The Calgary Flames are on the verge of signing Micheal Ferland to a two-year deal worth about $3.5 million, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
(Fan 960’s Pat Steinberg and others back up Friedman’s report.)
If this is accurate, Ferland would carry a thrifty $1.75 million cap hit through two seasons. This would allow the two sides to avoid salary arbitration. One perk for Ferland: he’ll be a UFA when this deal ends, and this doesn’t buy any of those years.
Two-year deal for Ferland doesn’t buy any UFA years, so a $1.75 million cap hit is reasonable and would make sense. #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) July 13, 2017
Ferland himself confirmed a two-year deal, though not the terms.
Still, it seems like a pretty good deal for the Flames in the short term. The sizable forward checks off some boxes from an analytics standpoint, so you get the impression that this could provide some very nice value for Calgary.
$3.5M ($1.75M AAV) is really great for Ferland.
— Mike Pfeil (@mikeFAIL) July 13, 2017
Let's hope his SH% can normalize over the next two seasons. pic.twitter.com/tiLEVuQq3i
The Flames still have some situations to sort out, as RFAs Sam Bennett and Curtis Lazar need deals. Even so, it’s been a very productive off-season for Calgary.