Flames have astonishing amount of cap space to begin season
A quick look at PuckPedia will show you that the Calgary Flames aren’t interested in throwing around dollars in the hopes of being competitive this season.
While general manager Craig Conroy and the rest of his staff hope this group will compete night in and night out, everybody is well aware of their current situation.
Under Conroy’s guidance, this organization has opted for a rebuilding approach. It’s been going according to plan so far, as they have been able to add some great prospects, including Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz.
Knowing that his team is a ways from being a Stanley Cup contender, Conroy had a quiet free agency, instead choosing to keep his roster well below the NHL’s maximum salary cap.
At this time, the Flames have roughly $19 million in space, even when including the $1.875 million they retained on Jacob Markstrom’s deal.
The #Flames opening roster has $19M Projected Cap Space with 23 active players (13F/8D/2G).
Can fit $85M (!) Annual Cap Hit @ Deadline with no moves
IR: Sharangovich
Includes $1.875M Dead Cap Hit for Markstrom Retainedhttps://t.co/ikk45b3Um0
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 7, 2024
There are just two teams in the NHL with more space: the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Anaheim Ducks. This shows how well Conroy has done at acquiring cap space since taking over.
Making the situation all the more impressive is that the Flames have $10.5 million tied up in Jonathan Huberdeau and another $7 in Nazem Kadri. The remaining 21 players on their roster combine for less than $52 million.
What will be interesting to monitor is how Conroy approaches things with some of his pending UFAs in Andrei Kuzmenko and Anthony Mantha. The Flames currently sit just north of $69 million, while the NHL’s minimum is $65 million.
This means that if Conroy were to trade both, fans should expect some retention or perhaps a contract back in return. Either way, it’s a great situation they find themselves in as they prepare to begin the 2024-25 campaign.
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