Cap complications would make almost any Flames trade tough right now
Surely, the Calgary Flames would love to make an addition to the group of forwards.
But it’s more complicated than just sacrificing current and future assets to bring in an impact forward the ilk of Brock Boeser or Bo Horvat, for example.
Because the Flames, which are treading water in the Pacific Division and have had troubles finding the back of the net for much of the 2022-23 season, are in a bit of a cap crunch.
Calgary, according to CapFriendly, sits neatly tucked under the upper limit of $82.5 million, with about a million of room to negotiate call-ups and any seen or unforeseen injury issues that arise. That number includes the recently recalled Radim Zohorna and Matthew Phillips, as well as Kevin Rooney’s bury penalty and Oliver Kylington’s injured reserve stint.
Not a lot of wiggle room, unless the Flames were able to option a high-ticket, low-impact forward off their roster to help accommodate a bigger acquisition.
But even that comes with a catch, because current General Manager Brad Treliving doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room to bring in a player with term.
The Flames have $80,562,500 committed to 16 contracts for the 2023-24 season, according to cap crunchers. The cap will undoubtedly hike, though there’s debate whether it’ll be the $1 million raise that’s guaranteed to ease, at least a little bit, some of the burden, or whether it’ll be a more significant spike in the neighbourhood of $4 million.
Still won’t matter for the Flames, unless some significant juggling is done.
Even if Calgary is able to add six cost-friendly players to its core next season to get them to a 22-man roster, that leaves the Flames somewhere north of $85 million counting against a cap that’ll be somewhere in that vicinity.Ā Ā
Hefty raises to forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenceman MacKenzie Weegar, and goalie Dan Vladar aren’t offset by the expiring contract of Milan Lucic.
Meaning that anyone acquired carrying term — the much-rumoured Boeser and his $6.65 million contract that extends for two more seasons, as a sample test — would further stress that upper limit.
There’s no doubt Calgary’s GM prefers to deal in term. He added Tyler Toffoli, and the remaining two-plus seasons of his four-year contract, last February, as a hint to that.
It cost Calgary a conditional first-round pick — and a locker-room leader — to move Sean Monahan and his expiring $6 million deal to clear room to add Nazem Kadri on a seven-year, $49 million contract just a few months ago.
It won’t get any cheaper trying to shed salary to accommodate major acquisitions next summer, particularly if the team is in a cap crunch.
Instead, a deadline deal after the Flames have accrued much-needed cap space for an impact player with no term — Horvat and his palatable, expiring contract works as a vague example — is more likely in the cards for the club that currently sits fifth in the Pacific Division with 32 points by way of a 13-11-6 record.
If they can hold off that long, that is.
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