How are you gonna short him that 791$…

"Tkachuk was asking for 9x8, but, you know, we would have had to make some deep cuts to the roster to meet his demands and get that extra term, and, I mean, true Flames fans know there's just no way in H@ll we're waiving Austin Czarnik!"

7.97 would be a crazy sweetheart AAV in the current climate. that for 6 years is absurd.

if he takes 8m, it'll be a bridge. 3 years or less, with a final year in the 10m real salary range to bump up his QO.

I think that might work for a 5 year term if the negotiations play out where Treliving can keep the RFA years capped at the Gaudrea 9.25% of cap ($7,538,750) and the Tkachuk camp gets almost Panarin money in the UFA year ($11,642,875). I think the Flames could offer a 5 x $8.35M by simply trading Czarnik or having someone claim him on waivers.

the problem is that the teams worth playing for and the teams that make it deep are getting smart and not giving 27-year-olds 13%+ of cap. if GMs wisen up and focus their efforts on high end middle RFA guys, his UFA value is screwed. it's increasingly likely that if he wants to both be paid well and have a shot at winning, he needs to cash in on this contract year or get a bridge.

tkachuk and his agent both certainly know that and have marner as a comparable. he'll be angling for at least 10m on a 5 year contract, or a bridge that ends at arbitration eligibility and pops his QO value up into the 10s at least.