What do you think a package for Shane Wright would look like?
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FlamesNation Mailbag: The dust begins to settle
Photo credit: Mike Gould
It’s been a busy few weeks for the Calgary Flames, folks. They’ve added Simon Nemec, Maxim Tsyplakov and Jake Middleton via trades, and nine players in the draft, and said goodbye to Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta.
With the Flames only having a bit of restricted free agent business to attend to, let’s catch up with all the recent developments in the mailbag!
I’m not sold on Shane Wright as a top center. Not sure I would burn assets on that move. We have lots of prospects coming for 2C, 3C spots. I’d focus on 2027 draft.
I’m on the same wavelength as Blair here regarding Shane Wright, and let me explain why: I don’t know what Shane Wright is, and so I’m not sure which role he could slot into that the Flames need. Furthermore, with players like Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter likely turning pro in the fairly near future, if you have ice time available to figure somebody out… wouldn’t you rather use it on Reschny and Potter rather than spending assets to bring Wright in and then having to figure him out?
The Kraken aren’t about to give Wright away, either, so I suspect the price tag includes some combination of a first-round pick, a young forward or a top prospect. Heck, probably at least two of those three.
How does Leo Carlsson’s new contract gonna wreck the Flames and every other team’s payroll?
Right now, the Leo Carlsson offer sheet probably won’t impact the Flames until they have a centre with a comparable statistical profile. That said: the lesson probably is to sign your players when you have the opportunity to do so, because otherwise you’re opening the door to such an offer sheet.
Who is the Flames next Captain?
I do not know. I think the hope is that a contender emerges over the next two years that Mikael Backlund remains under contract.
What role will Hunter Brzustewicz have on the team this year?
At this point, Hunter Brzustewicz’s role might depend on what other moves the Flames make. He’s waiver exempt, which makes it easier to send him to the Wranglers than other players, and the Flames have Simon Nemec, Zayne Parekh and Zach Whitecloud ahead of him on the right shot depth chart. Since he’s still young Brzustewicz needs to play regularly, so I suspect he’s a candidate for the AHL right now.
Has the buzz on Connor Zary dwindled now that Coleman is gone? Is there still a likelihood where he gets dealt before the season? I’ll follow up that question with are the Flames interested in Shane Wright considering they were in on McTavish and would Zary be included in a deal
Which players do you think will be traded by this summer? And one wildcard trade before trading deadline that no one is really talking about? Thanks
They’re not gonna give anybody away, but they’re probably not ruling anything out if someone makes them an interesting offer for a player on their roster. They’re not making trades just to make trades. I don’t think they’re in any hurry to move anyone, but I wouldn’t rule anything out definitively.
Hi Ryan! After the Coleman trade can you give an overview of the picks we have the next 2 years please?
Via PuckPedia:
The Flames have the following picks over the next three drafts by round:
- 2027: 1st, 2nd (x2), 3rd (x2), 5th, 6th
- 2028: 1st, 2nd (x2), 3rd, 4th (x2), 5th, 6th
- 2029: 1st, 2nd (x2), 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th
That’s nine picks in the first two rounds over the next three drafts.
Do you think players/management will play for the playoffs hard this season for the Saddledomes last season, if so, will the team stay “Mid” like previous seasons and land 17th-19th place and be a disappointment again…
The Flames are sticking to the plan. Literally nothing about the moves they’ve made over the past six months – or three years – make me think they’re going to make shortcut moves to make the post-season in 2026-27.
Why is Huska still the coach of this team? His big selling point was how well he did with the Wranglers young talent, yet he suppresses young talent in this role. This team honestly doesn't have a single legit "Top line" player, when will that change?
Will this be Huska’s last season as head coach? back to back bottom 5 finishes, might be time to bring in a coach good at developing young talent
Ryan Huska will remain with the Flames as head coach as long as management thinks he’s doing a good job. He was selected by Craig Conroy for the gig in no small part because of how his teaching coaching style aligned with Conroy’s plan for a youth movement, and we’ve heard a lot of positive feedback about his performance from all over the organization. He’s not going anywhere for at least the next couple of seasons.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan.Pike [at] BetterCollective.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
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Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$89,116,666
$70,041,666
Projected Cap Space
$14,883,334
$43,458,334
Current Cap Space
$14,883,334
$43,458,334
Active Players
23/23
16/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
1
2
1
2
3
2
3
1
2