Gang, the period between the NHL Draft and the first few days of free agency usually features a ton of roster change. Every year, that’s the period of time where you see the most names added and removed from reserve lists.

So in advance of the Calgary Flames heading into 2025 NHL Draft weekend – with oodles of picks – let’s delve into who the Flames have on their organizational roster, broken down by position.

It sure does seem like Dan Vladar is on the way out and somebody is on the way in. Dustin Wolf is the undisputed starter. Devin Cooley and the new goalie will likely battle it out for the backup role in the NHL, with the runner-up starting with the Wranglers. We’ll probably see a rotation between Owen Say and Arsenii Sergeev between the AHL and ECHL’s Rapid City Rush.

We’re not expecting Connor Murphy to be qualified – he’s rumoured to be signing in Europe. Waltteri Ignatjew, who has already signed in Europe, might get qualified so the Flames can hold onto his NHL rights.

[11 under contract]

The elephant in the room is the expected departure of Rasmus Andersson via trade sometime in the near future. There are a handful of blueliners that seem like locks for the NHL roster (MacKenzie Weegar, Brayden Pachal, Bahl) and then, well, a lot of opportunities for potential new faces. And that includes Zayne Parekh.

The Wranglers, on paper, look to potentially be a pretty young group in 2025-26. But there’s a decent chance that if Parekh pushes for an NHL gig, there are ripple effects that bump some regulars from 2024-25 into the AHL. Whatever way you slice it, the Flames’ defensive group is pretty unique (in a fun way), and they have a few players that could pan out really nicely.

[3 under contract]

The only centres under contract with significant NHL experience average out to 35 years of age. Yes, Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund are good. But this is the most glaring organizational need they have right now, across all age groups. Even when you slot in Morgan Frost and Sam Morton, it’s a lean, lean group.

(Connor Zary and Rory Kerins both played some centre last season, but because they sorta wobbled between positions we’re categorizing them as wingers until proven otherwise.)

[17 under contract]

The Flames have two right shot wingers under contract: Matt Coronato and Adam Klapka. And they have oodles of left shot wingers. The good news is that Matvei Gridin, Parker Bell, Lucas Ciona and Dryden Hunt all can play on their off-wings, but they’re going to be wanting to add more righties to the fold.

Organizationally, though, the wing depth has to be looked at as a strength. The big challenge is that they have a ton of really good (and potentially really good) wingers, but no arguably elite ones.

Tune in for The Sheet Draft Special, streaming live on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel on Friday, June 27th at 7 PM EST. Hosted by Jeff Marek, this live special will cover all the action from the 2025 Draft, including expert analysis of top prospects, team-by-team breakdowns, and real-time reactions to every pick. Whether you’re tracking your team’s future stars or just love the drama of draft night, this is your go-to destination for all things Draft.