Former Halifax Mooseheads defenceman MacKenzie Weegar was richly rewarded by the Calgary Flames on Friday.
The 28-year-old signed an eight-year, $50 million contract that will pay him an annual average salary of $6.25 million until he's 36. The deal goes into effect for the 2023-24 season.
It is a tremendous accomplishment for a player who wasn't drafted in his first year of eligibility and then had to work his way up from the East Coast League to the NHL after being the sixth-to-last pick of the 2013 draft (206th overall).
"It means everything," Weegar said to reporters in Calgary. "When I signed the deal I just kept thinking of how long of a road it's been for me since Junior B to the Coast and now to here. ... It's not just me that signed the deal, it's everybody around me."
Let’s go, @weega52 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NO8KQdaup1
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 7, 2022
Weegar spent his first five full NHL seasons with the Florida Panthers, where he compiled 121 points in 306 games. He was traded to the Flames, along with star winger Jonathan Huberdeau, in late July for forward Matthew Tkachuk. Weegar only had one year remaining on his current contract at the time so the test was to see if Calgary could find a way to extend him.
"They want to win now," Weegar said in his media session. "I want to win now. I think everybody in this room wants to win here. The city wants to win. Passionate fanbase. Right from when I got here everybody was super excited to have us three come in here. Just that culture is a winning culture in here."
"Let's go. I'm ready. This is going to be fun."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 7, 2022
MacKenzie Weegar speaks with the media after signing an eight-year extension. pic.twitter.com/yt1g9XWbP1
Weegar is coming off a season that saw him produce 44 points in 80 games, while averaging 23:22 minutes per game. Over the past two years, the Ottawa native established himself as an analytics stud for his work in categories like blocked shots, hits and takeaways.
"He's a good player," Flames head coach Darryl Sutter told reporters. "He can play both sides. He's got a zest for the game. He's coachable. He's the right age group. He's got a lot going for him."
Weegar played for the Mooseheads from 2012 to 2014. He accumulated 103 points in 122 QMJHL games and was a key member of the 2012-13 team that won the President Cup and Memorial Cup. He joked about the pressure that goes with inking his big deal.
"The guys were all excited, shaking my hand and saying congratulations,” he said to reporters. "A few of them said 'Well deserved' but they don’t really know. They haven't seen me play too, too much. So the expectations are high within the teammates, which is great."
