@RyanNPike @FlamesNation Mailbag question. When news broke that Hurting was signed to an ELC for 990k, I thought it was an April Fool's joke. I like the player and signing, but what am I missing that justifies that AAV? I was expecting it to start with a 7 or even a 6.
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FlamesNation Mailbag: Onto the off-season!
Photo credit: Mike Gould
Friends, the 2025-26 Calgary Flames is complete. They missed the Stanley Cup playoffs (boo), but do appear to have decided to accelerate their youth movement by moving some established veterans (yay).
As we begin the march to May 5’s NHL Draft Lottery and the 2026 NHL Draft at the end of June, let’s dive into the mailbag!
The salary cap has gone up considerably after a few years of being largely flat and so in the new CBA extension, both rookie maximums and league minimum salaries have grown considerably. Fun fact: league minimum in 2026-27 will be $850,000, and it’ll grow to $1 million by 2029-30.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
Hi Ryan! My biggest question is who is most likely to steal a job on the Flames? With a lot of guys out on injury right now, who from the Wranglers or currently on the Flames in relief could be a full-timer next season, and who could they be replacing?
In terms of guys who are not full-time NHLers right now, I will point to Tyson Gross. He really impressed me with how he used his size, speed and skill. And considering the Flames’ fourth line has been a bit clunky over the past few seasons, basically filled with guys that didn’t fit on the top three lines, having someone like Gross on it could go a long way towards adding pace to the Flames’ team game.
Hi Ryan, who do the Flames pick if they get 3rd overall?
Should the flames draft a defenseman if they don’t pick 1 or 2 or should they trade back and draft a forward?
The Flames will enter the draft lottery with the fourth overall pick, so I’ll default to answering “Who will the Flames pick if they draft fourth overall?” My guess is a bit of a cop-out, but “best player available.”
If either of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, the best forwards, fall to fourth overall, you take them and don’t look back. And I don’t think you necessarily shy away from taking a defender because you want the best possible player as both an asset to develop and/or trade… or as someone to play on your team. If they’re good enough, you can make room for them.
I, personally, have really started to dig into Alberts Smits, Latvian Olympian, and WHLer Carson Carels as possible blueline picks early in the first round and have liked what I’ve read so far.
Hi Ryan. Curious to see what you think happens with the defensive depth with the kids that have been signed recently. Obviously there are going to be some AHL (and potentially NHL) players released/traded this off-season. Who do you think is going to go?
Right now, I’m kinda curious about what happens with pending restricted free agent Artem Grushnikov. He plays a pretty physical defensive style, with body checks and shot blocks galore, but that’s also meant he’s been banged up quite a bit over the past two seasons. But regardless of his physical condition, he hasn’t really moved the needle offensively since joining the Wranglers and I’m not sure what they do with him.
I do think they hold onto RFA Gavin White, since he’s a pretty steady right-shot depth option. And I’m a big fan of Nick Cicek, who’s a pending unrestricted free agent, but maybe he’ll want to go somewhere there’s a clearer path to NHL opportunities.
Hi Ryan! What do you think is next for Conner Zary? Not sure if he is getting enough opportunities or has fully recovered? Also, thanks for doing these all year. Has been really fun to talk hockey with you and others!
Man, when Connor Zary is healthy and has swagger to his game, he rules. That said, he’s had injury and consistency issues over the past few seasons, to the point where I’m not sure what he is. I don’t think his skill-set is well-suited to a fourth line role, at least with how the Flames have constructed and utilized their fourth line in recent years. But has he done enough to warrant a top nine opportunity? I’m not sure. He’s still young and has a ton of talent, but it might be time for him to get an opportunity in another organization where he might be seen with fresh eyes. (If he sticks with the Flames, would he be able to carve out a consistent top nine role?)
Not counting the upcoming draft, which current player(s) in the org/system needs to take the biggest step forward next year to impact the franchise in the most meaningful way?
Off the top of my head: aside from Zary, who we just discussed, I would say Yegor Sharangovich. Oodles of talent, but he hasn’t utilized it effectively enough on a consistent basis.
Who do you think they'll keep from the young guys, in terms of Bell and Ciona and those guys? And do you think they even have the potential to reach the NHL?
I don’t know if you can hold onto all three of Brennan Othmann, Lucas Ciona and Parker Bell with Andrew Basha coming in as a full-time AHLer in 2025-26. I think Othmann showed enough in his limited NHL look-see to stick around, and Parker Bell has carved out a niche for himself with the Wranglers as a really useful utility guy that can play centre or the wing and play all four lines. But can you justify keeping both of Ciona and Bell in the fold? I’m not sure, and that’s coming from someone that really loved their games and progression in 2024-25.
Opening night at the new rink. Who are the Flames four centremen?
On Oct. 5, 2027, when the Flames host the Edmonton Oilers on opening night at Scotia Place, the Flames’ four centres will be Mikael Backlund (who’ll take the opening face-off against Connor McDavid), Morgan Frost, Tyson Gross and Cole Reschny.
How many players stick around Calgary in the offseason?
It varies from year to year. A lot of players with young kids attending school in Calgary tend to hang around town until their classes are done, and some even hang out into the Stampede period so their families can enjoy the festivities. If the Flames have 25 players on their roster, I would estimate somewhere around 7-10 are around for most (or all) of the off-season.
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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