BROUWER EXPERIMENT OVER
Flames place veteran on waivers
Troy Brouwer arrived at the Saddledome as a high-profile freeagent addition.
After two disappointing seasons with the Calgary Flames, he’s about to become a high-priced departure.
The 32-year-old right-winger was placed on unconditional waivers Thursday for the purpose of a contract buyout.
Brouwer had two years remaining on his deal, with an annual salary-cap hit of US$4.5 million.
The Flames will instead cut him a cheque and, in doing so, cut him loose.
Brouwer’s buyout will cost US$1.5 million against the cap in each of the next four winters.
With an “A” stitched on the front of his jersey and No. 36 on the back, Brouwer failed to live up to the expectations that accompanied his big-ticket contract in Calgary.
When the Flames offered up that four-year, US$18-million pact on Canada Day of 2016, they hoped the new addition would address several issues.
He would bring size and snarl to their forward cast. They needed that.
As a right-handed shot, he was admittedly excited about the possibility of skating alongside the dynamic top-line tandem of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Or perhaps he would hit it off with youngster Sam Bennett.
Brouwer had just buried eight playoff goals on behalf of the St. Louis Blues, certainly inflating his value on the open market. And the Flames were thrilled to welcome a guy who owned a Stanley Cup ring, a memento from his championship run with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.
“When I look at our group, one thing I said was, ‘We need a little more noise,’ ” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said after signing Brouwer. “Quiet is OK. Quiet is fine. But (with his manner), there’s an expectation. The good-in-the-room comment is used a lot, but he’s a guy that is going to push others to be better.”
Talk, in this case, was not cheap. The buyout will become official Friday morning. (Sticking with their usual club policy, the Flames will not comment until the 24hour waiver period passes, while Brouwer could not be reached to react to Thursday’s news.)
Brouwer skated primarily in a fourth-line role during the 201718 campaign, also working often on the top penalty-kill unit. Offensively, he had six goals and 16 assists in 76 games. He also had three fights.
It didn’t reflect well on any of Calgary’s leadership core that the team plummeted out of the playoff race in the final few weeks of the season, finishing 11th in the Western Conference standings.
“This is something to dwell on quite a while as individuals and as a team,” Brouwer said as the Flames cleaned out their lockers in early April. “I can tell you everybody in hereisalreadyreadytoplay.But the problem is, we have to wait five or six months. You want to use that feeling as motivation. You want to make sure we have a good offseason and be ready for next year.”
As it turns out, Brouwer won’t be back at the Saddledome.
As soon as his contract buyout is made official, the veteran winger will become an unrestricted free agent.
Brouwer totalled 19 goals and 47 points in 150 regular-season contests with the Flames, plus a pair of helpers in four playoff dates.