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Examining Daily Faceoff’s tier list of Flames who could be traded

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

By Cynthia Ryley Delaney

Oct 20, 2026, 15:45 EDTUpdated: Oct 19, 2026, 23:38 EDT

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Even before the 2026-27 season began, the Calgary Flames were going to be sellers ahead of Mar. 1’s trade deadline.

The big question, though, is who are they going to trade. A lot of their core players from their surprise 2024-25 season have been traded. Nazem Kadri, Rasmus Andersson, and MacKenzie Weegar were all traded ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. Of course, Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, two key members of the Flames’ 2021-22 run, were traded ahead of the 2024 trade deadline.

This is to say that most of their high-valued players have already been shipped out, instead replaced by young players looking to establish themselves as NHLers, as well as veterans. Still, there are several names who could be moved on Mar. 1st, as well as a few players in the coming years.

Recently, Daily Faceoff looked at those players that could be moved, separating players into five categories: “the hottest commodities, maybe next year, maybe in a few years, first come, first served, and nothing’s impossible.” Let’s take a look at who went where.

Who could be on the move in the coming seasons?

We’ll start with who is likely to be moved. Morgan Frost is their most notable soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, as his two-year deal with a cap hit of $4.375 million is set to expire at the end of the year. Serving as the team’s second-line centre, Frost has hit the 40-point plateau in three of the past four seasons and scored a career-high 22 goals in 2025-26. He’ll almost certainly be moved before the deadline.

Another likely candidate to be moved is Zach Whitecloud, who also fits in the “hottest commodities” section. Whitecloud is your prototypical third-pair, shut-down defenceman that shoots right-handed, something that many contending teams will need. He’s set to become a free agent following the 2027-28 season, meaning a team trading for him will get two playoff runs. Whitecloud is a Stanley Cup champion and carries a cap hit of $2.75 million.

There are three other unrestricted free agents, all of which fit in the “First come, first serve” category. Ryan Strome was acquired ahead of the 2026 trade deadline and has been productive in his time in Calgary. Maxim Tsyplakov was acquired alongside Šimon Nemec this summer and even picked up his first assist last week. Joel Hanley also is a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, and the Flames would be wise to acquire anything they can for these three players.

Connor Zary is another player listed in the “First come, first serve” category. Selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Zary was recently waived and went unclaimed due to his contract that has a cap hit of $3.775 million over the next two years. He’s a good candidate to be traded, but the money has to work. Brayden Pachal was also waived and is listed in the “first come, first serve” category.

Moving to the player unlikely to be traded, the article fits captain Mikael Backlund and Jonathan Huberdeau in the “nothing’s impossible” category. Backlund is still productive, but rebuilding teams still need leadership, and trading the longest-tenured player on the team is only worth it if they get a haul.

Huberdeau underwent hip resurfacing surgery last season, a notoriously difficult injury to return from successfully. If he bucks the trend and returns to his level of play he’s had with the Flames, they’d still need to move his long-term deal with a cap hit of $10.5 million. It’s pretty clear why Huberdeau was listed in this category.

As for the players in the “maybe next year” category, Joel Farabee is a good candidate to be moved ahead of the 2028 trade deadline. Acquired alongside Frost on Jan. 31, 2025, Farabee still has a year left on his contract and carries a cap hit of $5 million. Perhaps if a team is looking for some middle-six scoring, he could be moved.

Devin Cooley is also listed in the “maybe next year” category, as the Flames have a full-time starter in Dustin Wolf. They also have a handful of netminding prospects chomping at the bit, such as Kirill Zarubin and Arsenii Sergeev. He wouldn’t be a bad addition to a contender, especially if he can play like he did in 2025-26.

Lastly, there are four players in the “maybe in a few years” category, Martin Pospíšil, Adam Klapka, Yegor Sharangovich, and Jake Middleton. Of the four, Middleton is the most likely candidate to be moved, as he was acquired to make the money work. The veteran carries a cap hit of $4.35 million and doesn’t become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2028-29 season.

Sharangovich is also on a long-time contract with a significant cap hit, earning $5.75 million annually. Like Middleton, that number may be too much for a contending team to take in, especially since the Belarusian’s production has waned significantly from his 31-goal, 59-point season in 2023-24. He’s scored just 17 and 15 goals in the past two seasons respectively.

The jury is still out for Pospíšil and Klapka. Both players are in their mid-20s and both players are a physical bottom six presence with a scoring touch. They could be staples in the bottom six when the Flames become contenders, or they could be moved if a good trade comes along.

Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFO Calgary, DFO Edmonton, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.

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