The Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, and Winnipeg Jets entered the 2019 NHL playoffs as Stanley Cup hopefuls. Instead, they were eliminated from the opening round.
Over the offseason, their respective general managers face the difficult prospect of maintaining contending rosters with limited salary-cap space.
With over $69.3 million invested in 20 players, the Flames must re-sign restricted free agent Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and David Rittich. Unrestricted free agent netminder Mike Smith will have to be re-signed or replaced. Assuming an $83-million cap for next season, the Flames won’t have room to keep them.