Calgary Flames Sign Raymond, Hiller, and Engelland During Free Agency
By Traci Kay
Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Calgary Flames were busy during free agency as they signed three new players to 2 or 3 year contracts. With all the moving parts in this team, the Flames acquired everything they set out looking for which was needed. They now have a goaltender, a front man, and a blue-liner to add to the rebuilding team.
Their first acquisition was Mason Raymond from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was signed for 3 years for just over $3 million per year. Raymond was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2005 draft and then moved to Toronto. With 99 goals, Raymond will most likely celebrate his 100th with the Flames. He’s originally from Cochrance, Alberta and is 28 years old. With more youth added to the front lines, Raymond could prove to be an asset to the team as time moves on during the rebuild. On a personal note, because I’m not a fan of the Canucks, Raymond has a lot to prove to me on the ice, but I have a feeling that I won’t be as disappointed as I originally thought.
The Flames also signed Jonas Hiller from the Anaheim Ducks to give Karri Ramo a competitive edge in net for the Flames next season. As Brad Treliving mentioned during his press conference after the signing, in addition to wishing the best to Mike Cammalleri on his move to the New Jersey Devils, the Flames GM said, “it was an interesting day…our goaltending got better today.” Hiller brings a record of 162-110-53 to the Flames while he’s spent his entire career in Anaheim until now. With a record of .911 % and 2.48 GAA last season, Hiller will be worth the 2 year, $9 million dollar price tag.
The last signing of the day was probably the most shocking. The Calgary Flames added Deryk Engelland to the roster from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a hefty $8.7 million for 3 years. That’s a lot of money for a guy who was a $566,667 cap hit last season according to CapGeek.com. Yet, considering he’s been called “the hardest puncher…” in the NHL (Wikipedia), Engelland seems to fit Brian Burke’s idea of truculence.
Lastly, of notable departure, Mike Cammalleri has decided to sign with the New Jersey Devils. Instead of resigning with the Flames for another season even though Burke made it clear that Cammy was given an offer, the veteran forward has decided to move on. In Jersey, Cammalleri signed a contract worth $25 million over 5 years. He’s a fast skating sniper that will fit in well with Jaromir Jagr and Marek Zidlicky in the Devils crew. I wish Mike Cammalleri the best at his new adventure and I’m sure he’ll do just fine in New Jersey as he’s one of the most adaptable players I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.
With so many new additions and some interesting subtractions in the Flames organization during this off-season, I’m very excited to see what next year will bring to our Calgary Flames!
Go Flames Go!