My take on the recent contract here.
M&G conversation on the topic here.
My article back in December on why the Flames need to re-sign Bourque here.
Some final words:
There's no question this is a controversial signing given the 6 year term. There's also no question whatsoever that Bourque is worth the money right now, however, and any claim to the contrary is wrong. Bourque has driven results since he arrived in Calgary. Full stop.
The issue real is the deferral of risk. It actually strikes me as rational decision making. There are uncertainties surrounding Bourque's prospective performance, especially in years 4-6 of the contract. No one really knows where the Flames will be at that time in terms of needs/cap position either. That said, Sutter does know the demands of the club today and going forward into the near future (next season) and has concluded (rightly) that Bourque, at a 3.3M cap hit, makes sense for the club. He's underpaid relative to his current contributions and there's almost no chance the organization could have replaced him via the free agent market this off-season. At least, not anywhere near this price point. So, Sutter trades an increase in future risk for circumstances that are favorable currently.
