Calgary’s recent success is giving Jay Feaster a big headache. But it’s a pain the acting GM is more than happy to deal with.

Not only are the Flames winning and taking themselves out of the category of being sellers at the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 28, they’re doing so with an offensive style that is boosting the bargaining power of their key free agents.

Curtis Glencross, Alex Tanguay, Brendan Morrison and Anton Babchuk have been four of Calgary’s hottest producers during this second-half surge.

They’re all unrestricted free agents the Flames would love to have back next season if they can play this well for extended stretches. Add injured defenceman Adam Pardy to the list as well.

Feaster has experience dealing with inflating contract demands in a salary cap world. As GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, he had to pick and choose who to keep and who to move after the team won the Stanley Cup in 2004. He’d love the opportunity to try it again in Calgary because that would mean the Flames have taken the word “acting” away from his title.

Here’s the problem, though: The Flames already have a payroll of $54 million next season and just $5.5 million to work with. Tanguay signed for the redemptive discount price of $1.7 million this season and will surely command north of $3 million thanks to a prorated 21 goals and 60 points.

Glencross is making $1.2 million and after a slow start is now among the top-30 goal-scorers in the NHL with 19 through 56 games. He’ll be testing the free-agency waters for sure with an eye towards $3 million.

Morrison will be an interesting conundrum for Feaster. He’s working well with Jarome Iginla, but will be 36 in August. He’s worth way more than the bargain price of $725,000 he signed for this season. But what kind of term do you offer?

Babchuk has been the offensive catalyst the Flames were hoping Jay Bouwmeester would be. Although there are some holes in Babchuk’s defensive game, he does rank among the top-30 defencemen scorers in the NHL. He’s making $1.4 million and will surely get north of $2 million come July.

With more than $18 million tied up among their top four D-men, the Flames can’t afford another big salary in the No. 5 spot. Signing Pardy and adding a rookie is the cheaper option.
The better these UFAs do down the stretch, the bigger the headache Feaster will have in the summer.