The Calgary Flames have continued their youth movement on Thursday, making a pretty significant trade.

Per multiple reports, the Flames have traded forward Blake Coleman and defenceman Olli Maatta to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenceman Jake Middleton, a 2029 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fourth-round pick. The Flames are reportedly retaining 50% of Coleman’s $4.9 million cap hit.

Coleman, 34, is in the final year of a six year deal he signed with the Flames during the 2021 off-season. Coming into Calgary after back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the hope was that Coleman could put the Flames over the top in their contention window. While that didn’t necessarily pan out, Coleman remained what he was: a really, really good two-way winger that could score consistently.

Serving as two-thirds of a shutdown line with captain Mikael Backlund, Coleman was a superb player for the Flames during his tenure, helping mentor a rotation of younger wingers on the two-way NHL fundamentals. He also served as an alternate captain. At 50% retained, $2.45 million of his cap hit will be carried by the Flames for the 2026-27 season.

Maatta, 31, has two years left on a deal that carries a $3.5 million cap hit. He joined the Flames in the MacKenzie Weegar trade with Utah. He played a utility role on the blueline after the trade deadline.

Middleton, 30, has three years left on a deal that carries a $4.35 million and he’s a left shot defender. He’s played 381 NHL games split between the San Jose Sharks and the Wild. He’s not a huge offensive contributor, but he’s got size (6’3″ 218 pounds) and he’s considered a pretty smart, responsible two-way defender.

The Flames end up clearing $1.6 million in this trade, add three picks, essentially swap Maatta for Middleton on the left side, and open up a forward roster spot.

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