Flames President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke yesterday "made it clear the team is more than willing to start spending" some of the more than $19M in available cap space "to make the team even more of a playoff threat," according to Damien Cox of SPORTSNET.ca. Burke said, "You can quote me on this. We are budgeted as a full cap team. The only reason we haven’t been a cap team so far is we haven’t seen the value. But the second we do, [GM] Brad Treliving is authorized to go right to the cap." Cox noted the Flames are 29th in NHL payrolls at about $50M, and the room they have "could translate into contracts worth tens of millions by the March deadline if they choose to spend it." The Flames sit sixth in the Western Conference, and D Dennis Wideman is the team's only player who "averages more than $5 million per season" (SPORTSNET.ca, 12/9).
NUMBERS GAME: THE HOCKEY NEWS' Ken Campbell noted the Flames have "failed to sell out most of their games" this season, and have recorded capacity crowds of 19,289 at the Scotiabank Saddledome "for only six of their first 14 home games and two in their past 10." Arena officials have become "so accustomed to the 19,289 figure that they simply record that for every home game and only recently had the team taken notice of the oversight." Flames VP/Communications Peter Hanlon said, “We’re reporting accurate figures this season. It was something that was just automatic for the off-ice officials and nobody ever told them anything differently. Now we want the exact numbers so people don’t think we’re completely sold out every single night.” Campbell noted the Flames "consider anything in excess of 18,500 to be a sellout, a mark they’ve failed to hit in two of their home games this season" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 12/9).
