Dion Deep in the Dough

The deal was finalized on Wednesday afternoon. Dion Phaneuf (Ryan) signed a 6-year, $39 million extension with the Flames that will keep him with the team through the 2013/14 season.

This deal will put Dion Phaneuf into the upper-echelon of cap hits against an NHL club. His average salary of $6.5 million is in the league's top 20 for next season at the moment, which also has some pretty big names to sign on still. Phaneuf will sit 5th, next season, among highest paid defensemen (behind Chara, Lidstrom, McCabe and Niedermayer).

This season, Phaneuf has 35 points (9G, 26A) in 54 games for the Flames, which has him sitting 122nd in pool scoring, which is projected to be 28 spots higher than he finished in his sophomore year. With every passing season, his stock will rise and he'll be a tough commodity to get when it comes to Draft Day in the coming years.

The Flames, according to my preliminary numbers, now have the highest amount of salary committed to their active roster in 2008 for 2009. Of their 23-man roster, which is currently active, 14 are signed for next year at a rate of $45.6 million against the cap. Craig Conroy (John B.), Krisitian Huselius (John B.), Daymond Langkow (Dale B.) and Owen Nolan (Ryan) are all free agents at the end of the year and there doesn't look to be much room at the trough for all of them. Even if Alex Tanguay (John B.) was to be moved for futures (at no immediate cost to the Flames), that will only free up $5.25 million for next season. Could the Flames wheel a deal to keep two of those names for that amount of money?

The Flames are likely pinning their hopes on a few junior & minor league players to fill some gaps. The watch will be on for forward, J.D. Watt (non-pool), who has had a pretty good career in the WHL so far. The Flames have pretty high hopes on him to possibly fill a scoring winger role.

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