Brandon Bollig Placed on Waivers

While people have wanted it to happen for years, while it seemed like it was never going to actually happen, it has. The Flames have placed Brandon Bollig on waivers.

CGY puts Brandon Bollig on waivers as does CBJ with Gregory Campbell.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 10, 2016

The Flames acquired Brandon Bollig from the Blackhawks because of leadership, grit and the like for a third round pick at the 2014 draft. In the 116 games he suited up for in the organization, he posted 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points. He also posted abysmal possession stats and had a penchant for taking bad penalties.

Respect to Bollig for playing his hardest and standing up for his teammates when called upon, but the role of enforcer that cannot contribute elsewhere on the team is a dying breed and one that the Flames needed to be progressive enough about to cut ties with. With reports over the summer of Brian Burke saying Bollig was going to be playing even more this upcoming season, (which sounded absolutely ridiculous) this is most definitely a positive turn of events. Should the Flames need guys to stand in for teammates, players like Micheal Ferland, Lance Bouma and Derek Engelland are still around. A roster spot is freed up for players who can contribute in more facets of the game, while $900,000 of Bollig’s $1.25M cap hit will be buried in the AHL, providing the Flames with more flexibility (a lot of good players were waived by other teams today, also Mr. Gaudreau needs a contract).

Bollig can play a leadership role with the prospects in Stockton, while the Flames have freed up a spot for a player capable of providing more. This was a smart move and it was refreshing to see it being made.

Update: The Flames also announced that Chris Higgins has been released from his PTO, leaving NIcklas Grossman as the sole PTO remaining in the organization following the departure of Korpikoski and Higgins.

by samwell9