With the expansion draft removing at least two players from the Flames roster, the team is looking at ways to turn this potential loss into a gain. One way would be to dangle some highly talented players in order to open up some much needed salary cap space. 

"We're looking at all of our options and scenarios, and right now we have many. Thankfully, we have some good young players having great seasons on the farm, and their great play is giving us some optimism that we can start to turn over some of our roster and not lose a beat." said GM Nagle.

Who might the Flames dangle? One name that certainly is being floated around is defenseman Jack Johnson. The 35 year old rugged rearguard will be entering the final year of his $8.5 million deal next year. A tempting asset for an expansion team who could leverage his talent in a rental deal next season to acquire some additional assets, or, use him as a high-minute, reliable veteran presence on a gelling defence core.

Assembling a structured plan for the offseason is the magic that makes good GM's great. Over the past 6 seasons, the Calgary Flames have become a respected team in the Western Conference and that is due to the planning that GM Nagle and his staff have diligently followed.