The Flames’ general manager traded forward Blake Coleman and defenceman Olli Maatta to the Minnesota Wild. In return, the Flames acquired veteran defenceman Jake Middleton, a 2029 second round pick, a 2027 third round pick, and a 2028 fourth round pick.

Here are six thoughts on this trade and what it means for the Flames moving forward.

Blake Coleman was a great Flame

The Flames signed Coleman to a six year contract as an unrestricted free agent on July 28, 2021.

Little did Flames fans know at the time that this was going to become one of the best free agent signings in modern Flames history.

Coleman turned into one of the most consistent, and important players in Calgary over the last five seasons. All he did was work hard, produce offence, play against opposing teams top lines, and be a great leader and mentor.

Off the ice, he and his family embraced being Calgarians. You could not have asked for more from Coleman and his family.

It’s too bad he only made the playoffs once during his five seasons with the Flames. He signed here under the assumption the team was going to be good for a few years. But we all know what happened in the summer of 2022.

Coleman will be sorely missed both on and off the ice.

Opportunity

It sucks to see Coleman go. But this opens up a spot in the Flames top nine for for someone to take.

Sam Honzek, Connor Zary (if he’s still here), Yegor Sharangovich and Rory Kerins are just a few names who might be able to step into a full time role in the top nine.

Honzek is the guy I look at as a direct replacement for Coleman. Honzek and Coleman share a lot of traits when it comes to their game. Speed, physicality, defence, penalty killing. Honzek seems like the perfect fit to play alongside Mikael Backlund for the next couple seasons.

The Flames are worse (which is a good thing)

Coleman was one of the few remaining Flames who was a legitimate driver of play when he was on the ice. What ever line Coleman played on, they had success.

How many games have we watched over the last couple seasons where Coleman would put the team on his back and score a couple big goals, or shut down the oppositions top players, or make a key shot block on the penalty kill?

Those days are over. Losing Coleman might cost the Flames at least four points in the standings. That might be the difference between them finishing the bottom 3 or not.

34 year old middle six wingers aren’t worth much

If you go back and look at trade returns for players who are similar to Coleman, you’ll find that they don’t go for much. As good as Coleman has been for the Flames, he is a 34 year old (turning 35 in November), middle six winger with one year remaining on his contract.

These trade examples aren’t perfect, but here are a few recent deals for middle six wingers around the NHL:

Bobby McMann went to Seattle for a second and a fourth.
Corey Perry went to Tampa Bay for a second.
Conor Garland went to Columbus for a second and a third.
Michael Bunting went to Dallas for a third.
Kiefer Sherwood went to San Jose for two seconds.

Getting a first round pick for Blake Coleman probably wasn’t going to happen. The Flames were able to get three draft picks and a veteran defenceman that they can flip for another draft pick within the next 2-3 years.

The return for Coleman and Maatta wasn’t a home run. But it wasn’t a strikeout either.

Middleton is a great addition to a young Flames team

Flames fans are going to love Middleton. He’s not the flashiest player. He’s not going to put up a bunch of points. But he is the type of player who works his tail off every night. He’ll stick up for teammates. He’ll block shots. He’s essentially a more physical, left shot version of Zach Whitecloud.

On top of that he has a wholesome, Western Canadian personality that Flames fans are going to appreciate.

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The Flames just added one of the biggest beauties in the NHL in Jake Middleton 🤠 (🎥: FanDuelSN_NOR | X)

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4:08 PM · Jul 2, 2026

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The Flames need positive, veteran players in their dressing room to help guide this young team from a rebuilding squad to a playoff contender. It’s important that young players can go to the rink and have fun while working hard and getting better. Middleton will be one of the key pillars to create that environment moving forward.

Perfect partner for Parekh or Nemec

Middleton is going to be a great partner for either Zayne Parekh or Simon Nemec.

Middleton is a traditional stay at home defenceman who brings an element of physically and toughness to the back end.

Guys like Parekh and Nemec will be able to take chances and join the rush while Middleton stays back.

We saw Zayne Parekh take a bunch of hard hits last season. If Parekh gets hit, opposing players know they’re going to have to deal with Middleton.

My two cents

I can see why Craig Conroy made this trade. He brings in three picks that he can trade for players, move up in the draft, or select players in the next three NHL drafts. He opens up a spot in the forward group. And he replaces Olli Maatta with Jake Middleton who brings a different and needed skillset to the Flames blueline.

Middleton will come to Calgary and become a fan favourite for a few years.

Overall I think this is another solid trade made by the Flames GM.

What do you think of the trade? Let me know in the comments!

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