The Calgary Flames have added to their blueline group. Per multiple reports, they’ve signed defenceman Jake Bean to a two year deal worth $1.75 million per season.

Bean became an unrestricted free agent after not receiving a qualifying offer on Sunday from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

A 26-year-old product of scenic Calgary, Alberta, Bean is the son of current Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation vice-chairman John Bean (formerly the president and CEO), and he’s a left shot defenceman listed at 6’1″ and 176 pounds. Bean played his junior hockey with the Calgary Hitmen (and briefly with the Tri-City Americans).

A first-round selection of the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2016, Bean has played 197 NHL games split between the Hurricanes and, more recently, Blue Jackets (after being traded for a second-rounder in the 2021 off-season). Bean emerged as a really good young AHL blueliner in the Carolina system, but couldn’t break through into an NHL gig. He did that in Columbus, showing flashes of brilliance but not quite finding consistency. After a really promising 2021-22 season where he posted 25 points over 67 games, he was limited to just 14 games in 2022-23 and while he played a full 2023-24 season, he posted just 13 points.

Bean’s young! He plays a smart, up-tempo, puck-movement game that really suits the modern style of hockey. Heck, he’s somebody the Flames are very, very familiar with because of his WHL (and family) ties. More importantly, he’s a young player and a “buy low” proposition that could pay off in the future but because of his term and cap hit remains a pretty low-risk bet. Blueliners take awhile to blossom, and it’s really hard to say if Bean has hit his NHL potential after 197 games – the Flames are betting that he hasn’t.