Compensation for losing a restricted free agent is on a sliding scale, depending on how much the new contract is worth. The exact numbers change every year.

The most a team can lose for signing an RFA is four first-round draft picks.

For 2011, a team signing a restricted free agent to a contract worth more than $7,835,219 per season loses four first-round picks to the player's old team.

For a contract worth $6,268,176 or more per year, the acquiring team gives up two first-round picks, one second rounder, and one third.

There are another four levels of compensation, going down to a contract worth up to $1,034,249 per year, for which there is no compensation.
- Colin Dambrauskas

Sorry i was not very clear on my last post. I said over $3.3 million was a 1st and 3rd becuase i didn't think the flames were going to offer over $5 million. You are correct when saying the value goes up the more the team offers.

I belive $1.7 million to $3.3 million is a 2nd round pick compensation. That is why if the flames offer in that range for "said players" it would be matched.

I target Stepan with a 7 year 6,728,781 million doller deal. Better player than O'Rielly. Draft pick compensation would be a 1st, 2nd & 3rd.

Was the 21st highest scorer in the NHL last season. Of the 20 players in front of him in scoring only Crosby +26, Kunitz +30 & Toews +28 had better +/-. His 6 game winners were a tie for 1st in the top 30 scorers with Datsyuk. He hasn't missed a game in his 1st 3 seasons having played, 82,82, & 48. Last season he scored 15 pts in the 1st 7 weeks & 32 in thelast 7 weeks. Only Ovechkin with 46 had more points than him in the 2nd half. The onl other player close was Hall who tied him with 32.

He is a star now & will be a superstar next season. With the contracts being signed today all over 8 mil. Getzlaf, Giroux, Crosby, Malkin, Perry etc this will seem like incredible value & whjen you consider they didn't have to incure any development costs or expend a draft pick this is fabulous value. He is 1 of the 10 best centres in the game now & just reached his breakthough point. He will socre 30 plus goals & 80 plus points next season.

The Rangers are in cap trouble & this would really screw them if they choose to match.

I assume there was conversation on both sides and the Flames were holding off because they are looking to move Cammy but have no takers. Cammy out, I see Raymond in.
- Colin Dambrauskas

Any idea on the asking price for Cammy? I thought he would have been your best trade-bait...

I target Stepan with a 7 year 6,728,781 million doller deal. Better player than O'Rielly. Draft pick compensation would be a 1st, 2nd & 3rd.

Was the 21st highest scorer in the NHL last season. Of the 20 players in front of him in scoring only Crosby +26, Kunitz +30 & Toews +28 had better +/-. His 6 game winners were a tie for 1st in the top 30 scorers with Datsyuk. He hasn't missed a game in his 1st 3 seasons having played, 82,82, & 48. Last season he scored 15 pts in the 1st 7 weeks & 32 in thelast 7 weeks. Only Ovechkin with 46 had more points than him in the 2nd half. The onl other player close was Hall who tied him with 32.

He is a star now & will be a superstar next season. With the contracts being signed today all over 8 mil. Getzlaf, Giroux, Crosby, Malkin, Perry etc this will seem like incredible value & whjen you consider they didn't have to incure any development costs or expend a draft pick this is fabulous value. He is 1 of the 10 best centres in the game now & just reached his breakthough point. He will socre 30 plus goals & 80 plus points next season.

The Rangers are in cap trouble & this would really screw them if they choose to match.
- striker777

Two 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

And I fully agree. Would be a very good pickup for the Flames.

Any idea on the asking price for Cammy? I thought he would have been your best trade-bait...
- BigDre

Not very high at this point but its his salary that are scaring GMs off...not many teams have a ton of cap space left who could use a guy like him.

I target Stepan with a 7 year 6,728,781 million doller deal. Better player than O'Rielly. Draft pick compensation would be a 1st, 2nd & 3rd.

Was the 21st highest scorer in the NHL last season. Of the 20 players in front of him in scoring only Crosby +26, Kunitz +30 & Toews +28 had better +/-. His 6 game winners were a tie for 1st in the top 30 scorers with Datsyuk. He hasn't missed a game in his 1st 3 seasons having played, 82,82, & 48. Last season he scored 15 pts in the 1st 7 weeks & 32 in thelast 7 weeks. Only Ovechkin with 46 had more points than him in the 2nd half. The onl other player close was Hall who tied him with 32.

He is a star now & will be a superstar next season. With the contracts being signed today all over 8 mil. Getzlaf, Giroux, Crosby, Malkin, Perry etc this will seem like incredible value & whjen you consider they didn't have to incure any development costs or expend a draft pick this is fabulous value. He is 1 of the 10 best centres in the game now & just reached his breakthough point. He will socre 30 plus goals & 80 plus points next season.

The Rangers are in cap trouble & this would really screw them if they choose to match.
- striker777

I dont think the Rangers are in Cap trouble, they still have one buyout left and if forced to use it, they will buy out Richards if they feel like they are goign to loose Stephan and Hagelin. They will be able to sign them both, maybe Stephan long term and Hagelin just a bridge deal.

With still one buyout and the cap all but certain going up next season, they will be fine for now.

If you can get grabo for a year and flip him at deadline at assets at deadline then all for it . But if if he wants multiple years I would be inclined to write off another year an do a proper rebuild with another top 5 pick.

I dont think the Rangers are in Cap trouble, they still have one buyout left and if forced to use it, they will buy out Richards if they feel like they are goign to loose Stephan and Hagelin. They will be able to sign them both, maybe Stephan long term and Hagelin just a bridge deal.

With still one buyout and the cap all but certain going up next season, they will be fine for now.
- DDM-Coga

They can't use the other buyout until next season. The window closed on July 4th. I still think they will be fine in signing Stepan and Hagelin.

I believe that if the flames offer anything more than $3.3 million in an offer sheet then a 1st and 3rd has to go back. Flames can't afford that. Anything less than $3.3 million and the other team gets a 2nd round pick. The other team will match in that case.
- nigelwright275

Would that be too much for a guy like Henrique though? I don't really wanna give up any first round picks especially in the next few seasons, but Henrique is young and talented and is going to be a great player.

Two 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

And I fully agree. Would be a very good pickup for the Flames.
- Colin Dambrauskas

Too much for anyone.

They can't use the other buyout until next season. The window closed on July 4th. I still think they will be fine in signing Stepan and Hagelin.
- nigelwright275

6.5 million for the 2 of them, I think they will be able to do it, might have to move a guy like Stralman or Brian Boyle/Asham/Powe to get a bit more cap flexibility

They can't use the other buyout until next season. The window closed on July 4th. I still think they will be fine in signing Stepan and Hagelin.
- nigelwright275

To trade for the neg. rights to either Stepan or Henrique, you're trading some pretty assets which the Flames dont really have an abundance of. Offer sheet would be plan B, but given their current state the draft picks going the other way could help them draft their own Stepan/Henrique etc.

Flames are kind of in a stalemated situation right now and I dont feel they make any trades which set them back in terms of prospects/picks. They have guys on the roster like Cammy, Stemp, Gio and maybe even Glencross who could bring in added depth down the middle if need be.

Too much for anyone.
- The-O-G

Yeah, thats what Im saying...not something Feaster should be entertaining right now.

I don't see the point in signing Raymond. He's a decent player but the Flames need help up the middle, not on the wing.

That being said the Flames should take a run at Brunner.

Also, does anyone know how salary retention works if the Flames were to trade Cammy? How much could they keep?

I don't see the point in signing Raymond. He's a decent player but the Flames need help up the middle, not on the wing.

That being said the Flames should take a run at Brunner.

Also, does anyone know how salary retention works if the Flames were to trade Cammy? How much could they keep?
- The-O-G

Half of his cap hit

Compensation for losing a restricted free agent is on a sliding scale, depending on how much the new contract is worth. The exact numbers change every year.

The most a team can lose for signing an RFA is four first-round draft picks.

For 2011, a team signing a restricted free agent to a contract worth more than $7,835,219 per season loses four first-round picks to the player's old team.

For a contract worth $6,268,176 or more per year, the acquiring team gives up two first-round picks, one second rounder, and one third.

There are another four levels of compensation, going down to a contract worth up to $1,034,249 per year, for which there is no compensation.
- Colin Dambrauskas

I think we have to face the hard reality of this 1st year rebuild. We are not going to get a #1 centre or top4 d without giving up a vet we don't want to give up or a prospect or pick that would be counter productive to our rebuild. All these top RFA's we want like Henrique, Stepan, & players like Coutts are beyond our reach. The cost is the few players we aren't prepared to give up or Seguin would have been a Flame. There will be a silver lining to getting our heads bashed this year. Some of our players are going to increase their NHL worth. Ready or not these guys need the ice time to do this.

So right now we only have 2 lines of strategy & that revolves around cap space & money. We take on a bad contract & help a team with their cap issues. O example of that may be taking Heatley from the Wild & we can be rewarded with getting Nino with him for the likes of Granlund & maybe one of our 5-6 dmen. Don't see the Flames doing anything like that either. The only other choice is to go after UFA's that wont cost assets. Not much left there & anything more than 2-3 years is foolish. If I were Feaster, I would try to target 1-2 year players that will ice the team but have value at the TDL so we can accumulate another year of multi 1st round picks. Eventually we'll have enough excellent prospects in our system that we can afford to give 1 or so up with a 1st to get the pieces we are hoping to get today. Gonna be a tough year

I don't see the point in signing Raymond. He's a decent player but the Flames need help up the middle, not on the wing.

That being said the Flames should take a run at Brunner.

Also, does anyone know how salary retention works if the Flames were to trade Cammy? How much could they keep?
- The-O-G

1. Teams can only have three contracts on the books where they’ve retained salary in a trade

2. Teams can keep only up to 15 per cent of the salary cap in a given year, meaning they would max out at $9.645-million under the $64.3-million cap that’s likely to be in place in 2013-14 and 2014-15

3. Only 50 per cent of a contract can be kept

4. A contract can only be traded in one of these deals twice

I think we have to face the hard reality of this 1st year rebuild. We are not going to get a #1 centre or top4 d without giving up a vet we don't want to give up or a prospect or pick that would be counter productive to our rebuild. All these top RFA's we want like Henrique, Stepan, & players like Coutts are beyond our reach. The cost is the few players we aren't prepared to give up or Seguin would have been a Flame. There will be a silver lining to getting our heads bashed this year. Some of our players are going to increase their NHL worth. Ready or not these guys need the ice time to do this.

So right now we only have 2 lines of strategy & that revolves around cap space & money. We take on a bad contract & help a team with their cap issues. O example of that may be taking Heatley from the Wild & we can be rewarded with getting Nino with him for the likes of Granlund & maybe one of our 5-6 dmen. Don't see the Flames doing anything like that either. The only other choice is to go after UFA's that wont cost assets. Not much left there & anything more than 2-3 years is foolish. If I were Feaster, I would try to target 1-2 year players that will ice the team but have value at the TDL so we can accumulate another year of multi 1st round picks. Eventually we'll have enough excellent prospects in our system that we can afford to give 1 or so up with a 1st to get the pieces we are hoping to get today. Gonna be a tough year
- Kevin R

Exactly...and heres a thought - why not draft them!?

I think what the Flames are looking for now is nothing more than all around depth. At this stage of the Flames rebuild, any depth is good depth. If they can improve at any position without giving up too much, why not? Raymond would be an improvement over a few wingers we have, but they would have to in turn move one to fit him in.

Any centers they try to acquire would be 2nd or 3rd line guys...there arent too many moves where a #1 guy comes to Calgary without them giving up some much needed prospects/picks of their own....so no point in doing that.

Re: Raymond - Dreger says no conversations to date between him and the Flames.

Interesting - on Friday most were reporting it was all but done!

I have been thinking a healthy Peter Mueller would be a great addition for a rebuilding situation.

He's gotta stay healthy though...

Why don't the Flames go after RFA's like Henrique from NJ or Hodgson from Buffalo? Would these guys command too much money and therefore cost the Flames too much in compensatory draft picks?
- jexponent3

there still buyout(s) and arbitration still to come. they still can pick up someone.

I have been thinking a healthy Peter Mueller would be a great addition for a rebuilding situation.

He's gotta stay healthy though...
- chinaski08

I dont mind that actually...still a younger guy, has good size (despite not being overly strong on his skates) and could have something to prove. Wouldnt be a terrible idea to give him a shot.

I dont think the Rangers are in Cap trouble, they still have one buyout left and if forced to use it, they will buy out Richards if they feel like they are goign to loose Stephan and Hagelin. They will be able to sign them both, maybe Stephan long term and Hagelin just a bridge deal.

With still one buyout and the cap all but certain going up next season, they will be fine for now.
- DDM-Coga

the compliance buyout period is over. they will need to wait till next year to use it.
they still can do the regular buyout which they will not do.

I have been thinking a healthy Peter Mueller would be a great addition for a rebuilding situation.

He's gotta stay healthy though...
- chinaski08

I liked Mueller, he has shown he can put up big points when given the oppourtunity. Was a force with Duchene before he got hurt with the concussions

I liked Mueller, he has shown he can put up big points when given the oppourtunity. Was a force with Duchene before he got hurt with the concussions
- DDM-Coga

Yah exactly - I think he'd thrive under the conditions here. And he's american so it fits with a segment of Weisbrods activity. His age is right - he is very skilled...

I really like the player. Concussions are the only thing that give me pause. As colin said though maybe this is a gamble worth making...