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20 Calgary Flames players have expiring contracts on July 1
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Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Ryan Pike
Jun 24, 2026, 09:30 EDTUpdated: Jun 24, 2026, 01:15 EDT
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Friends, we’re into the most frenzied part of the off-season. The National Hockey League’s annual entry draft is this coming weekend and that can be a transformative two days for a hockey club.
Following that, though, we’re into free agency: with qualifying offers due on Monday and then the annual free agency frenzy beginning at 10 a.m. MT on Wednesday, July 1. (July 1 is also the birthday of two amazing institutions: Jarome Iginla and Canada.)
Ahead of this frenzy, here’s a rundown of the 20 Flames-contracted players whose deals are about to expire and the types of free agent situations the Flames will be attempting to navigate.

Group 2 (restricted free agents)

Group 2 restricted free agents are eligible to sign offer sheets, but the team that holds their rights has the ability to match any offer sheet they signed or receive draft pick compensation for losing that player’s rights.
Potential Group 2 RFAs must be provided with a qualifying offer by 3 p.m. MT on June 29 (this coming Monday) for the Flames to retain their rights. A qualifying offer is functionally a basic one year contract, with the structure and compensation set based on what a player’s contract was during the prior season. A player receiving a qualifying offer can simply accept it anytime before July 15, but usually they’re used as a basis for further negotiations.
(All qualifying offers listed below are for two-way contracts.)
Player
Qualifying Offer
F John Beecher
$945,000
F Parker Bell
$850,000*
F Lucas Ciona
$850,000*
D Artem Grushnikov
$850,000*
F Rory Kerins
$850,000*
F Carter King
$850,000*
F Sam Morton
$850,000*
D Simon Nemec
$897,750
F Brennan Othmann
$874,125
G Owen Say
$850,000*
F William Stromgren
$866,250
D Gavin White
$850,000*
(* – Under the CBA’s formula, these players would have been owed qualifying offers below $850,000, the 2026-27 league minimum, but they’ve been rounded up to the minimum salary.)
A couple quick notes: First, five potential RFAs are eligible to file for salary arbitration: Beecher, Kerins, King, Morton and Say. All but Beecher are primarily minor-leaguers and arguably none of them have amazing arguments for hefty deals, but often players file for arbitration to speed up contract negotiations. Second, Bell only played two years of his entry-level deal at the pro level – he spent his 20-year-old year in the WHL – so while he requires a qualifying offer, he’s not eligible to receive an offer sheet this year.
It’s worth noting: the Flames have 34 players on NHL contracts for 2026-27 – though Theo Stockselius’ deal is eligible for a slide year – and so it feels unlikely that all 12 pending RFAs will receive qualifying offers. The players that feel in flux, to us, are Beecher, Bell, Ciona and Grushnikov.
  • Beecher got an extended audition to be the Flames’ fourth-line centre in 2025-26 and was fine, but it feels like the Flames might want to give expanded opportunities to players like Tyson Gross or Sam Morton in that role.
  • Bell and Ciona rotated in and out on the Wranglers’ fourth line in 2025-26 in their second and third pro seasons, respectively. Given they weren’t regulars, weren’t not sure if management would be keen to bring back both of them.
  • Grushnikov was sort of the defender answer to Bell and Ciona: decent enough when he was in the lineup, but often a paid spectator in his third pro season.

Group 3 (unrestricted free agents)

Group 3 UFAs are players that are 27 or older (as of July 1), or have played seven seasons under NHL contracts, or both.
D Jake Bean
F Clark Bishop
F Justin Kirkland
F Ryan Lomberg
D Daniil Miromanov
F Victor Olofsson
G Ivan Prosvetov
Based on all the chatter out there – we captured a snapshot recently of how things are sounding – we’re anticipating that all seven of the Flames’ pending Group 3 UFAs head to the market.

Group 6 (unrestricted free agents)

If you’re on an expiring contract, are 25 or older as of July 1, have played three (or more) seasons on an NHL contract, and have played fewer than 80 NHL games (for skaters, 28 for goalies), they become Group 6 UFAs.
D Nick Cicek
We could see the Flames (and Cicek) going either way in terms of a potential return. Cicek plays both the left and right side and was a huge contributor for a struggling Wranglers team in 2025-26. But with the team looking to emphasize youngsters, would Cicek get any potential call-ups to the NHL if he returned, or would auditions for prospects be emphasized instead? A return for Cicek would probably be welcomed given his high quality of play, but you could also understand if the organization and player part ways, too.
Which pending free agents do you want the Flames to bring back for next season? Let us know in the comments!

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