Aside from an ugly Jonathan Huberdeal deal, the Calgary Flames have some fantastic contracts across the board. Sure, it’s fair to question how Nazem Kadri’s will age as time goes on, but his 75 points last season far exceeded his $7 million cap hit.
Related: Flames’ Devin Cooley Has Opportunity to Become Fan Favourite
Given the moves general manager Craig Conroy has made since being hired, it’s clear his goal is to bottom out in hopes of acquiring talent through the draft to make the organization a top-tier competitor in the future. In the meantime, he’s done a great job keeping plenty of cap space open, which will help him sign some great talent in free agency once he feels his roster is ready to compete. With that said, here are four current contracts the Flames have on the books that are sure to be bargains this coming season.
Yegor Sharangovich
Those who questioned the trade Conroy made that saw Tyler Toffoli head to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich are fully on board now. After three inconsistent seasons to start his NHL career, he was given a real opportunity in 2023-24 and proved how good he can be, scoring 31 goals and 59 points.
Thanks to the big season, Sharangovich was able to secure himself a five-year, $28.75 million extension. He’s well worth that money, but even better for the Flames is that the deal won’t kick in until 2025-26. For the upcoming season, he’s playing on a cap hit of just $3.1 million, which would remain a bargain even if his numbers were to regress a tad.
Anthony Mantha
The Flames most discussed, and perhaps most confusing signing of free agency came when they agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Anthony Mantha. For a team in a rebuilding state, signing the 30-year-old veteran didn’t make a ton of sense. After having a bit of time to think things over, however, fans quickly realized just how good of a pickup this could be.
Throughout his career, Mantha has proven to be capable of producing in bunches. The Flames, who lack star talent up front, will be able to give him plenty of opportunity to produce. His big role will not only help him play well above the value expected of a player making $3.5 million, but is likely to result in Conroy fetching a significant return for him at the trade deadline.
MacKenzie Weegar
Had he been on almost any other team in the league last season, MacKenzie Weegar would have garnered some serious Norris Trophy discussion. Unfortunately, the Flames were one of the worst, and least exciting teams in the NHL, which resulted in them receiving little to no media attention.
Related: Flames Analyst Predicts Big Season for Jonathan Huberdeau
Weegar, who is entering the second year of an eight-year deal with a $6.25 million cap hit, is coming off of a 20-goal, 52-point season. It isn’t just offence with him, either, as he became the first defenceman in NHL history last season to score 20 goals while also blocking 200 shots. He’s worth far more than his salary, and at age 30, should remain a bargain contract for years to come.
Rasmus Andersson
Though he was far from his best in 2023-24, Rasmus Andersson still played at a level well above his $4.55 million cap hit. The 27-year-old would be a top-pairing defenceman on many teams across the league, showing just how big of a bargain his current deal is.
Andersson still has two years remaining on his contract, which has been and will continue to be of great value for the Flames. That said, it also gives him a ton of value on the open market, which has created some trade buzz around him. It will be interesting to see if that picks up as the trade deadline gets closer, as Conroy could bring in a major haul for him which would really help towards their rebuilding goal.
Rebuild Going According to Plan
Despite the 2024-25 season looking like it will be a painful one, Flames fans should be quite excited about what the future holds. This organization has a ton of great contracts as proven above, and has also added some great prospects whose futures look very bright. By the time this team is ready to move into its new building in 2027-28, they could very well be viewed as a Stanley Cup contender.
