CALGARY — Ask Craig Conroy if his Calgary Flames will be busy in free agency starting Saturday and he chuckles.
“Just go to capfriendly.com and look — we’re very tight,” said the Flames GM, who nonetheless raced back from the draft in Nashville to prepare for the July 1 “sweepstakes.”
“We’re right up against the cap — we might have (spent) the most money in the league.
“Obviously you won’t see major signings from us, but we’ll be doing work in the background.
“I’ll be on the phone to see if there’s anything we can do.”
Depth signings likely destined for the team’s minor league juggernaut might be the only order of business for Conroy and his merry men on Canada Day, as his next order of business is seeing if he can open up any cap space as part of any move he may make via the trade market.
Conroy was unable to find a fruitful deal for Noah Hanifin while in Nashville earlier this week, as money is tight league-wide and draft picks are as coveted as ever.
No one was willing to part with picks in a deep draft, making it impossible for Conroy to get the sort of return befitting a top-four defender like Hanifin, who has made it clear he isn’t interested in signing an extension.
Conroy will continue to work on trying to extend Elias Lindholm’s stay — ditto for Mikael Backlund — and has made it clear Canada Day is not a deadline of any sort to gain full clarity on either player’s future with the team.
“Everyone has a contract next year,” he said of the trio, which headlines a list of six UFAs in 2024 that includes Oliver Kylington, Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev.
“If we have to go into the season with them, that’s not ideal, but we have to do what’s best for us.”
The Flames will be relegated to sifting through the bargain-basement bin for any potential signings starting Saturday, as inking anyone to a deal worth more than the league minimum is out of the question.
“It’s not just us — you look at all the teams,” said Conroy of the cap woes exacerbated by a flat cap.
“There’s not a lot of money to work with, but we have a lot of players and we’re excited about what we have.
“That’s why people can expect a lot of younger players this season.”
There will be no fancy, elaborate pitches like they made to Blake Coleman or Nazem Kadri in recent years.
The most intriguing pitches they may make could very well revolve around three in-house talents who’ve become fan favourites in Calgary:
MATTHEW PHILLIPS, 25 — No one would blame the five-foot-eight, 160-pound sniper for seeking a fresh start elsewhere after the way the AHL’s fifth-leading scorer has been mishandled by the parent club, particularly former head coach Darryl Sutter.
With just two NHL showings last year, the Flames never really got a chance to evaluate whether they believe Phillips can make the jump.
After tying the AHL record with 15 game-winning goals, there should be several teams interested in offering him a chance to see if he can overcome his size to be an NHLer.
At the very least, expect someone to offer him a two-way deal with a hefty AHL salary.
TROY STECHER, 29 — After bouncing around the last three seasons, the undersized defenceman quickly became popular in Calgary after being acquired at the trade deadline, scoring three goals and adding four assists in 20 outings.
The feisty competitor would be a solid sixth or seventh defenceman for the Flames, who have vowed to leave roster spots open for youngsters.
MICHAEL STONE, 33 — Flames fans and teammates have endless admiration for the former Hitmen star who has been tapped each of the last four years to sign one-year deals to be the club’s ultimate insurance policy.
Armed with a booming shot and a strict desire to stay in Calgary, Stone’s future with the club likely won’t be determined until the fall, as usual.
