Jay Feaster has gone on record over his dislike of no-movement and notrade clauses.
So the Calgary Flames general manager expected the question Monday before it was even uttered.
Why give Anton Babchuk a modified no-trade clause to stay in Calgary? Especially when 11 other players have a no-move or no-trade clause attached to their contracts?
“I thought it was important for this year to give him that security,” Feaster said on the first day of prospects camp at the Don Hartman Sportsplex. “He has a wife and a child.
“We want him to know that we signed him to be with the Flames.”
On the fourth day of free agency, Feaster locked down the towering blueliner with a two-year contract worth $5 million (or $2.5 million a season.) The no-trade clause is absolute for the 2011/12 season.
Shortly before the 2013 trade deadline, Babchuk is required to submit a list of 10 teams he does not want to be dealt to.
The other 19 are fair game.
“That’s acceptable to me,” Feaster said. “It wasn’t what he was expecting last year with Carolina. He was signed there. He was going to be there. It was a tough thing for him to get traded.”
The Flames acquired Babchuk and forward Tom Kostopoulos last November from the Hurricanes for defenceman Ian White and forward Brett Sutter.
Under the new deal, the Flames have the right to waive Babchuk and demote him to the minors, but Feaster fully expects the 27-year-old on the point on the power-play and possibly even graduating to the top four.