Right now, life is pretty good for the Calgary Flames. Not only are they atop the Pacific Division with a 30-13-6 record, but they are also on a 10-game winning streak, matching a franchise record. While things are going great right now, however, they might become stressful this offseason.
Several key players on the team will need new contracts, the main two being Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, two main reasons why the Flames have turned things around in such a big way this season.
Gaudreau, who is coming off a six-year deal with a cap hit of $6.75 million, sits fourth in league scoring, with 64 points in 49 games. Tkachuk isn’t far behind, with 56 points in the same span. He is coming off a three-year deal that pays him $7 million annually.
Flames May Not Have Room for Both
General manager Brad Treliving would love to have both players back for not only next season but many moving forward. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that will be an easy task. Not only have they earned raises thanks to the great seasons they are having, but the organization has two other important players who will also need new contracts in Andrew Mangiapane and Oliver Kylington. As Flames fans are well aware, those two have also been having exceptional seasons and will be in for a raise.
As of now, the Flames will have just over $27 million in cap space heading into next season, but that is with only 12 players under contract. Let’s first assume they choose to give new deals to both Mangiapane and Kylington. For Mangiapane, despite a slump after a red-hot start, he has 25 goals in just 49 games and has recently started to heat up again. Given his improvement in the goal-scoring department each season, paired with his very solid defensive play, he is likely in store for a contract in the $5 million range.
Projecting Kylington’s next contract is a bit trickier. Before the 2021-22 season, he seemed an afterthought in the organization and was even placed on waivers. He was unclaimed and then suited up for just eight games with the Flames, spending most of the season on the taxi squad. However, he has been able to rejuvenate his career this season, posting six goals and 24 points in 48 games with a plus-27 rating. The 24-year-old has earned himself a raise, though it is tough to say exactly worth how much. For the sake of pinpointing an exact number, let’s put him at $3 million.