What does Andrew MacDonald's PTO mean?

The Calgary Flames made it very clear that they wanted veteran defencemen to fit in that number six or seven spot. So, does Andrew MacDonald fit the bill? Well, he's a vet, alright. The problem is, he is also a slow dimensional dman.  Andrew would help in the powerplay and add the goal now and then.  He is a good leader who would help the young dmen. You can never get enough leaders in the dressing room. The advantage for Andrew MacDonald is there is no pressure on him; he would simply be another weapon on the powerplay.  

But does he fill the role of third pairing on the defence?  Technically, yes;  but do I think he is the answer?  I think the Flames can do better. The problem is they might not be able to for a couple of reasons. Defensive strength comes at a high cost. The Flames may very well have to give up a high pick and a couple of prospects to get him. I am not sure the Flames will be willing to pay that price.  First of all, the Flames have to believe that they are a cup contender. Then are they comfortable giving up prospects? Are the Flames confident in their prospect cupboard? The experts seem to think it is a little thin. Do they want to make it thinner?

The next problem in that teams are holding onto their picks. A lot of organizations feel this draft pool is deep and talented. Something more the Flames have to evaluate is if they want to gamble for a defenceman.  I hate to be negative, but I am not that sure the Flames are that close enough to a cup run to ruin the future doing it.

So Andrew MacDonald gets a PTO with nothing to lose. If he doesn't make the team, the Flames turn him loose. If he does, he is a $700,000 number 7 defencemen.

The elephant is still the elephant. There is no change in the Tkachuk contract negotiations. Same old, same old - negotiating the bonus structure. Tkachuk wants to get paid during the lockout. The Flames are trying to minimize that bonus structure as much as possible. Both sides want to get done; this is just business. As a fan, sometimes that is hard to believe.

Randy

Much ado about nothing

It is all hush-hush in Flames-land, like they are hiding classified information. The other day, I was promised some info, so I was excited about finally having something to write. Boy, was I ever wrong! I was told, "It is all about the RFA's right now." Matthew Tkachuk is no different; the Flames main priority is all based on him. I am of the opinion that the Tkachuk contract is complete; they are just trying to make room for him to fit under the cap and to work out the bonus structure. Whether I am right or wrong is remains to be seen. The only thing for sure is that they are trying to clear up about $2.5 million, which means they want a little breathing room at the deadline. Every team would like to have some wiggle room to bring in some help to make that extra push towards the playoffs. I was told, "Do not read too much into it; we are just covering all our angles." I keep getting told there are no worries when it comes to the Tkachuk cap issues. It is frustrating to have to wait and see, but it is a business, and the players want to protect themselves during the lockout. "We want to get paid during a lockout" seems to the sentiment out there. Nothing ticks me off more than these players trying to get paid in case of a lockout. How about trying to avoid it instead of planning for it? The Curse of Juuso Valimaki You have to feel bad for Juuso. He's had one injury after another. So I was brave enough to ask my source (if you don't ask, you will always wonder), "What is our next move?" "First, let's see if we move Sean or Mark." I was flabbergasted. EXCUSE ME? Are you joking? He later clarified, "Yes, I am joking. Actually, we are not sure." The Flames are looking into moving out someone in the bottom six right now. But they could end up moving others or no one. Those weren't his exact words; I am paraphrasing as close as I can. They were getting together to discuss their options. So after the meeting, they did get back to me. I still don't have much to tell you, but this much I know, the Flames are trying to shop Frolic. I told him, "everyone knows that." He responded, "There is a plan, just give me a chance to explain." (I was being a little doubtful towards the execution of the said plan.) "We're hoping to find a team with an underachieving defenceman who we feel could excel in our system." We want to find a cheaper version of Frolic, plus a draft pick trade for Brodie to make more room. As I said, the Flames are trying free about $2.5 million in cap space. They are trying to be creative and get the deals done. Conclusion I wish I had more, but it is what it is. Hockey is a business, and the Flames need to be aware of cap issues, as do many other teams. The sooner the Flames can work out the bonus structure of the Tkachuk contract, the better. Then they can begin to prepare for the season.