I'm guessing they couldn't get rid of Sharp's salary. And when Saad wouldn't go for the bridge deal, salary cap hell bit them in the ass. Players in order of "you have to absolutely [expletive] keep them" I'd go Toews, Kane, Keith, Hammer, then Saad. Unless signing him for 6.5m was going to cost you one of those 4, I would have resigned him. But I could be thinking irrationally right now. 6.5m is a lot. But if he signs for 6.5m, there had to be someone willing to eat at least $3.5m of Sharps number. I don't care if its a straight salary dump, you do that deal, Saad would be making close to what Sharp was making only he's like 24 and is already more productive than a 34 year old Sharp is. Oops sorry Saad is only 22, even worse