Calgary Flames Offseason Game Plan: Bouwmeester and Beyond

(Photo by Mike Ridewood/Getty Images)

The Calgary Flames offseason started with a bang. The Flames made good, solid decisions at the draft, and made a splash acquiring the rights to Florida defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.

On Tuesday, they announced they had signed the 25-year-old Edmonton native to a five-year, $33 million deal. The annual cap hit is $6.6 million a year.

With free agency opening today, the Calgary Flames have two months until training camp, and questions abound about what the Flames face this summer.

The Flames, with the Bouwmeester signing, have an estimated $4 to $5 million in cap space. This will be eaten quickly, and the Flames have needs to fill.

Starting with free agents, the Flames have a few players they need to get under contract, and a few that will walk.

Dustin Boyd is a restricted free agent, and Darryl Sutter's history suggests a good value deal between $4.5 and $6 million over three years, a $1.5 to $2 million a year cap-hit, definitely acceptable.

The first UFA is Adam Pardy. A Group Five UFA, Pardy played great last year and deserves a raise. With Bouwmeester, Regehr, Phaneuf, and Sarich all signed long-term, Pardy may play some top four minutes, or might relish the chance to with this defence. It’s hard to predict.

Mike Cammalleri won’t be back. The diminutive goal scorer was great for Calgary last season, and will be hard to replace. But he is due a raise, and Calgary just doesn't have the cap space. He will be chased and definitely overpaid.

Todd Bertuzzi is another story. He played well for the Flames, despite some injuries, and was worth $2 million. The question is how much does he want? Bertuzzi has said a one-year deal is all he expects.

If he can play for $1.5 million or less, he should be back. If he wants more, or gets a better offer, he might not. As a veteran, he might be more reliable than the young players that will have to fill his spot if he does not return.

Andre Roy and Adrian Aucoin have played their last games for the Flaming C, and Rhett Warrener will retire due to injury.

From there, we go to what the team needs. The Bouwmeester signing changes the makeup of the Flames and the depth chart has different holes to fill.

Centre is a position of strength and abundance for the team, with Jokinen, Langkow, Conroy, Boyd and Primeau all in the NHL, and Mikael Backlund waiting in the wings. Trading Primeau could free up some room, and if Backlund makes the team, there will have to be moves.

The wings are an area of concern.

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