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Notes on the upcoming draft and clearing cap space:
- The more I think about it the more confident I am in saying Alex Nylander will be the Calgary Flames' pick at 6th overall.
Things can change but, barring a team in the top-5 (somewhat) reaching for one of the big three on defense, Nylander will almost certainly be the highest rated player on the board.
Not only is he supremely talented but he also fills a position of need for the Flames.
Beyond Johnny Gaudreau and Michael Frolik they are lacking in potential difference makers on the wing. I scouted Nylander upwards of 10 times this past season and am confident he will become a difference maker. He's simply too smart and too skilled not to be.
- The Flames' cap situation may not look too bad now but once they find (and pay) a goaltender and re-sign Johnny Gaudreau as well as Sean Monahan, among others, they are going to be really up against it.
That's why it's imperative that GM Brad Treliving is able to shed some dead weight this off-season.
Lance Bouma scored two goals and makes $2.2 million over the next two years. That's be a tough sell on the trade market, which is why buying him out may be necessary.
If the Flames buy out Bouma they'll save $1.45M next season and $1.55M the year after before being hit for $750K three and four years from now. That's pretty team-friendly.
Dennis Wideman's $5.25M cap hit may be a tough sell, too, but he only has one year remaining on his contract so if the Flames can't move him he's not going to kill their cap long-term. They just might be able to move him to a team desperate for defense, though.
Trying to move Deryk Engelland at $2.9M is a lost cause. Luckily for the Flames his contract expires a year from now, too.
The Flames may be able to survive ridding themselves of just one of those contracts but they really need to be careful about how they allocate their dollars moving forward. That means not overpaying guys who rode unsustainably high percentages to good seasons.
I'm looking at you, Joe Colborne.
Recent posts:
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Is Mikkel Boedker a good fit for the Flames?
Flames fire Bob Hartley
Why James Reimer might be the best option for Calgary
Draft lottery not too kind to Calgary Flames
It's time to cut ties with Lance Bouma
Flames need to proceed with caution in Colborne contract talks
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