Why would the Flames take a chance on Chris Higgins?

So, here we are: it's September, and Johnny Gaudreau does not yet have a contract. We've poked around a bit at just what the Flames' cap situation for the future could look like, but with what will probably be the most expensive deal on the team still yet to be signed, there hasn't been much else we can do.

Gaudreau doesn't have a contract - but Chris Higgins does.

Well, kind of. Not really. He's on a professional tryout, so he can be cut at a moment's notice; no commitment has been extended towards him, not even for a season. Kind of like his former Flames career: the one that lasted all of 12 games, and that was that.

Now, it looks like Higgins' best hope of getting back into the NHL is with…