It was a busy week for the Calgary Flames. The club named Glen Gulutzan its new head coach, but general manager Brad Treliving still has a lot of work to do.
The draft is Friday, and still on Treliving's list of priorities are contract extensions for Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, who are both restricted free agents.
"We continue to work away at it," Treliving said during his media availability at the Gulutzan presser. "As everybody knows, those are two top young players for us that need new contracts. Sometimes these take a little bit of time. This is not unusual, that we're sitting here at this time and they're not done.
"We'll continue to bang away at it. We've got to get to something that makes sense for them and for us.
"I have every confidence that we will."
Gaudreau and Monahan are the present and future of the Flames offensively. Gaudreau, 23 in August, had 78 points last season, and may be the best player to come out of the 2011 NHL Draft, where he was a fourth-round selection at 104th overall.
Monahan's third NHL season was his best. He had 27 goals and 36 assists for a career-high 63 points. He'll turn only 22 on Oct. 12.
Another high-scoring forward that needs a new contract is Joe Colborne. Also a restricted free agent, he put up career-best numbers across the board, with 19 goals, 25 assists, and 44 points.
