Flames Rumors

Flames Notes: Zadorov, Wolf, Captaincy

September 16, 2023 at 9:29 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

There have yet to be any extension talks between the Flames and Nikita Zadorov, according to the blueliner in an appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link). He indicated that he was waiting for an offer over the summer but one hasn’t come just yet. The 28-year-old is in the final season of a two-year deal that carries a $3.75MM AAV and is coming off a breakout year offensively, recording 14 goals. His previous career best in that department was seven in a single season and he had just nine tallies over the prior three years combined. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising to see Calgary take a wait-and-see approach with Zadorov to see if his offensive prowess last year was a one-off or a sign of things to come.

No Extension Talks Scheduled For Mikael Backlund And Oliver Kylington

September 13, 2023 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

While there has been some optimism in Calgary regarding the possibility of both Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin signing extensions, things appear to be more of a wait-and-see approach when it comes to Mikael Backlund. His agent J.P. Barry told TSN’s Salim Valji that there are currently no plans for discussions about Backlund or teammate Oliver Kylington. Instead, the plan is to wait and evaluate how the season progresses before holding any sort of meaningful contract negotiations.

Backlund has spent his entire 15-year career with Calgary who drafted him in the first round (24th overall) back in 2007. The 34-year-old is actually coming off his best season offensively, one that saw him put up 19 goals and 37 assists in 82 games. For his career, he has 492 points in 908 games and he has expressed a desire to reach the 1,000-game mark in a Flames uniform.

Backlund has one more year remaining on his deal, a pact that carries a $5.35MM AAV and a 21-team no-trade clause. A report surfaced last month that noted trade offers for the middleman had been particularly light in spite of his breakout year so it appears Calgary will go into the season with him anchoring the second line.

As for Kylington, the fact that no discussions are planned shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Last month, the blueliner revealed the reason for his season-long absence was due to things going on with his family which caused mental and psychological problems. Having missed that much time, it makes sense for both sides to wait and see how things go early on before pondering the idea of an extension. Like Backlund, the 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

When he took over as GM, Craig Conroy indicated that he wanted to avoid a situation where he could lose a key player without any return by seeing them walk in free agency like Johnny Gaudreau did in the 2022 offseason. That played a part in them moving Tyler Toffoli, another pending UFA, to New Jersey earlier in the offseason. However, with Lindholm, Hanifin, Backlund, and Kylington all appearing to want to see how things go at the start of this coming season before deciding on their willingness to extend, he won’t be getting any further clarity for a little while longer.

Flames Open To Bringing In Someone On A PTO

September 13, 2023 at 8:22 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Flames haven’t ruled out bringing in someone on a tryout in the coming days, relays Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link). While GM Craig Conroy has expressed a desire to let some of Calgary’s younger prospects push for a spot on the roster after not getting too many looks last season, a veteran willing to take the league minimum could give that player a leg up over a youngster on a more expensive entry-level deal. That difference could be notable as Calgary is one of many teams that project to be close to the cap line this season.

Noah Hanifin Reverses Course, Open To Extension In Calgary

September 13, 2023 at 12:44 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

Speaking with reporters, including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg at the NHL’s media tour in Las Vegas, Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin said he’s “absolutely” willing to consider an extension with the team.

Hanifin, 26, was unwilling to sign an extension in Calgary at the beginning of the offseason, according to reporting from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. Along with Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm, who have expressed a conditional willingness to extend depending on the team’s performance this season, Hanifin is slated for unrestricted free agency next summer. He’s coming off a 2022-23 season in which he played 81 of 82 games, registered seven goals and 31 assists for 38 points, recorded a 53.0% Corsi for at even strength, and averaged a career-high 22:39 per game. LeBrun said earlier this summer Calgary was likely to trade Hanifin – something that didn’t come to fruition, and he’s now projected to start 2023-24 alongside potential captaincy candidate Rasmus Andersson on the team’s top pairing.

If they do extend him, it certainly won’t be on a discount – as is the likely scenario with Backlund and Lindholm. With extensions unlikely to be reached before the start of the season, Evolving Hockey projects an eight-year, $7.5MM AAV deal for Hanifin to remain in Calgary. Their model also predicts an eight-year extension at $8.4MM per season for Lindholm, but recent reporting from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests that figure will be closer to $9MM if Lindholm does extend. For Backlund, they predict a four-year deal at around $5.5MM per season. For a team with little to no salary cap flexibility this summer, is extending all three even financially feasible if the players remain open to it?

The short answer is barely. CapFriendly currently projects the Flames with roughly $35.5MM in cap space for the 2024-25 season with a roster size of just 11 players, assuming the Upper Limit rises from $83.5MM to $87.5MM as projected. Taking the figures above means re-signing all three of Backlund, Hanifin and Lindholm would cost around $22MM, bringing that cap space figure to $13.5MM with a roster size of only 14. That would involve filling out the rest of their roster with contracts averaging less than $1.5MM AAV apiece, and it’ll likely take significantly more than that number to retain other pending UFA defenders like Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov as well as re-signing pending RFA forward Dillon Dubé.

Calgary Flames Make Changes to Scouting, Front Office Staff

September 8, 2023 at 1:51 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 6 Comments

The Calgary Flames have officially hired a slew of new staff. This includes bringing on Kerry Huffman and Brad Richardson as Pro Scouts. Richardson appeared in 27 games with Calgary during his playing career, while Huffman played a bulk of his career with the Ottawa Senators and Quebec Nordiques next door.

[SOURCE LINK]

Friedman: Lindholm Extension Could Near $9MM AAV

September 6, 2023 at 4:40 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 6 Comments

The 2023-24 season hasn’t even started yet, and some Calgary Flames fans may already be tired of discussing pending UFA Elias Lindholm’s future with the team. It’s been a major talking point this summer, with a potential mass exodus of unrestricted free agents from the Flames next offseason. Last week, however, Lindholm confirmed he’s open to the idea of an extension in Calgary, and today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave us some clarity on what a deal may look like.

Last season, Lindholm finished second on the Flames in scoring with 22 goals, 42 assists and 64 points in 80 games. It was a falloff from his career-high 2021-22 campaign between Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, where the then-27-year-old posted 42 goals and 82 points in 82 games alongside a ridiculous +61 rating. For comparison, 25-year-old Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson, who’s scored 85 goals in 156 games over the past two seasons, is signed for seven more seasons at a $7.143MM cap hit.

Talks Quiet Up To This Point Between Flames, Elias Lindholm

September 4, 2023 at 9:05 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 6 Comments

Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm has been one of the most common names in the rumor mill this offseason as one of the top unrestricted free agents set to be available on the 2024 market. Speculation has run rampant about whether Lindholm would be willing to sign an extension in Alberta or if he’d follow the path of Tyler Toffoli and potentially Noah Hanifin and find his way out of Calgary before the 2024 trade deadline.

Lindholm cleared some of that up himself over the weekend, telling HockeySverige’s Ronnie Ronnkvist he’s open to staying in Calgary but said he would mostly leave it up to his agent and the team to work out a deal. Those talks haven’t started in earnest yet, however, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on today’s edition of 32 Thoughts.

From what I understand, the Flames and Lindholm have really been quiet this summer when it came to contract negotiations. I would expect that to pick up as he returns and things get closer to the season.

It’ll likely take a huge offer to convince the 28-year-old to avoid testing free agency next July. There will be no shortage of suitors with an obvious need down the middle looking to dole out money (and term) to one of the league’s more defensively responsible point-producing pivots.

If the Flames aim to remain competitive over the life of the long-term deals Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri signed last summer, then it’s likely worth paying to keep Lindholm. The team has some solid forward prospects coming, namely Matthew Coronato, Samuel Honzek and Jakob Pelletier, but none project as centers. There’s no feasible option in their pipeline to replace Lindholm anytime soon, meaning they’d be looking to commit money and terms to a different center in free agency anyway to fill his gap.

Lindholm’s defensive acumen is also necessary regarding long-term roster construction for GM Craig Conroy. Mikael Backlund has long been the team’s two-way heart and soul, and not only will he be 35 years old before the 2023-24 season ends, but he’s also only got one year left on his deal and could opt to find a new home next summer. Calgary won’t find anyone else that fits that mold, at least with the ability to produce offensively like Lindholm, on July 1 next year.

Of course, this depends on Lindholm maintaining his willingness to sign an extension in Calgary. A slow start out of the gate will likely be the nail in the coffin for any of Calgary’s big-name pending UFAs, who will look to spend their prime or twilight years on a team closer to Stanley Cup contention. Lindholm, who’s registered 325 points in 369 games as a Flame since 2018, will be a large part of that.

Lindholm Open To Signing Extension

September 2, 2023 at 12:53 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

The future of Elias Lindholm with the Flames has been one of the bigger discussion points of the summer. Early on, it didn’t seem as if the 28-year-old was open to staying beyond the end of his contract which ends after the upcoming season but lately, that belief has softened. Speaking with HockeySverige’s Ronnie Ronnkvist, the middleman indicated that he is indeed open to staying with Calgary but noted that there is a lot still to be agreed on for that to happen. Lindholm carries a cap charge of $4.85MM for 2023-24 but could push for close to double that if he makes it to the open market next summer as one of the top two-way centers in the league.

Former Flames Prospect Cameron Whynot Commits To Acadia University

August 31, 2023 at 9:17 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

After the Calgary Flames conceded the exclusive signing rights to defense prospect Cameron Whynot, the 20-year-old will now suit up for Acadia University in Canada instead of turning pro, according to SaltWire’s Willy Palov. The Flames opted not to sign the 2021 third-round pick to an entry-level contract earlier this summer after a pair of disappointing post-draft seasons with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, during which he failed to eclipse the 0.68 points per game and the +13 rating he posted during his draft year. It’ll be at least another summer before Whynot attempts to make the jump to pro hockey, likely by signing an AHL or ECHL contract (or heading overseas).

Summer Synopsis: Calgary Flames

August 28, 2023 at 3:19 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

Last season was a trajectory-altering one for the Calgary Flames, although not in the way they’d hoped. A major reshuffling of their top stars was expected to keep the Flames near the top of the Pacific Division, but they missed the playoffs entirely after a season mired by inconsistency. Multiple players underperformed, their goaltending tandem of Jacob Markström and Daniel Vladar struggled, and most players seemed to rejoice when the team moved on from head coach Darryl Sutter after the season. With Ryan Huska now behind the bench and Craig Conroy steering the ship as general manager, the Flames enter a truly pivotal 2023-24 campaign with multiple core players destined for free agency next summer.

Draft

1-16: F Samuel Honzek, Vancouver (WHL)
2-48: D Étienne Morin, Moncton (QMJHL)
3-80: F Aydar Suniev, Penticton (BCHL)
4-112: F Jaden Lipinski, Vancouver (WHL)
6-176: G Yegor Yegorov, Dynamo Moscow (MHL)
7-208: D Axel Hurtig, Rögle (J20 Nationell)

Without sensibly being able to buy at last season’s trade deadline, former GM Brad Treliving held on to their premier draft choices – a move that quickly paid off. While they aren’t franchise-altering talents, Honzek and Morin make up a high-end haul from the first two rounds and should yield a future everyday top-nine forward and top-six defender, respectively. Honzek is the class star here, but he’s expected to return to WHL Vancouver next season after posting 56 points in 43 games there last year in an injury-shortened campaign.

Morin was also a player who could very well have gone in the late first round, and he was one of, if not the best, defender available out of the QMJHL after recording 72 points and a +29 rating in 67 games with Moncton last season. Suniev, Lipinski and Yegorov round out a list of some high-risk, high-reward picks, while Hurtig projects as a hulking shutdown defender if he can manage a pro career.

Trade Acquisitions

F Yegor Sharangovich (from New Jersey)

While a dependable top-nine scorer, Sharangovich had a down year after a strong first two campaigns in New Jersey. The Devils’ 2018 fifth-round pick burst onto the scene in 2020-21, posting 16 goals and 30 points in 54 games (a 24-goal, 46-point pace over 82 games that he would replicate in 2021-22). His production, relative possession numbers and ice time all dipped last season, though, earning him a spot in the press box at times when the postseason rolled around. Slated for restricted free agency, the Devils had no issue moving on from him to acquire a short-term upgrade from Calgary in Tyler Toffoli. The Flames now have him locked into an affordable $3.1MM cap hit for the next two seasons, and they’re hoping by giving him a top-six role, he can get back to hovering around the 45-to-50-point mark and churn out another 20-goal campaign. He could potentially play as high as a first-line role alongside Elias Lindholm, replacing Toffoli’s spot in the lineup directly.

Key UFA Signings

F Dryden Hunt (two years, $1.55MM)*
D Jordan Oesterle (one year, $925K)

*-denotes two-way contract

After Treliving doled out a healthy amount of cash last summer, the Flames weren’t left with much space to work with. Even with just the two sub-$1MM cap hit signings, the Flames are currently $213K over the cap with a roster of 22 players, according to CapFriendly’s projections. The 31-year-old Oesterle is technically their biggest addition on the UFA market, and he’s far from a lock to play an everyday role, let alone make the team out of camp with their cap restraints. He’d spent the last two seasons in Detroit, where he’s recorded the worst possession metrics of his nine-year NHL career and averaged 15:39 per game last season in a decidedly depth role. It’s a long shot from his days with the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks in the late 2010s when he looked like an option that could slide into the top four in a pinch. With Oliver Kylington ready to return to the team next season after taking 2022-23 off on personal leave, Oesterle will likely start the season as Calgary’s seventh defenseman.

Hunt will also battle to make the Flames roster in a 13th forward-type role. Last season was a rollercoaster for the 27-year-old, who played for the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs in the span of just a few months after being claimed on waivers and then traded. Playing in 37 NHL games, he scored just three goals after posting 17 points in 76 games with the Rangers in 2021-22. He was traded yet another time at last season’s deadline to the Flames, playing out the rest of the season with their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. His 15 points in 17 games there were enough to warrant the team bringing him back after the UFA period opened.

Key RFA Re-Signings

F Walker Duehr (two years, $1.65MM)
F Yegor Sharangovich (two years, $6.2MM)

We’ve already covered Sharangovich’s impact on the team at length above, so Duehr gets our full attention regarding the Flames’ notable RFA signings this summer. Calgary signed the 6-foot-2 undrafted winger out of Minnesota State after his senior campaign ended in 2021, during which he recorded 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points in 28 games en route to a WCHA regular-season championship. He’s since shown the ability to translate his low-ceiling but effective checking game to the pro ranks, posting decent offensive totals in the minors with the Wranglers. He appeared in 27 games for the Flames last season in a bottom-six role, scoring seven goals in 27 games – a feat that’s likely earned him a spot on the team’s opening night roster come October. The 25-year-old would require waivers at this stage to be returned to the Wranglers.

Key Departures

F Trevor Lewis (Los Angeles, one year, $775K)
F Milan Lucic (Boston, one year, $1MM)
D Connor Mackey (NY Rangers, one year, $775K)
F Brett Ritchie (UFA)
F Nick Ritchie (UFA)
D Troy Stecher (Arizona, one year, $1.1MM)
D Michael Stone (retirement)
F Tyler Toffoli (trade with New Jersey)

The only extremely notable departure here is Toffoli, with whom the organization hopes they’ve replaced somewhat laterally with Sharangovich. If the latter doesn’t pan out, however, it will be a tough loss to swallow. Toffoli was their best player last season, leading the team with 34 goals and 73 points while posting high-end possession metrics and taking on 16:37 per game. There’s no other internal option ready to step up and replace that production without causing a domino effect on the team’s depth.

The rest on this list either played fourth-line or other depth roles for the majority of the season, while some (Nick Ritchie and Stecher) were only part of the team for a handful of games post-deadline and had a minimal effect on the team’s success as a whole last season. In Lucic and Lewis, though, they lose a couple of veterans with cup-winning pedigree, although their on-ice performance had withered in recent seasons to the point where they were maybe better served for press-box roles, especially in Lucic’s case.

Mackey and Stone move on after sitting near the high-end of the Flames’ “extra defensemen” list, although Stone will stay with the Flames in an off-ice capacity.

Salary Cap Outlook

Calgary will be cap-compliant to start the season, but it won’t be with a full roster, as we discussed earlier, per CapFriendly. As things stand, they’ll only have room for one extra skater (or none and one extra goalie should they opt to carry Dustin Wolf with the team to start the season). It means a corresponding move could very well be coming before the puck drops on the 2023-24 campaign, and teams need to turn in their cap-compliant rosters, but it’s not an absolute necessity. The Flames have no dead cap complicating things, either, unless they demote Kevin Rooney to the minors again – that will result in a buried penalty of $150K, given his $1.3MM cap hit.

Key Questions

Who Stays And Who Goes?: The slate of pending UFAs has been widely discussed at this point, especially the trio of Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. The team’s play over the first few months of the season will likely dictate which of those players are still team members after the 2024 trade deadline. There are some other important depth players on expiring deals like Christopher Tanev and Nikita Zadorov, too, who could command decent returns as rentals if the team doesn’t anticipate being able to re-sign them.

Who Takes Over In The Crease?: There’s no sugarcoating it – Jacob Markström had his worst season as a full-time starter last season after finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting the year prior, a remarkable falloff for the 33-year-old who’s halfway through a six-year, $6MM AAV deal. He barely crawled over the .500 mark, posting a 23-21-2 record, and had just a .892 save percentage and a lone shutout after leading the NHL with nine last season. If he can’t recapture his previous top-ten form, look for the Flames to turn to the young Wolf, who is still 22 years old but has won back-to-back AHL Goalie of the Year awards in his first two pro seasons.

Can The Young Guns Add Scoring Depth?: The Flames have a pair of wingers slated to start the season in bottom-six roles who could very well end up higher in the lineup by season’s end – Matthew Coronato and Jakob Pelletier. First-round picks in 2021 and 2019, respectively, Pelletier tore up the AHL with 37 points in 35 games last season but didn’t necessarily jump off the page in the NHL, recording seven points in 24 games. Coronato got just one game of action after turning pro after two seasons at Harvard, during which he recorded 36 points in 34 games in back-to-back campaigns.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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