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Calgary Flames Hire Dave Lowry As Assistant Coach

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Earlier today, the Calgary Flames announced they’ve hired Dave Lowry as an assistant coach. Lowry will replace assistant coach Brad Larsen, who has stepped away from the team due to familial reasons.

Lowry has been well-ingrained in southern Alberta since the waning days of his professional playing career. After a 15-year career that saw stops with the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and San Jose Sharks, Lowry signed with the Flames as a free agent ahead of the 2000-01 NHL season, spending his first two years with the organization as the team’s captain. Although he would have the captaincy stripped from him in favor of Craig Conroy and later, Jarome Iginla, Lowry finished his career with Calgary, playing in 10 games of their 2004 Stanley Cup Final run.

Remaining in Calgary after his playing career, Lowry spent four years as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen before joining the Flames in a similar role from 2010 to 2012. Unfortunately, under the stewardship of head coach Brent Sutter, Calgary didn’t reach the playoffs in any of the years with Lowry on the staff. After Sutter was relieved of his duties, Lowry also left to take the head coaching position with the WHL’s Victoria Royals, where he remained through the 2016-17 season.

Despite a one-year stint as head coach of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings during the 2019-20 season, Lowry has been in the NHL ever since, serving as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and Seattle Kraken. During his time with the Jets, Lowry briefly served as the team’s head coach after Paul Maurice stepped down during the 2021-22 season. Under Lowry, the Jets managed a 26-22-8 record in 54 games, missing the postseason by eight points.

Returning to Calgary, Lowry ends a 13-year hiatus from the club. Unfortunately, Lowry’s return is somewhat bittersweet, as Larsen had to leave the organization after only one year. Before joining the Flames last season, Larsen had enjoyed a lengthy run with the Columbus Blue Jackets, serving as the team’s assistant coach from 2014 to 2021 and head coach from 2021 to 2023.

Flames, Connor Zary Making Progress On Three-Year Deal

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The Flames are “getting closer” to a resolution with restricted free agent Connor Zary, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Tuesday. It’s likely to be a three-year deal when it finally gets across the finish line, in line with what Calgary’s front office was reportedly aiming for in talks last month.

The cap hit on said deal will likely be in the neighborhood of $3.5MM, as indicated by AFP Analytics’ projections from the beginning of the offseason. Cap space was no object in talks for the Flames, who still have over $15MM in flexibility for opening night with only Zary left to sign, according to PuckPedia.

Zary ended up as one of the longest RFA negotiations this summer after plateauing in his sophomore season. After scoring 34 points in 63 games in 2023-24 and finishing eighth in Calder Trophy voting, he churned out 27 points in 54 games last year – a decrease of 0.04 points per game. Matters weren’t helped by a pair of lower-body injuries, including a knee injury that ended his season a few weeks early.

There’s still some room to grow for Zary, though. He turns 24 later this month and was Calgary’s first-round pick (No. 24 overall) in 2020. So far, that billing seems appropriate – his 61 career points rank exactly 24th among 2020 draftees. He also took on consistent top-nine and more frequent top-six deployment last season, averaging north of 16 minutes per game.

As he continues to work on building up his offensive acumen, he should expect a similar role in 2025-26. The Flames will begin camp with no notable changes to their forward group over the offseason, meaning a spot on the wing alongside either Mikael Backlund or Nazem Kadri should be his for the taking. It’s not as if he hadn’t been making linear progress up until last year – he steadily increased his production in the minors before exploding with AHL Calgary to start 2023-24, scoring 10 points in six games before earning his first NHL recall and never looking back.

A three-year deal would keep Zary under team control in the summer of 2028, but that’s Calgary’s last chance to negotiate with him as an RFA. Any subsequent deal he signs will lead him to unrestricted free agency.

Afternoon Notes: Hockey Canada, Zary, Harley

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A preliminary report has been released by the ’Future of Sport in Canada’ commission, a group formed in May of 2024 focused on reviewing Canada’s amateur sports system. In it, the group made a recommendation for the creation of an independent body to oversee amateur sports across the country, shares TSN’s Rick Westhead. They claim that this group could address both funding shortages and instances of abuse or maltreatment.

The recommendation was one of 71 made by the commission in their initial report. It follows an investigation that spanned visits to 12 Canadian cities and review of over 1,000 written submissions. Their findings detailed multiple instances of abuse or neglect, including suspended or banned coaches still working within their clubs. This effort comes as part of a yearlong push to make Canadian amateur sports more safe and secure environments for children and families. The federal Heritage Committee also made recommendations for changes in the sports system in June 2024.

The creation of an independent oversight committee would be an innovative push into public support of youth sports. It could be an effort that bodies like USA Hockey – who currently handles oversight internally – looks to mimic in years to come.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Calgary Flames restricted-free agent Connor Zary will likely end up with a bridge-deal, per hockey insider Jeff Marek on the latest Empty Netters podcast episode. Zary remains one of the top available free agents, after posting 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games last season. That equates to a 41-point scoring pace over 82 games. Zary has stepped up as a reliable, middle-six center for the Flames over the last two seasons. He’s racked up 61 points in 117 career games, and should be due for big growth over the next few seasons. First, he’ll need to find his way back to good health after missing 47 games over the last two years due to injury. That bad luck could make a bridge deal sensible, and give Zary a chance to earn a payday before his prime years.
  • Also on the Empty Netters podcast, Marek shared that the Dallas Stars aren’t likely to go above Miro Heiskanen’s cap hit for 2026 RFA defenseman Thomas Harley. Heiskanen signed an eight-year, $67.6MM contract with the Stars in 2021, at the age of 22. The deal carries an $8.45MM cap hit. Heiskanen had totaled 131 points in 275 games before signing the deal. That’s more scoring and experience than Harley’s 103 points in 197 career games. Harley also turned 24-years-old two weeks ago. He’s a sharp offensive-defenseman who thrived in Heiskanen’s absence last season, but a lighter resume and older age could counteract a rising salary cap in his contract negotiations.

Backlund Hoping To Sign Another Extension To Stay In Calgary

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While Flames center Mikael Backlund recently commented on the future of one of his teammates with the organization, he also discussed his own.  Speaking with The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription link), the 36-year-old indicated that he is hoping to sign a contract extension to continue with Calgary.  The Flames have been the only NHL organization that Backlund has known after they drafted him in the first round back in 2007.  Last season, Backlund played in 76 games, picking up 15 goals and 17 assists in a little under 19 minutes a night of playing time.  He’s entering the final year of his contract that carries a $4.5MM cap charge and notably, his trade protection drops to a 15-team no-trade list in January.

Flames Seem Set To Trade Rasmus Andersson, Per Teammate

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The trade rumors surrounding Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson are reaching a peak as the 2025-26 season rolls around. Flames centerman Mikael Backlund said that Andersson seems to be clearly headed for a change of teams during the NHL’s European Media Tour, as captured by Micahel Russo of The Athletic. Backlund went into depth on the divide between Calgary and the top-pair defenseman, sharing that the two sides are at ends on what a new contract should look like. Andersson will enter unrestricted-free agency next summer, and is looking for a boost over his current $4.55MM cap hit, while the Flames are looking for a value deal. Backlund told Russo:

Yeah, [Andersson is] getting traded. It’s obvious… I talked to him, too, and he doesn’t want to be a distraction… It’s too bad that it’s come to this. I don’t think that they’re close to getting an agreement, but you never know. Things could change.

Backlund seems among the most informed when it comes to changes within the Calgary organization. He’s spent all 1,066 games, and 17 seasons, of his NHL career in a Flames jersey. The Flames named Backlund team captain in 2023, after five years of serving as an alternate captain. Andersson has also served as an assistant captain as far back as 2022, cementing a clear connection between the two teammates.

Backlund’s comments ring loud as a result. Andersson has appeared to be the odd-man-left ever since general manager Craig Conroy completed a fire sale of trades in 2023 and 2024. The flurry moved out defenders Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Noah Hanifin – leaving Andersson as the only long-term Flame left on the team’s blue-line. He has since been supported by veteran MacKenzie Weegar and emerging pro Kevin Bahl, playing ahead of an otherwise very fluid Calgary defense.

This news spells even more changes for the Flames’ defense. There will be no preparing for losing a player of Andersson’s caliber, even despite rumors swirling through the last few seasons. He has emerged as a true top-pair offensive-defenseman, capable of driving play and sustaining offensive chances for his side, even amid poor defensive play. Andersson tied his career-high of 11 goals this past season, to go along with 31 points on the full year. It was a slight dip from his scoring totals over the last few year. He previously scored 50 points in the 2021-22 season, 49 points in 2022-23, and 39 points in 2023-24.

These comments will once again spark what’s been an aggressive trade market for Andersson. Calgary has fielded interest from across the NHL, with teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes previously emerging as front-runners. There has also been rumors of a fit with Pacific Division clubs like the Los Angeles Kings or Vegas Golden Knights, should the Flames be comfortable with moving Andersson to a nearby foe. Vegas will notably be without top defender Alex Pietrangelo next season due to injury, creating a clear hole in their lineup. The Golden Knights would need to find roughly $1MM in cap space to afford Andersson’s cap hit, assuming Calgary would be willing to retain a maximum 50-percent.

Tyson Barrie Announces Retirement

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Amid his participation in yesterday’s Avalanche alumni game, defenseman Tyson Barrie confirmed to Nathan Rudolph of the DNVR Avalanche podcast that he’s retired.

A third-round pick of the Avalanche in 2009, Barrie was a highly intriguing offensive option out of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and quickly looked like he could be something of a steal. He led the league in assists by a defenseman in his post-draft year and was named the WHL’s top defenseman as a result, but concerns about the righty’s size and defensive acumen meant he returned for a fourth and final season of junior hockey before making the jump to the pro ranks in 2011-12. Even then, he spent most of that year in the minors and only received 10 NHL games.

He slowly worked his way up the Avs’ depth chart, seeing less and less AHL time each season before earning his final recall in November 2013, early in his age-22 season. While he checked in as a fringe top-four option at even strength, he overtook Erik Johnson as Colorado’s top power-play quarterback and ended up recording a 13-25–38 scoring line in 64 games over the balance of the campaign. Those 0.59 points per game placed him inside the top-15 among NHL rearguards that year.

The 2014-15 campaign marked Barrie’s true coming of age. He broke the 50-point plateau – the first of four times he’d end up doing so in his career – while serving as Colorado’s de facto No. 1 option for a good portion of the season with Johnson injured. He would continue averaging north of 21 minutes per game for the remainder of his Colorado tenure, twice earning fringe votes for year-end All-Star honors.

Colorado didn’t have a ton of team success during Barrie’s six-year run as a full-timer there, though, only making the playoffs three times and winning a round once. His struggles away from the puck played a significant role in that. Only once, his final season in Denver, did Barrie manage to record a positive expected rating based on shot quality generated and allowed when he was on the ice at even strength. He posted a negative actual plus/minus rating in his last four years for Colorado, including a league-worst -34 mark in the Avs’ disastrous 22-win season in 2016-17.

Entering the 2019-20 season, Barrie was a pending unrestricted free agent and had been made redundant with Cale Makar’s emergence in the preceding postseason. That kicked off the latter journeyman phase of his career, beginning with a July 1 blockbuster that sent him to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Nazem Kadri. It didn’t work out all that well for Barrie or Toronto. He was no longer his club’s top power play option, sitting behind Morgan Rielly on the Leafs’ power play pyramid, and his offensive output declined to a more pedestrian 5-34–39 scoring line in 70 games as a result.

With Barrie’s point production his only real calling card, the fit in Toronto obviously wasn’t going to be a long-term one. They let him become a free agent during the COVID-laced 2020 offseason, and he proceeded to land a one-year, $3.75MM “prove-it” deal with the Oilers.

Barrie was plopped onto a top power-play unit in Edmonton with the two-headed monster of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid – the league’s two leading scorers in the shortened 2021 season – and responded with the best campaign of his career. He recorded 48 points in the truncated 56-game schedule, leading the NHL in scoring among defenders. His defensive deficiencies remained quite visible, though. He only managed a +5 rating compared to regular partner Darnell Nurse’s +27 mark, and as Edmonton was swept in the first round of the playoffs, Barrie became the first defenseman in league history to lead the position in scoring while not receiving a single Norris Trophy vote.

While Barrie remained a fine puck-mover for the Oilers, his production never quite found that gear again. His minutes began to drop back below the 20-minute mark, and at the 2023 deadline, he was sent to the Predators in the deal that landed Edmonton two-way dynamo Mattias Ekholm.

Nashville marked the last real turning point in Barrie’s career, and it wasn’t for the better. While he was still quite effective for the Preds down the stretch after the trade, recording 12 points in 24 games, that didn’t last very long. In 2023-24 – the final year of a three-year, $13.5MM extension he signed with Edmonton – Barrie tumbled down Nashville’s depth chart and ended up becoming a routine healthy scratch by the time the season ended. As such, he was limited to just one goal and 15 points in 41 games and only drew into the Preds’ playoff lineup once in their first-round loss to the Canucks.

Ahead of his age-33 season and with his value at an all-time low, Barrie ended up needing to settle for a professional tryout with the Flames to participate in an NHL training camp last fall. He did convert that into a $1.25MM contract in early October, but the fit wasn’t quite what Calgary hoped for. He only logged 13 appearances for the club and even ended up on waivers and cleared, seeing his first AHL action in over a decade with the Calgary Wranglers.

Barrie was a free agent this summer, and there was no reported interest in him on the open market. He hangs up his skates with 822 games played in 14 seasons, 23rd among his rather stacked draft class. He scored 110 goals and added 398 assists for 508 points, 10th in the league among defensemen since he debuted back in the 2011-12 season. He averaged just over 21 minutes per night for his career and made $47.85MM in estimated total earnings, per PuckPedia.

All of us at PHR congratulate Barrie on his fine career and wish him the best in his next steps.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Dustin Wolf Looking For More Success

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While last season was a successful one for Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf, he is setting a high bar for his encore season and has playoff aspirations heading into the new campaign, per NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest.

Despite being undersized, Wolf flashed the potential that the Flames were hoping for. However, he isn’t satisfied with simply repeating last year’s performance — either individually or as a team.

  • Sticking with the Flames, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is hearing the team and restricted free agent Connor Zary continue to remain apart on an extension. Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said that while he believes the two sides will eventually reach a deal, both term and annual salary remain sticking points. “I don’t think this is a situation where the Flames don’t like the player, or the player doesn’t like the Flames,” Friedman said. “And the good news is the market is picking up.” In 54 games last season, Zary posted 13 goals and 27 points.

Nazem Kadri Hopeful To Make Olympics

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After a career-high 35-goal season, Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri remains hopeful to represent Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics, despite not receiving an invite to the team’s Olympic orientation camp. Speaking with Julian McKenzie of The Athletic, Kadri said he felt he “deserves a chance” to represent his country.

“I feel like I deserve a chance. I think over the last few seasons I’ve certainly proven that with my statistics and the winning pedigree. I think it speaks for itself,” he said.

To his credit, Kadri hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down despite entering his mid-30s. Over the past three seasons, he has recorded 88 goals and 198 points while appearing in every regular-season game. What’s more, Kadri has displayed postseason success, including winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22, where he secured 15 points and a plus-seven rating in 16 games. Still, his name was not among the 42 players invited to Hockey Canada’s Olympic orientation camp. In response, the 34-year-old shared a direct message on social media questioning why he was left off the list. Asked if he felt his social post would hurt or help his chances, Kadri noted that he wasn’t sure, but that the post shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

One of the main issues Kadri will face are the incredible names Canada has at the center position. Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon were already named to Canada’s preliminary roster. Then there is a host of additional center options for Canada to consider, with some known for their pure offensive skill and others offering a blend of scoring and defensive reliability. These names include Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Macklin Celebrini, Quinton Byfield, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Brayden Point, Mark Scheifele, Sam Reinhart, and John Tavares — all of whom will be looking to center their own line in Milan.

With that said, Kadri still likes his chances despite being a self-named “long shot.”

“Honestly man, it would be an absolute dream come true to show how crack that team,” he said. “I’ve been a long shot before. I’m looking forward to giving myself an opportunity. But I understand I’m going to have to play well,” he said.

Flames Have Started Extension Talks With Dustin Wolf

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Dustin Wolf’s first full NHL season was quite an impactful one.  He became the full-fledged starter in the second half of the year and played an instrumental role in Calgary’s last-season playoff push, one that ultimately came up just short.  He’s entering the final season of his bridge contract but the Flames have clearly seen enough to want to lock him up long term.  Wolf told Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson that talks on that front are underway:

They’re working, that’s about all I can really tell you. There’s talks, but nothing really confirmed yet. I’d love to stay here and I think they want me to stay here, as well. So as soon as something comes to fruition where both of us like where we’re at, I’m sure it won’t be long after that point where pen will be to paper.

Wolf played in 53 games for Calgary last season, posting a 2.64 GAA and a .910 SV%.  His performance was strong enough to earn him the runner-up position in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year while he also received a third-place vote in Vezina Trophy voting for the league’s top netminder.  That’s quite the solid performance for a player making $850K, making him one of the top bargains in the league.

While undersized for the modern-day goaltender, Wolf has been a top performer coming up.  In the WHL, he put up a .935 SV% over four seasons, winning Goalie of the Year twice and taking home the CHL Goalie of the Year title once.  Then, with AHL Calgary, he had a .926 SV% in parts of four seasons with them, again twice winning the award for being the top goaltender along with being league MVP in 2022-23.  Accordingly, while there’s not an overly long NHL track record to work with, Wolf’s overall track record shows that he’s someone who can be relied on to be a key goalie for the long run.

Finding the right price point on a new deal could be tricky, however, given that he has fewer than 100 career NHL appearances.  Wolf still has two RFA-eligible years left after this one so a second bridge agreement probably isn’t on the table unless it was a one-year pact in the arbitration window which is a long way away.  Assuming their mutual preference is a long-term contract, AFP Analytics suggests that a six-year deal worth a little over $8MM per season could make sense.  While several starting netminders have landed in that range in recent years, most have had much longer track records of NHL success than Wolf currently has.

On the other hand, with at least two more big jumps in the salary cap coming over the next two years, the potential price tag could go even higher if Wolf builds on his performance in 2025-26.  On the other hand, if he struggles a bit, the asking price would probably come in below that projected number.  With negotiations like this with relatively untested players, it’s about finding a spot where both sides are comfortable with the risk of a possible overpayment or underpayment.  We’ll see if they can find that point over the coming weeks.

No Recent Talks Between Flames And Rasmus Andersson

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The future of defenseman Rasmus Andersson with the Flames has been a subject of much debate this offseason.  While Calgary isn’t looking to rebuild and thus doesn’t necessarily want to move him, Andersson doesn’t appear to be ready to sign a long-term extension with them either, fueling trade speculation.

Earlier this summer, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested that Los Angeles had a deal in place to acquire Andersson but that the blueliner indicated that he didn’t want to play there.  Speaking with Expressen’s David Carlsson and Mikael Ljungberg, the 28-year-old acknowledged he had been approached about a move somewhere but declined to confirm that it was indeed the Kings.  But he wasn’t comfortable about moving his family and signing a long-term deal right away, scuttling those talks.  Andersson also continues to vehemently deny earlier reports that the only team he’d sign with right away is Vegas.

With trade talks seemingly at a stalemate for now, it would be logical to think that the two sides might resume contract discussions.  However, Andersson noted that since the draft-day trade fell apart, there has been zero communication with the team.

Andersson has been an all-situations player for the last several years in Calgary while reaching at least 30 points in each of the last four campaigns.  That has him in line to land a sizable raise on his current $4.55MM AAV, even though he’s coming off a quieter year offensively where he has 10 goals and 21 assists in 81 games while averaging 23:59 per night of playing time.  Even with the reduced point total, AFP Analytics pegged an Andersson extension to cost around $8.4MM per season on a seven-year deal.

While it’s believed there were at least initial discussions about a new deal this offseason, the belief is that there’s still a big gap to bridge and clearly, neither side appears to be in a rush to try to reduce the difference.  GM Craig Conroy has stated multiple times that he’s comfortable with Andersson coming to camp without an extension in place and based on the lack of contact between the two sides, that appears to be the likeliest outcome as things stand.

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