Analyst believes Flames made huge mistake with latest move!

Last week, the cap-strapped Calgary Flames bought out veteran defenseman Michael Stone. 

They need cash. The Flames still have significant free agents to sign up to contract extensions, notably forward Matthew Tkachuk, and it feels like this buyout was their only way to get a little breather money-wise. 

However, TSN statistical analyst Travis Yost seems to believe this was a huge mistake. As you know the man, he went on to break down every aspect of Stone’s game. 

After all, Stone was sought after the Flames as they acquired him back at the trade deadline in 2017, months before inking him to a three year, $10.5-million contract. 

Last season, Stone saw a considerable drop in points, but he also had to deal with a blood clot, missing several games in the process. Yost believes the acquisition of Stone was defensible, adding that he is a better offensive player than people give him credit for

“Calgary needed another serviceable body on the blueline and Stone had shown in spots – save an ugly 2014-15 season – that he was worthy of a look.”

However, the Flames ending overpaying for a third-pairing defensemen, and now they still have to pay for it. 

“Calgary, a team with Stanley Cup aspirations and in a serious cap crunch with important restricted free agents to sign, needed to free up the space. Now the Flames will have to operate with a pared-down salary cap over the next two seasons, with Stone’s buyout consuming about 1.3 per cent of the cap.”

Feels like a lose-lose situation…