Report: MacKenzie Weegar has a “strong, genuine desire” to sign extension with Flames

Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving has been one of the busiest people in the sports world this off-season, and it looks like that trend will likely continue into next week.

According to a report by TSN’s Salim Valji, Treliving and his fellow Flames executives are expected to engage next week in contract discussions with newly-acquired defenceman MacKenzie Weegar.

Weegar, who is under contract through the end of the 2022–23 season, was one of the main pieces acquired by Calgary last month in the deal that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.

The 28-year-old right-handed defender reportedly has a “strong, genuine desire” to sign an extension with the Flames.

Weegar’s current contract carries a $3.25 million annual cap hit. He’ll be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Fellow ex-Panther Jonathan Huberdeau signed a massive eight-year contract extension with the Flames on Thursday evening, locking him down until 2031 at a $10.5 million cap hit. Huberdeau will take up $5.9 million of the Flames’ cap space in 2022–23 before vaulting into the eight figures from 2023 to 2031.

Weegar will likely also receive a handsome raise on his next deal, although he probably won’t command nearly as much as Huberdeau did. The 6’0″, 200-pound rearguard has received Norris Trophy votes in each of his last two seasons but has only reached the 20-point mark twice in his NHL career.

The Flames have never allocated more than $6.75 million per season to a defenceman (Mark Giordano, from 2016 to 2021). Exactly 25 NHL defencemen currently make at least $7 million per year, on average. Colton Parayko and Hampus Lindholm, two recently-signed Weegar comparables, will begin earning a $6.5 million average annual salary next season.

Rasmus Andersson ($4.5 million cap hit until 2026) is currently the only defenceman with NHL experience under contract with the Flames for more than the next two seasons.

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