Craig Conroy reveals how Matt Coronato's bank breaking deal got done.

The Calgary Flames stunned many on Saturday when they announced a huge new deal for 22 year old forward Matt Coronato, one that is very clearly an indication that we are entering a new era of the National Hockey League's salary cap.

The Flames officially announced that they had inked Coronato to a new deal worth a total of $45.5 million, a number that will be spread out over the next seven years. That seven year deal works out to an average annual value and salary cap hit of $6.5 million per season.

It was a big number to commit to a player that really only has one full NHL season under his belt, but with the salary cap expected to rise significantly in the coming years the Flames felt this was a deal they needed to get done as quickly as possible. Coronato is coming off of an excellent season in which he recorded 24 goals and 23 assists for a total of 47 points in 77 games, and no doubt the Flames are expecting that he will continue to grow into his role within their organization as he gets older.

Flames general manager Craig Conroy did some radio hits following the announcement and shared some details on how the whole thing came together.

"We started in the New York trip, his representation was there and we went out to dinner," revealed Conroy on Flames Talk.

While the discussions on the parameters of a new deal began early, it sounds like things really picked up in recent days.

"It kind of heated up the last few days," admitted Conroy.

Conroy sounded thrilled not only about the contract itself, but at the prospect of having Coronato within the Flames fold for the foreseeable future.

"It's nice to get this one in," said Conroy. "And to have Matt for 7 years, very excited for the organization. We can't be more thrilled."

Conroy also stressed that Coronato is a player that genuinely wants to remain within the organization.

"I know when you talk to guys they all say 'Oh yeah I wanna be here for a long time' but it's great to say that and then it comes contract time and it didn't always quite work that way," admitted Conroy. "For Matt and his side to say 'We love Calgary' and then to back it up by getting this contract done, it means a lot to me and the organization."

While their may be some trepidation about the number on this deal in Calgary today, fans in that city are going to be thrilled that they have a player who intends to remain with the organization for the long haul.