Meh, I don't know if that's entirely fair either though. Riga for example was a risky place to sign/re-sign for the somehow four or so people who did, it's nice to offer a bit of a safety net to those players if needed. And a 2nd isn't exactly nothing, especially with these Player 2 drafts. And if Frank really wanted he could handcuff both Gows for more or whatever. And signing and trading with a standing team isn't uncommon or frowned upon, and this fundamentally isn't much different.
The only thing that's kind of shady about this deal I suppose is that Calgary got a young Labatte finalist for a 2nd rounder. But again, that's more Frank's problem than anything (although I understand he could have been underbid by someone else if that sort of off-season dealing was going on)