Calgary Flames GM Derek Hisaoka is on the hot seat after failing to fully understand the rules regarding offer sheet compensation. Rumours out of the Saddledome suggest that ownership was absolutely fuming when it became apparent that the compensation for Jake Chychrun was going to be the 5th overall pick instead of the 26th. That said, once the dust settled, the often hands-off owner put out a statement saying that the organization has total faith in their much maligned GM. Is this the dreaded pre-firing vote of confidence that we see so often in the NHL, or is there more to it than that. Hisaoka owned up to the mistake, admitting that the 5th overall was a high price to pay for Chychrun, but also pointed out that established young defenders don’t come around all that often. Chychrun joins a d-corp that includes superstar Cale Makar, blue chippers Adam Fox and Erik Brannstrom, as well as RSHL hopefuls, Brogan Rafferty and Nils Lundkvist and cagey veterans Chris Tanev and Zach Bagosian. Rumours abound that the Flames have also made a max bid to land the big Z to offer guidance and stability until the kids can come into their own on the blue line. Never the less, it was a somewhat somber, and perhaps inebriated Flames GM that left the Saddledome on Tuesday, looking like a man who knew that he had just barely managed to keep his job over this unfortunate mistake. Asked for comment, GM Hisaoka had this to say: “Look guys, I f@*#ed up and I can’t do anything about it now. I want to acknowledge GM Barbosa of the Devils for doing his best to try and make good on this mistake by offering more in return than we could justify accepting”. He then stumbled away toward his car before thinking better of it and catching a ride with Troy Stetcher, who incidentally signed an offer sheet with Ottawa earlier in the day. The Flames have since accepted compensation from the Sens, hopefully ending a whirlwind day in the Flames front office.
9/22/2020 10:07:45 PM PT | Comments
Ouch!
9/22/2020 10:20:44 PM PT
Love the owning up to the mistake. Some more "hands-on" GM's would've cried up and down for the league to let them rescind the offer after realizing the mistake.
9/22/2020 10:28:10 PM PT
I would have offered more
9/22/2020 10:38:02 PM PT
Wow!
9/22/2020 10:49:21 PM PT
Crazy first day of free agency. Lets see what rd 2 brings
9/22/2020 11:39:51 PM PT
Calgary shouldn’t worry about it. I think in a few years we’ll see that Chychrun is well worth the price and NJ’s GM is the one looking for work.
9/23/2020 1:29:10 AM PT
Nah, David did nothing wrong. He was a really good sport about things. Hopefully Chychrun keeps developing and this doesn’t look so bad down the road.
9/23/2020 2:18:33 AM PT
Nice to see GM's who actually care about making a fair trade
9/23/2020 6:29:09 AM PT
I was going to make the same bid on Chychrun...you just beat me to it
9/23/2020 2:36:07 PM PT
Honestly I comment the flames on their handling of the situation.. this could have turned very ugly but it was handled correctly..glad to see there is still some decency here
9/24/2020 9:05:16 AM PT
Dave here. hey i could have went for the jugular and in a dog eat dog world you have to but at the end of the day this is fun, just a place where we can all go and enjoy our time. Just FYI and Derek can attest to this. I was willing to just swap picks and give him New Jersey's first for his 5th overall pick incase it was a mistake or not. And we did this all behind the scenes, we didnt need to come out and banter or cause a ruckus when its not needed. Cheers
9/24/2020 1:37:17 PM PT
Absolutely. I was actually really worried that Dave was gonna take it on the nose when he did nothing wrong. Just to make it clear, Dave was a real gentleman through the whole process. He actually offered a much better deal than I was willing to accept because frankly I made the mistake and I don’t believe he should suffer for it. For reasons that had nothing to do with the rshl, that day was extremely challenging, and I am extremely grateful to both Dave and Brett for being more accommodating than could be reasonably expected. Remember, this was initiated by me, trying to snag a really great defensive prospect. I didn’t read the rules properly and I and I alone should be the one to suffer the consequences. For those of you wondering, Dave was actually offering a first in return which was frankly too much and while it would have been great for my team, I just can’t fathom accepting more in return when I was the clear aggressor and the one that made the mistake. Please don’t give Dave any flack for this situation. As I said, he was great and I really appreciate it. Derek Flames
9/24/2020 3:45:00 PM PT
Let that be a lesson to 28 other GMs. Well done NJ and Cal.
9/24/2020 5:28:11 PM PT
Kudos guys
9/24/2020 6:55:16 PM PT
Yes well done boys!
9/24/2020 7:00:26 PM PT
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