The Calgary Flames are heading into the offseason set on making some changes to their roster after finishing 30th in the league with 77 points and a 34-39-9 record this past season. According to sources, the Flames are open to moving anyone on their current roster aside from goaltender Dustin Wolf, forwards Matvei Gridin and Matthew Coronato, and defenseman Zayne Parekh, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports.
The Flames struggled collectively this year, with offensive production being at the forefront. Calgary’s 208 goals during the 2025-26 regular season were good for dead last in the NHL. Coronato, one of the aforementioned untouchables, was the team leader in points this season with just 45.
If the Flames are looking to clean house this summer on the trade market, they will have two slots available to retain salary cap, as both Rasmus Andersson and Jacob Markstrom‘s cap retentions ended after the season. If Jonathan Huberdeau did warrant any interest from other teams on the trade market this summer, it would be safe to assume Calgary would have to eat a sizeable portion of the winger’s $10.5MM cap hit that runs through the 2030-31 season.
One name that should garner significant attention is veteran winger Blake Coleman. The 34-year-old has one year remaining on his four-year, $4.9MM AAV deal, and was reportedly the player Calgary was receiving the most calls on earlier in the season. With a Stanley Cup pedigree from his Tampa Bay days and an expiring contract, Coleman profiles as exactly the type of veteran a contender would target. He does carry a 10-team trade approval clause, which slightly limits Calgary’s options, but his manageable term makes him one of the more movable pieces on the roster.
Captain Mikael Backlund is another veteran whose name could surface in trade discussions, though the situation is complicated. Backlund, who turns 37 next season, is entering the final year of his two-year, $4.5MM AAV extension and has publicly stated his desire to retire as a Flame. Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has reported in the past that Backlund wants to remain in Calgary and be a lifetime Flame, which could give the front office pause about exploring a move. That said, if Calgary is committed to a full youth movement and Backlund is open to chasing a Cup, he would undoubtedly draw interest from contenders looking for a reliable, defensively responsible center.
Beyond the veteran core, Calgary could also explore the market for some of its mid-tier forwards. Yegor Sharangovich, Joel Farabee, and Morgan Frost are all players who could either continue developing in Calgary or be flipped for futures, depending on how aggressively GM Craig Conroy wants to lean into the rebuild. Frost, in particular, showed flashes down the stretch and finished tied for second on the team in scoring with 43 points, and had a career best 22 goals. With the demand being high for centers league-wide, Frost should have plenty of suitors.
The Flames also have a handful of intriguing trade chips among the veterans they acquired during their 2025-26 deadline sell-off. Ryan Strome, picked up from Anaheim for a 2027 seventh-round pick, performed well in Calgary, posting five goals and 12 points in 19 games down the stretch. The 32-year-old centre carries a $5MM cap hit through 2026-27, and with one year left on his deal, he profiles as exactly the kind of expiring, productive middle-six centre contenders chase at the deadline, if not sooner. The Flames could either hold and flip him later or move him this summer to maximize the return.
Calgary’s revamped blue line is where things get really interesting. Kevin Bahl, Olli Maatta, and Zach Whitecloud all emerged as legitimate pieces this past season, and any one of them could realistically be on the move. Bahl has quietly become a stabilizing presence on Calgary’s back end and projects as a top-pair option moving forward, which makes him both the most valuable and the least likely to be dealt. Maatta, meanwhile, was fantastic after coming over in the MacKenzie Weegar trade, posting 14 points in 20 games. With one year left on his deal, he could be flipped for a mid-round pick if Calgary wants to clear another roster spot for a younger defender. Whitecloud, acquired in the Andersson trade and originally viewed as a salary cap throw-in, instead played his way into a genuine role and earned a spot on Team Canada’s World Championship roster. At 29, he could either be retained as a veteran leader or moved if a contender values his defensive game as a depth piece on the back end.
Then there’s the curious case of Devin Cooley. Cooley spent large portions of the season ranked among the league’s top goaltenders by save percentage and was essentially the biggest reason Calgary climbed out of last place in the standings. He’s already been rewarded with a contract extension, which signals the Flames view him as their long-term backup behind Wolf. That said, if his stock continues to rise and a contender comes calling with a desperate need between the pipes, Cooley becomes one of the more fascinating “what-if” assets in Conroy’s toolkit this summer.
With multiple veterans on expiring deals, two open salary retention slots, and a clear willingness from Conroy to listen on nearly anyone, the Flames are positioned to be one of the most active teams of the offseason. It will be interesting to see just how aggressive Conroy is prior to puck drop in October.
It seems like Calgary is engaging in a fire sale, which makes sense considering they are clearly heading into a rebuild. Calgary presents a prime opportunity for teams to capitalize on this summer. This offseason is likely to see a very active trade market, along with potential offer sheets for RFAs, as the UFA market is relatively thin. Teams will need to explore various avenues to strengthen their rosters. It will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.
I enjoy your summaries.
Backlund could net them a good return with the demand for centers! He could be a 2nd line center for a year with Toronto, Montreal, Boston, NYR, Detroit, LA, or the Peg…..I am sure their are others.
@Johnny Z – Not to burst the old balloon, but “Backs” has repeatedly stated he wants to stay in CGY. For family reasons (they like it there), and he really wants to set the franchise record for games played, currently held by Iggy. He holds the records for most faceoffs won & lost, most takeaways and giveaways. And one of the least expected stats is he’s second in hits, ahead of every other D-man in Flames lore, except Gio. Yeah, I’ve listened to my fair share of Flames games on SN960 over the past few years.
Imagine how long the rebuild will take. We’re talking Buffalo levels of bad seasons. RIP Flames fans.
Aaaand where do you get this from? Only say Buffalo and Detroit are that bad. Why do you think Calgary would be there too?
I would add Kevin Bahl to the list of players to keep.
thought florida already cleaned them out
No Vegas is still working on that…
Not sure I agree with this. Nearly Everyone is a great player, the team won’t be the same without him.
So, if the flames had so many players with value, and could bring back positive returns, why havent any of them been moved since the start of the season knowing they were going down this wormhole, or why didn’t they finish better than where they did?
Answer, the players aren’t as good as advertised here.
Some of these players have some value. But Ryan is likely overvaluing many of them. Scoring had to happen from somewhere, it always does. Doesnt mean one floundering teams middle 6 are a better teams even bottom 6. Flames are in this situation right now. Their top-middle 6 are propped up by the situation on the team right now. Kadri was their #1C most of the year, he’s a 2-3C or top 6 winger on a competitive team.
“…Flames are looking to clear house…”
Don’t you mean ‘clean’ house? Guess there’s always a first.
Teams in a rebuild still need veteran presence for the young players coming up. Conroy sees this value, so puts a high price to move them. Also, as you can see, he brings in more veterans to fill those holes. Then in turn, puts a higher price on them. It seems to be a pretty good formula.
Scooping up Strome for a seventh – while centre-barren Vancouver twiddled its thumbs – is going to be a rewarding gimme come TDL…
The Flames can turn on the after-burners to jet past Vancouver in its rebuild having decent players still to mine for picks. Add that the team may not have bottomed out yet, has better coaching & not the Canucks’ curse, & they’re one DuPont away from making a grand entrance to their new arena in two years…
Calgary had 2 first rd picks in both the 2024 & ‘25 drafts; they have 2 first rd picks in the next 3 drafts too… it’s called a stealth rebuild…
Stealth rebuild. I like that! I still say Conroy learnt from the best like Treviling. What NOT to do during a rebuild.