[Sylvanfan]

Teams should be able to carry 3 defenceman with heavier contracts and than fill out the other spots with lower cost ones. So Weegar at 6.25 is not something I'd refer to as a handcuff. Zadorov and Tanev for 8.25 will be off the books at the time of the Hanifan/Kylington extension. Plus Ras for one more year after that. Ras and Weegar are two of the three. But can Kylington become a third guy to allow you to move on from Hanifan?

I mean it's not like this cap jump in 2024 only happens for 31 teams and the Flames still have a flat cap. So I think the Flames could pay Hanifin if they wanted to. But his value is tough to appraise as he is an all situation guy who can cover a lot of minutes. He may not be elite at any one thing. But he would leave a lot of holes to fill if you didn't have him. But if he's earning a salary over 7 per year he can't be putting up 33 points.