Flames' Hartley: 'No distractions' entering camp with 'pillar' Giordano signed
Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley says the signing of captain Mark Giordano to a contract extension will work wonders for the entire team's mental focus when training camp opens next month.
“Gio is a pillar for us, someone we can count on," Hartley told George Johnson of the Calgary Herald.
"(General manager) Brad (Treliving) has done a great job. We’re going to get to camp and our captain, along (with) many of our veterans, are set contractually. There are no disagreements. No distractions. No confusion. Now the focus is going to be on hockey, on the team. Where it should be."
The Flames signed Giordano to a six-year extension reportedly worth $40.5 million on Tuesday. He was already under contract for 2015-16, the final season of a five-year, $20.1-million deal inked in 2011.
The 31-year-old led all NHL defensemen with 48 points through 61 games before being ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn biceps tendon in March. He ranked second on the team with an average ice time of 25:10 in 2014-15.
"Things have happened quick," Giordano said. “But that’s the way it's been my whole life. The final parts of a contract are getting little things in there, like signing-bonus terms and the number-crunching stuff. I left that all to my agent, obviously. I’m just happy that it’s done."
The Flames' only remaining free agent is forward Micheal Ferland, who is an RFA.