Some twitter rumblings today suggested the Flames were close to signing Scott Hannan. The club recently confirmed the deal is one year for $1 million.

This signing likely stands as one of the best by the club this off-season. Hannan is getting on in years and isn’t the fleetest of foot defender in the world, but he’s played the heavies for many years. At the price and length they signed him, Hannan is virtually no risk: if he falls off a cliff, then he can play 3rd pairing minutes without his contract looking like a millstone. If he can still play against the big boys, then he fills the Regehr-size hole left in the top-four for a quarter of the price.

Of course, this further complicates the log-jam that is the Flames blueline depth, making it less likely that a guy like TJ Brodie will be able to make the club this year absent injury. Still, the acquistion fills a definite need on the back-end, however, and is as good value as you can get. It also means Anton Babchuk is less likely to spend time in the top-4, meaning Sutter will be able to continue to shelter him as much as possible.

Overall, an excellent deal.