The Flames are actually pretty close to the cap floor at this point. The cap is expected to rise about $10 million/year in 26-27 and 2027/28. They'll give Zary, Bahl, Frost, and Coronato raises this off season, but Mantha at $3.5 is coming off the books.
They can't really move all the vets without paying for other vets, especially if Andersson is being moved. I guess they could take on bad contracts? I don't really see the owners doing that. They are hesitant to retain cap, let alone pay millions for players they know will be bad.
|