Salary Cap Deep Dive: Calgary Flames

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Calgary Flames

Current Cap Hit: $85,943,500 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Matthew Coronato (two years, $925K)
F Jakob Pelletier (one year, $863K/$406K SOIR charge)

Potential Bonuses
Coronato: $850K

Coronato turned pro after a strong college season last year, burning the first year of his entry-level deal in the process even though he only played in one game.  That makes assessing his second contract next to impossible at this point but it’s fair to say they’re counting on him playing an important role before too long.  His four bonuses are of the ‘A’ variety so if he’s able to stay in a top-six role, it’s possible that one or two of those could be hit.

As for Pelletier, he was up for close to half of last season which is what makes his season-opening IR charge harder than most.  Until he’s cleared to play, that will stay there.  At that time, he can be set to the roster, making the full cap charge come into effect or he can be sent down, taking it off entirely.  With the way things went last season where his playing time was limited and now with his shoulder injury, it’s reasonable to think a low-cost bridge deal is heading his way.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Dillon Dube ($2.3MM, RFA)
D Dennis Gilbert ($762.5K, UFA)
F A.J. Greer ($762.5K, UFA)
D Noah Hanifin ($4.95MM, UFA)
D Oliver Kylington ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Elias Lindholm ($4.85MM, UFA)
D Jordan Oesterle ($925K, UFA)
F Kevin Rooney ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Adam Ruzicka ($762.5K, RFA)
D Chris Tanev ($4.5MM, UFA)
D Nikita Zadorov ($3.75MM, UFA)

Lindholm’s future with the team (or lack thereof) has been a discussion point for several months now.  At one point, it looked like he might not have much interest in staying.  That doesn’t appear to be the case now but the two sides still aren’t believed to be close on a new deal.  While a repeat of his 42-goal performance in 2021-22 isn’t likely, Lindholm is still a top center in terms of all-around usage and someone is going to pay him accordingly.  At the moment, he’s one of the top middlemen that will be set to hit the open market and recent contracts handed out likely peg the low end of his price around the $8.5MM while the high end will start with a nine on a max-term deal or close to it.

Dube has shown steady improvement throughout his young career and is coming off a career year that saw him put up 45 points.  Another season like that will have him well-positioned to earn a fair bit more than the $2.4MM qualifier he’s owed; a long-term deal would push past the $4MM mark.  Rooney spent most of last in the minors but since he has a one-way contract, he’s counting in full against Calgary’s cap for the time being.  He’s likely looking at a deal close to the minimum next summer.  Greer did alright on Boston’s fourth line last year, resulting in a preseason waiver claim by Calgary.  That said, that role in the lineup is usually filled by someone making the minimum or close to it.  Ruzicka has shown some offensive promise but his NHL minutes have been limited.  As things stand, a deal just past the $1MM mark is doable but with a bigger role this season, there’s room for him to beat that.

While there is a bit of optimism with Lindholm, there still isn’t a ton when it comes to Hanifin even though he said last month that he’s open to the idea.  As a number two defender, he’s in line for a considerable increase on a long-term deal regardless of who gives it to him.  He’ll be 27 next summer so a max-term contract surpassing the $7MM mark should be heading his way.  Tanev is a throwback shutdown defenseman, the type of player that isn’t seen as frequently now as it was a few years ago.  However, he has managed to stay relatively healthy with Calgary which will help his value.  It’d be a bit surprising if he beat this on his next deal but with his reputation, it could be possible.

Zadorov had a surprisingly strong season last year from a goal perspective, notching 14 after his prior career high was seven.  His size and physicality have allowed him to get some decent-sized contracts thus far despite being more of a fourth or fifth defender but a repeat of that performance offensively could really boost his market next summer.  If he reverts back to his usual level of production though, he still could push for something in the $4.5MM range.  Kylington missed all of last season for personal reasons and after vowing to be ready for this year, is back on LTIR for personal reasons once again.  At this point, it’s hard to pinpoint what his next deal might look like until he’s actually back in uniform.

Oesterle came to Calgary in free agency after spending the past two years in Detroit.  Until he can lock down an every-game role, he’s likely to stay below the $1MM mark.  As for Gilbert, he has yet to play a full NHL season and is therefore also likely to be below $1MM on his next deal.  The fact he has an AAV below the league minimum might help his chances of sticking at the top level, however.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Walker Duehr ($825K, UFA)
F Dryden Hunt ($775K, UFA)
F Andrew Mangiapane ($5.8MM, UFA)
F Yegor Sharangovich ($3.1MM, UFA)
G Daniel Vladar ($2.2MM, UFA)

Mangiapane wasn’t quite able to live up to his 35-goal breakout year in 2021-22, scoring instead at a second-line level.  That’s not a poor performance but from a value perspective, they’re paying him to be one of their go-to scorers, not a secondary piece.  Sharangovich was acquired in the Tyler Toffoli trade this summer, basically buying themselves an extra year of control with this contract that they quickly gave him.  The 2021-22 version is worth a bigger deal than this one on the open market while the one from last year wouldn’t be likely to get much more than this.  We’ll see which version he is for Calgary.

Duehr spent more time in the minors than the NHL last season but still managed to earn a one-way deal for his troubles.  Now, it’s about establishing himself as an every-game player and if that happens, he could land a deal a bit better than this one.  If his seven goals over 27 games translates to full-season production at that level though, then the $2MM mark is achievable.  Hunt bounced around the league last season, twice claimed on waivers before being traded at the deadline.  He’s a player on the fringes right now and those ones usually stay pretty close to the minimum.

Vladar has been in trade speculation dating back to the summer with Dustin Wolf showing that he’s ready for some NHL action.  However, they likely don’t want Wolf playing just once a week so how willing they are to move Vladar at this point is far from a certainty.  He’s still relatively inexperienced with one good and one not-so-good year under his belt.  More of the former could push him toward the $3MM mark but more years like last season will likely result in a dip on his next deal.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Rasmus Andersson ($4.55MM, UFA)
F Mikael Backlund ($5.35MM in 2023-24, $4.5MM in 2024-25 and 2025-26)
G Jacob Markstrom ($6MM, UFA)

Backlund was originally planning to wait things out before deciding about possibly extending but had a change of heart and was immediately named captain thereafter.  He had a career year last season and if he stays at that level, this deal would be a team-friendly one quickly.  That’s not realistic but if he goes back to his career averages, this is a fair-value contract that will carry him through 18 seasons with the Flames.

Andersson started out his career in more of a supporting role but former GM Brad Treliving thought that the blueliner had another level to get to, handing him this six-year deal.  He was certainly proven right.  The 26-year-old had a 50-point showing in 2021-22 (his previous benchmark was 22) and followed it up with a 49-point effort last season while pushing his ATOI past the 24-minute mark.  Those are basically number one defenseman numbers for a player who is being paid like a third or fourth option.  Lots can happen over the next three seasons that could change things but if Andersson has three more years like the last two, he has a chance to push for double his current price tag in 2026.

Markstrom is coming off a down season but remains one of the more consistently reliable goalies across the NHL which helped land him this contract back in 2020 at a time when the cap was just starting to tighten.  It’s a deal that puts him in the top ten for cap hits among NHL netminders (including those that will be on LTIR for the entire year) but when he’s on his game, he’s worth the premium.

Signed Through 2026-27 Or Longer

F Blake Coleman ($4.9MM through 2026-27)
F Jonathan Huberdeau ($10.5MM through 2030-31)
F Nazem Kadri ($7MM through 2028-29)

Huberdeau was the centerpiece of the package acquired for Matthew Tkachuk last summer and he was promptly signed to this max-term extension before he ever suited up for them.  One year in, that doesn’t look like the wisest of moves as he struggled mightily, putting up only 55 points after notching 115 the year before.  There’s cause for optimism that he can turn it around somewhat but right now, this contract doesn’t look particularly good.

Kadri was also brought in last year, with the Flames sending Montreal a first-round pick to take on Sean Monahan’s contract to free up the cap space.  He also took a step back offensively but still wound up around his career numbers, tallying 56 points in total.  At that level of production, this is a tick high but overpayment for an impact center is usually needed if you’re signing one in free agency.  Coleman is an impactful middle-six forward but has also yet to reach 40 points in a single season (although he has 30-plus in five straight years).  Relative to his production, this is also an overpayment but he brings enough other elements to the table that it’s not a significant issue for them.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: Lindholm
Worst Value: Huberdeau

Looking Ahead

For the time being, Calgary is getting by with LTIR but even so, cap space is pretty much non-existent for them at the moment which could present an issue when recalls are needed.  If Kylington is able to return at some point, there will be an even bigger crunch to work through and at that point, they’ll have to trim their roster size.  GM Craig Conroy will be hard-pressed to create cap space for any sort of meaningful acquisition this season as things stand.

With over $27MM coming off the books next summer, Conroy will be positioned to shake up his core.  However, a good chunk of that money will be needed to re-sign Lindholm (and Hanifin, if he’s willing to extend) so some of the other changes are going to be by necessity, not choice.  They’re one of the many teams that is going to be capped out for a little while.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.