TSN: Darren Dreger on the futures of Calgary Flames pending UFA Johnny Gaudreau and RFA Matthew Tkachuk (arbitration-eligible and a year from being a UFA). Both already have 100 points this season.
**NHLRumors.com transcription
“Ahhhhh, I mean, it’s going to be so delicate and difficult. No. 1, I think you have to establish that there is a strong, almost an insatiable appetite, inside Calgary, the organization, so I’m talking again ownership, management, of trying to get deals done for those guys. They’re just, they’re that important to the organization moving forward.
But then you’ve got that thing called the salary cap, which complicates a lot across the NHL. And how are they going to be able to manage that? You’re talking at some point in the near future two players commanding over $20 million. I mean, those are real hard cap dollars, right? And as we know, the salary cap for next season is being bumped modestly. I call it a flat cap because it’s going up a million. So you’re looking beyond that.
I mean, all you can do is go into with a real honest negotiation. You find out very quickly where the players stand in all of this.
I took a lot of heat for, how we reported on the Matthews negotiation, the Marner negotiation in Toronto and whatnot. And I get it because again you got a real strong voice in the market and all Leafs fans what is for their team to stay together and win. Well, that applies to Calgary as well.
But the players earn the right to command and demand what the market is going to provide for them from a contract perspective. Both in term and in money. And there is such a thing as a hometown discount but guess what, when you look at Connor McDavid and you look at Auston Matthews, they’re on hometown discounts. Right now they are because those numbers when those guys come up are going to be off the charts large.
So, there’s going to have to be some magical maneuvering but again I know there’s an appetite from both sides to try and get something done.”
The Flames are at home against the Canucks and are
-235 on the moneyline with Betway