Nation Sites
The Nation Network
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Flames general manager Craig Conroy breaks down the Blake Coleman trade

Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Calgary Flames made a pretty significant trade on Thursday morning, sending forward Blake Coleman and defenceman Olli Maatta to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for blueliner Jake Middleton, a 2029 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick. (The Flames are retaining 50% of Coleman’s cap hit.)
It’s yet another move that falls in line with general manager Craig Conroy’s stated managerial philosophies: don’t lose key assets for no return, and help transition the Flames to being a younger team.
Here’s how Conroy described the trade to the assembled media at Winsport early on Thursday afternoon:
You know I mean obviously I think for us, [Jake] Middleton is the type of player we covet. You know, the size, we think we’ve got [Simon] Nemec on the right, we got [Zayne] Parekh on the right. You kind of saw how we maybe got at times you know, especially as they got run last year. This is a guy that keeps people away. You know, he’s a very good player. He played very well with [Brock] Faber, and we think him coming in will just calm things down physically, and he’s going to be able to kill penalties for us, play minutes, and be a big part of this moving forward. So, you know, that’s kind of where the player is. The picks are the picks. I mean, you know, we can use those picks to make trades. We can make those picks. That gives us a lot of options…And obviously the two guys we’re losing, You know, with [Blake] Coleman and [Olli] Maatta, I mean, I know Maatta was only there for a short time, but he’s an amazing person. He came in and he played great. He did everything we could ask for. And, you know, I think he enjoyed his time here, probably if you talked to him. And we enjoyed him. He was a good pro. But, you know, you have to make deals and to make it kind of all work. They really wanted him back. So, you know, we thought this was the best deal for us. And obviously, Blake is going to be a huge loss. you know, what he’s like in the locker room, but I’ve heard the same things about Middleton. So one locker room guy for another locker room guy was important to us, and, you know, we talked about culture. And Blake’s, with the absence of Blake, though, it is going to allow guys, younger guys, Sam Honzeks, the [Connor] Zarys, the [Martin] Pospisils, the [Adam] Klapkas, okay, time to fight, take the spot, you know. [Maxim] Tsyplakov is here now. Let’s see what he can do. You know, there’s going to be a camp. There’s going to be a competition. You know, those are a lot of minutes, a lot of different situations. And I think for everybody that’s still here, it’s an opportunity, and they should grab a hold of it.
Coleman was entering the final year of his contract and was a pending unrestricted free agent next July 1. While Conroy noted that Coleman didn’t request a trade, he explained that Coleman’s preference was not to have the trade rumours drag through another season – so if Coleman was coming to Flames training camp in September, his preference was to do so with an extension in hand.
Conroy explained that trade talks with Wild GM Bill Guerin heated up over the past few days.
“You know, probably three days ago, they circled back and we started talking,” said Conroy. “I mean, the one thing, again, we had 10 teams we could talk to, and it’s a little bit tricky because a lot of teams didn’t have cap room or just had bodies and it wasn’t a fit, which I totally understand. So, you know, you make all the calls of those teams, and they all like Blake, but they all wasn’t a fit for Blake. So with Minnesota about three days ago, it started to come together and made more sense. And when Middleton got put into the conversation, then it picked up the last two days.”
With Middleton’s addition and Coleman and Maatta’s departure, the Flames have 19 players on one-way deals for the 2026-27 season: two goaltenders, six defencemen and 11 forwards, and that doesn’t include Sam Honzek, Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh, all on two-way deals. The Flames lineup for late September looks a bit less crowded and more defined than it was before the trade.
We’ll see how everything pans out, and what moves Conroy has up his sleeve next.
Sponsored by bet365:
Breaking News
- Flames general manager Craig Conroy breaks down the Blake Coleman trade
- Where former Flames signed on the opening day of NHL free agency
- Flames trade Coleman and Maatta to Wild for Jake Middleton and draft picks
- FN AHL Report Cards: Arsenii Sergeev’s capitalized on opportunities and earned his first NHL start
- Why the Flames’ future could arrive this spring
