Brad Treliving has been one of the busiest general managers so far this off-season, strengthening his Calgary Flames roster via trades. The team added Travis Hamonic to an already-stacked blue line in a trade with the New York Islanders one week after acquiring a starting goalie in the form of Mike Smith.
As a result of these two major moves, the Flames will in all likelihood remain relatively quiet when free agency opens. Calgary isn’t traditionally a big spender on July 1 to begin with and the Flames don’t have too many open roster spots to fill, especially at forward. Re-signing one or two of their own pending UFAs might end up being their top priority.
Sam Bennett, Micheal Ferland and Curtis Lazar were among nine players to receive qualifying offers Monday, while Alex Chiasson was one of three players who didn’t receive one.
The Flames have a decent amount of cap space to work with if they do choose to make a splash. Also, Mikael Backlund, Matt Stajan and Lance Bouma are entering the final year of their contracts so that’s nearly $9 million that can come off the books at the end of the year, which gives them some wiggle room long-term.
With the core of the team (read: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, plus the top-four D and new goalie) locked in on reasonable contracts, any pieces the Flames add in free agency will be supporting characters.
SALARY CAP BREAKDOWN
Forwards: $32,362,500
Defence: $21,620,043
Goaltenders: $4,250,000
Total: $59,282,543 ($15.7 million cap space)
AREAS OF NEED
Backup goalie: Unless the team is banking on one of Jon Gillies or David Rittich (both of whom were tendered qualifying offers) making the jump up from the AHL in September, the team needs an NHL calibre backup. Chad Johnson was a serviceable No. 2 for the Flames this past season but he was shipped to the Coyotes in the Smith deal. He’s a UFA so maybe he signs with the Flames again, though he has expressed in recent interviews he’s interested in having a bigger role on a team, which might not work with Calgary now that Smith’s the man in town.
Third pair defence: With Hamonic joining Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie, the Flames boast an elite top four. Matt Bartkowski and Oliver Kylington will be among those fighting it out for one of the final two spots on Calgary’s back end, but the Flames can also spend some money to address that void.
POTENTIAL TARGETS
Kris Versteeg: According to multiple reports, the Flames are one of at least 10 teams to have contacted Versteeg. The 31-year-old forward performed well in a third-line role on the Flames in 2016-17, scoring 15 goals and adding 22 assists in 69 games. He showed solid chemistry with Sam Bennett.
Michael Stone: Shortly after acquiring Hamonic, Treliving addressed the media where he remained open to the possibility of re-signing Stone.
“We’re still working away at it,” Treliving said. “We’re still working away at our team. Stoney came in and was a good fit for us.”
By all accounts Stone, who fit in nicely with the Flames as a rental player, wouldn’t mind staying in Calgary.
“It’s a great place for me and my family, and I think it’s a good situation with the team,” Stone said back in April. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here. The guys are awesome, and it’s going to be a good team. We have some young players that are going to turn into some stars in this league. It’s something that you should want to be a part of.”
Mike Condon: If Chad Johnson doesn’t return, Condon would be an ideal backup for Smith. He won’t cost what a Jonathan Bernier will yet he’s shown he’s capable of filling in as a starter. He ended up starting half of Ottawa’s regular-season games and kept the Sens afloat when Craig Anderson took a leave of absence to attend to a family matter.
Anders Nilsson: The tall Swede has bounced around from team to team throughout his professional career, suiting up for seven different clubs in three leagues (NHL, AHL, KHL) in the past four seasons alone. Like Condon, he is an inexpensive backup option. Nilsson had a .923 save percentage in 26 appearances with the Buffalo Sabres in 2016-17.
RECENT FREE AGENT ACQUISITIONS
Troy Brouwer, four years, $18 million in 2016: Brouwer’s first season in Calgary was less than stellar. He didn’t live up to the expectations that come with a $4.5-million cap hit. Statistically speaking it was the worst season of his NHL career so it’s no wonder he was left unprotected for the expansion draft.
Michael Frolik, five years, $21.5 million in 2015: The Czech winger has been his steady self in his two years with the Flames. He will net you between 15-20 goals and he’s coming off a campaign in which he played every game, tied a career high with 27 assists and led all Flames forwards with 202 shots on goal.
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