's pick (from Ryan trade) as well as their own that we can decide whether or not to trade for the lower pick (Ottawa's) or Anaheim's obvious late first round pick.

Of course, the Ottawa pick would cost more, but getting Bennett/Draisaitl/Dal Colle at the 4th pick and picking Fleury/Virtanen/Ritchie/Perlini (if any are available) at Ottawa's pick would be a steal. Not sure who we'd trade for Ottawa's pick though. I'd even be willing to trade a 2nd/3rd rounder + Cammy for Anaheim's late first rounder depending on how much Anaheim wants for give up. But you've seen how teams are with their first round pick now, they are starting to get hard to gain.

[Gaskal]

I wouldn't dare ask them for Ottawa's pick but the late 1st is a possibility especially since they need to replace Selanne.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by FaFaFlamey

Of course he's gonna sign somewhere else and we end up with nothing in return. But at least we didn't get fleeced and become the laughing stock of the NHL.....LOL.

Consider a scenario where you sell a product, maybe a perishable product if it helps you see it better. Now you set the price of this product at FMV, and a few months before the expiry date, someone offers you pennies on the dollar for the product. Do you take it simply because it's better than nothing? If so, what does that do to your business reputation? People know that they never have to give you fair value for anything, as they can just wait and pay you next to nothing. If the public knows that the price is what you are asking, they will be better prepared to pay that price in the future. The pennies on the dollar offered won't make any difference to you at the time of sale, but the business practices of maintaining your bottom line will benefit several fold over the years. It also gives you a chance to sign Cammy. He may leave, but that's not for certain.

In Calgary's circumstance, a 3rd rounder was not worth it to move Cammy. A third round pick will not vastly improve their team, and whoever they pick in that spot might never play an NHL game. If that's the case, then trading Cammy for a player who never suits up for Calgary, or letting him walk in free agency is the exact, same thing. The benefit of not just taking a 3rd, is that teams know they can't low ball Calgary. It also lets players know that just because a season isn't going well, doesn't mean they will get shipped out for a bag of pucks. Their tenure will be valued in Calgary, which will help entice players to play in our city. If Reto Berra was worth a 2nd rounder, surely Cammy would be worth more than that. I just looked at the last 7 NHL drafts, and the only reason I know who five of the 200+ players drafted is that they are Flames players I've heard of. It's not like there are a huge amount of prospects coming out of this round.

In all sports, players leave teams without the team getting anything. Heck, even Peyton Manning left Indianapolis for Denver, and the Colts didn't get any compensation.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Fire

I think Burke would demand a late 1st rounder and a good prospect for him to do that.

That's $12,000,000.00 dollars... it's one thing to retain half of what is already a sunk cost but it's quite another to retain uncommitted dollars of that magnitude. If I was the guy holding the purse strings I'd ask for a heck of a lot more then a late 1st rounder and a just good prospect in exchange for that kind of scratch.

[FlameZilla]

Burke feels they have offered him a fair deal. Cammy's agent thinks they can get more on the market.

I doubt Burke's offer is a low-ball. Any team that signs Cammalleri for more than 4 or 5 million is going to be very disappointed with what they've paid for.

I say there's a solid chance Calgary's offer is the best offer he receives. If that's the case there's a solid chance he signs here.

I don't care either way; he's apparently great in the dressing room, but to me he's not the player you build your team around to win. I'm not going to lose any sleep over the 4th round pick we could have gotten for him at the deadline.

[FlamesAddiction]

Don't under estimate silly season.

Although this year looks fairly deep with free agents as compared to recent years. Cammalleri is going to have some competition.

http://www.capgeek.com/free-agents

[codynw]

Heatley's cap hit is $7.5 million this season. Lol.

[FireGilbert]

I am still hoping he will re-sign for a one year deal and can be traded next year but this does not seem realistic. There will be a few teams throwing around big money on free agent day and someone is going to overpay Cammalleri in money and term.

The really horrible part is this will be the second time Cammalleri has left Calgary with the Flames getting nothing in return. Looking at the Montreal trade on its own the Flames made a good deal but in the big picture with Cammy leaving it was really a steal for the Canadiens. They acquired Cammalleri for nothing and then later traded him and a goalie they didn't need for Bourque and second in a deep draft. Even if you consider Bourque a bad pickup they still got a second round pick for free and turned it into a top goalie prospect. From the Flames perspective if they had kept Cammalleri in the first place or not traded for him again they would have had that second round pick and could have gotten other assets for Bourque. The only saving grace is that Ramo turned into a starter but he was never going to play for Montreal anyways.