[Signing] Flames sign Tkachuk (3 yrs, $7 mil AAV)

[tkflames]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

I am fine with the bridge deal. Once upon a time, when RFAs were paid at a discount to UFAs and UFAs were older and closer to the end of their careers, a long term deal lowered the AAV. Now, as the Marner and a few other deals show, a long term deal creates a higher AAV. This simply wouldn't work for the Flames in the short term. They have all of their important players under the cap and signed for 3-4 years. This is as good as it gets.

Would have liked a 2 or 6 year deal. Having said that...as much as I like Tkachuk, I hate long term high dollar deals based on one performance year. I the player substantially regressed or has skill limiting injury...you are looking at a decade of suck.

In 3 years the Flames are in a position to extend him or reload with a real run at the cup for 3 straight years. Great time to be a flames fan!

[Mattman]

Originally Posted by dangler22

I had it in my brain that Point's cap hit was 6.5 for some reason. Even still, I think the aav is too high for a bridge deal. I'm happy he's back but now I have a tiny sour taste in my mouth against the kid.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

At the end of the day it could be worse, we could all be Leafs fans cheering for a team who just signed thier RFA for OVER 10 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR!

[SportsJunky]

Now let’s see if Peters tries Tkachuk out on the top line like he mentioned earlier in camp.

[Iceman57]

Well this was fantastic news to wake up too this morning and IIRC Matthew Tkachuk is still an RFA at the end of this contract, meaning the Flames would still hold his rights correct?

[JBR]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

So, this all but guarantees Tkachuk will be offered a massive UFA contract with the Coyotes in 3 years.

Nice

Probably on a Monday. But why would he want to move to Kansas City?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Mmmmm. No. Minus Tkachuk, Gaudreau and Giordano, and the roster still comprises four top-four defensemen under the age of 26, centre depth featuring Monahan, Lindholm, and Backlund, and at least $20 m of cap space. The Flames are not going to fill those vacancies with scrubs and journeymen.

Scrubs and journeymen is exactly what free agency has brought to the Flames under Treliving. You should know by now that free agency is not how you build a team, especially a western Canadian team.

[Superfraggle]

Originally Posted by Iceman57

Well this was fantastic news to wake up too this morning and IIRC Matthew Tkachuk is still an RFA at the end of this contract, meaning the Flames would still hold his rights correct?

Yes, but he can just accept his one year $9M qualifying offer at the end and become a UFA a year later.

[bax]

Another interesting thing to consider- many reports stated that Flames and Tkachuk both wanted to go long term. Friedman just a few days ago reported that they were discussing 5 and 6 year options.

I think it's likely that everyone involved realized the cap wasn't available this year to make that kind of deal. So they signed a deal that allows the Flames some flexibility as in there is no pressure to trade anyone off the roster and they can go back to the drawing board in 2 years and ink a big 5-8 year deal.

Maybe a bit of a stretch, but I bet the Flames wanted 6.75 over 3 years, but ended up giving the extra 250k as a sign on good faith. Let's meet in 2 years and get a long term deal done before arbitration hits.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

We can watch Brodie, Frolik, and Hamonic walk in the summer for nothing and the team had failed to draft in the 2nd round for 3 years and only drafted in the first round twice.

I would love to move Brodie for a similar package as Faulk which could have given the Flames more money to go 6 years with Tkachuk.

This has been Treliving’s worst summer as GM of the Flames in my opinion.

Brodie and Frolik could still be traded. That's the luxury with the Chucky signing is that the Flames aren't forced to do anything, giving other GM's leverage. And even if they aren't traded, they're still contributing players to the roster, and Flames are better off with them, than a AHL/bottom lines player that you likely get in a trade right now. You don't just trade for the sake of it. The position the Flames are in, they should be trading to get better for now.

And if they walk this summer, Flames still get something. It's called cap space.

Don't make trades unless they make sense. Flames are in win now territory, not later. So keep Broide and Frolik until they can get a trade that at least brings in the same amount of productive value as we get with them right now.

[SportsJunky]

Marner aside, this is pretty much what teams and RFAs are settling on for contracts.The Werenski contract sort of started these 3 year bridge deals where the 3rd year is high. Basically making it a 4 year deal because of the QO due after the deal ends. Treliving did well to get it done. Tkachuk did well to get it done.

How can Flames fans be anything but pleased today?

[Buff]

It's depressing how a contract that was signed only a couple hours ago can cause fans to have such panic for 3 or 4 years from now.

Just be happy that the band is back together. Is that too much to ask? I guess so.

[powderjunkie]

Taxes are a lot more complicated than everyone thinks (as was briefly discussed in the Point thread) - of course they are a factor, but IMO overblown in these discussions. Any 'real' take home numbers being thrown around are based on false assumptions to begin with (capfriendly salary numbers instead of the actual amount) - after the jock taxes and deductions are crunched (not to mention the things you pay more for out of pocket in low tax places), the actual differences between jurisdictions isn't that huge. Of course, it all adds up over the course of a career, but it isn't much more of a factor in determining where a hockey player wants to work than it is for any of us...

Even the modest endorsement deals available to Tkachuk over Point should pretty much offset the difference.

[EVERLAST]

Originally Posted by keenan87

I love Tkachuk.. but him getting paid more than Point is a joke imo.

Absolutely NOT....without Tkachuk this team doesnt compete most nights .
He draws so much of this team into the games, scrums, intensity...who else does this ????
Really???

You cannot measure what he does for this team ....period.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Brodie and Frolik could still be traded. That's the luxury with the Chucky signing is that the Flames aren't forced to do anything, giving other GM's leverage. And even if they aren't traded, they're still contributing players to the roster, and Flames are better off with them, than a AHL/bottom lines player that you likely get in a trade right now. You don't just trade for the sake of it. The position the Flames are in, they should be trading to get better for now.

And if they walk this summer, Flames still get something. It's called cap space.

Don't make trades unless they make sense. Flames are in win now territory, not later. So keep Broide and Frolik until they can get a trade that at least brings in the same amount of productive value as we get with them right now.

Agreed they can still be traded and personally I hope so. Letting them walk is a bad scenario. The Flames can pay Rasmus which is good but the last thing I want Treliving to do is go shopping with cap space in his wallet.

Unless this team wins the cup or at least goes extremely deep then the Hamonic deal will be looked at historically as a significant loss. This team has a brutal prospect system and 1 playoff win to show for it.

At the end of the day the Flames can still move those guys and not lose them for nothing.

At the end of the day if you told me after the Flames got spanked in the playoffs that we would sign Tkachuk to a bridge that still made him the highest paid player, and the only roster moves were swapping Neal and Smith for Lucic and Talbot I would tell you that is a brutal summer.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Buff

It's depressing how a contract that was signed only a couple hours ago can cause fans to have such panic for 3 or 4 years from now.

Just be happy that the band is back together. Is that too much to ask? I guess so.

Agreed it's pretty frustrating. We have 3 more years of one of the top forward core groups in the league AND we get to keep our 2nd best defenseman and 2nd best RW? The horror.

As much as the GM needs to keep an eye on the future, the organizations sole purpose is to win as many hockey games as possible in the upcoming season.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Buff

It's depressing how a contract that was signed only a couple hours ago can cause fans to have such panic for 3 or 4 years from now.

Just be happy that the band is back together. Is that too much to ask? I guess so.

Pretty funny eh? I barely know where I'm going to go for lunch in 3-4 hours or my plans this weekend in 3-4 days. 3-4 years? Pfft, not at all worried about that kind of time frame.

[Kswiss]

Love that these bridge deals are back. IMO the risk of those insane 7-8 year deals are much worse than the risk of a slightly over paid 3 year bridge deal. Roenick is right. These kids need to earn their long term contracts.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Scrubs and journeymen is exactly what free agency has brought to the Flames under Treliving. You should know by now that free agency is not how you build a team, especially a western Canadian team.

The Flames have never been a contending team with cap space under Treliving. I suspect this would make a significant difference in three years time. Besides, with more and more players entering UFA in their mid-twenties this becomes a more viable approach to team building. Most likely the Flames will re-sign one of Gaudreau or Tkachuk and move the other for a package of valuable younger players/picks.

In the end, the point is that the team will have options and opportunity in three years to extend their window. It's not going to abruptly slam shut.

[RM14]

Originally Posted by Superfraggle

Yes, but he can just accept his one year $9M qualifying offer at the end and become a UFA a year later.

Why is a qualifying offer automatically one year?

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by bax

Another interesting thing to consider- many reports stated that Flames and Tkachuk both wanted to go long term. Friedman just a few days ago reported that they were discussing 5 and 6 year options.

I think it's likely that everyone involved realized the cap wasn't available this year to make that kind of deal. So they signed a deal that allows the Flames some flexibility as in there is no pressure to trade anyone off the roster and they can go back to the drawing board in 2 years and ink a big 5-8 year deal.

For all of the moaning about the poll thread, these kind of things were discussed there.