Gang, actions speak louder than words. And while the Calgary Flames may occasionally be hesitant to proclaim such, the hockey club is in a rebuild. Since Craig Conroy became general manager in 2023, he’s parted ways via trade with a slew of established, veteran National Hockey League players.

And with Blake Coleman entering the final year of his current contract in 2026-27, it’s natural to assume that he’s probably going to follow the same path that veteran players from Tyler Toffoli to Nazem Kadri have: a trade to another team.

But on Tuesday in his Rumblings column over at The Athletic, noted insider Pierre LeBrun threw the brakes on the inevitability of Coleman being traded. As Coleman and Conroy both alluded to during their comments to the local media at the end of the regular season, if Coleman sticks around into the 2026-27 campaign, there should probably be some sort of contract extension involved. After all, Coleman’s been a really good Flame and has been a big part of setting the team’s culture since he arrived as a free agent.

But at the same time: Coleman’s a player that a lot of teams with Stanley Cup aspirations would value highly. So if you’re the Flames, given Coleman’s age, championship pedigree and general skill package, he makes an enticing trade chip.

Here’s a snippet of LeBrun’s update, in terms of the Flames weighing an extension or a trade for the forward:

Coleman joined the Flames as a free agent in 2021 after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay on a six year deal with a $4.9 million cap hit. Since arriving, he’s served as an alternate captain and formed a dynamite shutdown duo with captain Mikael Backlund and a rotation of wingers. He has 99 goals and 199 points in 392 games with the Flames over the past five seasons and has received consideration for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward in two of the past three seasons.

We’ll see if Coleman’s time with the Flames continues, or if he departs via trade and continues the Flames’ ongoing youth movement.