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Flames expected to expose Brouwer + a note on Treliving's contract status

April 27, 2017, 12:12 PM ET [57 Comments]
Todd Cordell
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell

A couple Calgary Flames notes as we await the first shoe to drop of the off-season (aka a decision on Brad Treliving's future, which shouldn't be in question as much as it appears to be):

1) Eric Francis recently wrote a piece for the Calgary Herald suggesting Troy Brouwer will be left exposed in the expansion draft, as he should be.

Despite averaging better than 16 minutes per game on a nightly basis -- that's more than Matthew Tkachuk, Kris Versteeg and Sam Bennett, all of whom had higher point totals -- Brouwer managed just 25 points in 74 games. Those minutes included a steady dose in power play time, too.

Brouwer was so inefficient that by the time the playoffs rolled around he (rightfully) found himself on the 4th line.

The interesting aspect about exposing Brouwer: Treliving would be admitting to a mistake. He should, of course, as there is a (very minor) chance Las Vegas will take Brouwer and free the Flames of his horrible contract.

It's just kind of funny to me the Flames are giving up on Brouwer after he did exactly what everyone with a basic understanding of advanced stats expected.

His rate stats indicated he wasn't an efficient scorer and only put up decent numbers when a) playing with good players and; b) being spoon fed a lot of ice time. He was also a poor player in possession and often weighed down others, which is what happened this season in Calgary.

Before the Flames signed Brouwer I outlined why it was a bad idea and everyone in the organization ​could have easily​ access​ed​ the same data I did. That they committed so much term and money ​despite all the red flags sitting right in front of them is​ inexcusable, really.

Treliving has made a lot of good moves while running the Flames. The Brouwer signing certainly wasn't one of them.

2) Speaking of Treliving, I do believe his overall body of work is good enough to warrant a new deal. The Brouwer acquisition is a disaster, obviously, but in recent years he brought in the likes of Micheal Frolik, Dougie Hamilton, Kris Versteeg, etc. without paying a premium and we've seen how much of an impact each of those players has made.

In the event the Flames turn the page and move on from Treliving, I don't think they should give Craig Conroy the gig, which seems like a possibility. I think they should go turn their attention to Assistant GM Kyle Dubas of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Many, myself included, believed he was the GM in waiting in Toronto but there have been rumblings Mark Hunter could be next in line for the gig. Whether those are true remains to be seen -- and it's worth noting Dubas does seem very committed to the Leafs -- but running a Canadian team that just made the playoffs and possesses an excellent core of young players could be enticing.

Again, I expect Treliving will get a new deal and believe he should. If he doesn't, though, I'd do everything in my power to get Dubas out of Toronto.

Recent posts:

The Flames should retain Brad Treliving

On Kovalchuk and Conroy

Playoff predictions for the 2nd round

Calgary Flames 2016-17 season awards

Notes on quotes from locker room clean-out day

Setting the table for the Flames' off-season

A bitter ending

Stanley Cup predictions
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