NHL Rumors: Flames, Brian Elliott discussing extension
Brian Elliott and the Calgary Flames have begun discussing an extension.
The Calgary Flames made the biggest move at the 2016 NHL Draft, trading for St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott. However, Elliott is only under contract until the end of the 2016-17 season. The Flames did not acquire Elliott just to have him start for a year. Calgary and Elliott are discussing an extension, though the parameters of the talks aren’t known.
Contract extension talks between Calgary and Brian Elliott are underway #flames #NHL
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) September 27, 2016
Elliott had an NHL-best .930 save percentage during the regular season in 2015-16. He has led the NHL in save percentage in two of the past five seasons. During his five seasons with the Blues, Elliott had a .925 save percentage. Despite his success, Elliott has only finished in the top 10 of Vezina Trophy voting twice (2011-12 and 2015-16).
Calgary finished last season with the worst goaltending in the NHL, so Elliott is a significant upgrade to the Flames. The Flames will go into the 2016-17 NHL season with a brand new goaltending tandem featuring Elliott and Chad Johnson. With a young core and potentially an elite goaltender, Calgary hopes to make the playoffs in 2016-17.
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Elliott will likely command a big salary. While he has never been a true starter (his career high in games is 46), he is one of the best goalies in the NHL. Calgary must keep in mind they have to negotiate a new contract with restricted free agent Johnny Gaudreau as well. Once the Flames sign Gaudreau, expect the Flames and Elliott to have more progression as they discuss an extension.
Last season, Calgary used a tandem featuring Jonas Hiller, Karri Ramo, Joni Ortio, and Niklas Backstrom. The quartet combined for a .898 save percentage. Calgary allowed 260 goals during the 2015-16 season, the most goals allowed in the NHL. With Elliott, expect them to allow a lot fewer goals.