Friends, while much of the attention for Calgary Flames fans is squarely upon the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft, another important date looms a few days after the draft concludes: free agency.

The 2025 free agency period opens on July 1, which is just two weeks away! The Flames have recently re-signed a pair of pending restricted free agents in Matt Coronato and Adam Klapka.

But the Flames still have 20 players on expiring deals that will become free agents of various types. Here’s how things are shaping up.

Group 2 restricted free agents are eligible to sign offer sheets, but the team that holds their rights has the ability to match any offer sheet they signed.

Potential Group 2 RFAs must be tendered a qualifying offer by 3 p.m. MT on June 30 for the Flames to retain their rights. A qualifying offer is basically a boilerplate one year contract, with the structure and compensation set based on what a player’s contract was during the prior season. A player receiving a qualifying offer can simply accept it anytime before July 15.

The following potential RFAs have enough experience that they’re eligible to file for salary arbitration: Bahl, Frost, Ignatjew, Kuznetsov, Morton and Murphy. However, once a player files for salary arbitration, they are no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet.

Ignatjew has signed a two year contract with the SHL’s Linkoping HC, but the Flames can retain his NHL rights by tendering a qualifying offer.

Based on the available information, it seems likely that all potential RFAs except for Murphy receive qualifying offers. If Murphy is sent a qualifying offer and accepts it, the Flames could potentially be up against a space crunch given all the goalies they have already under contract.

Group 3 UFAs are players that are 27 or older (as of July 1), or have played seven seasons under NHL contracts, or both.

D Tyson Barrie
F Clark Bishop
F Martin Frk
D Joel Hanley
F Dryden Hunt
F Justin Kirkland
F Anthony Mantha
F Kevin Rooney
D Jarred Tinordi
G Dan Vladar

Potentially the biggest name here Dan Vladar, who the Flames like quite a bit but may be seeking a larger role elsewhere. We would guess that seeing Kirkland, Bishop, Frk and Hunt return are possibilities, particularly since all three provided really good depth and the latter three were big pieces of the Wranglers’ leadership group in 2024-25.

If you’re on an expiring contract, are 25 or older as of July 1, have played three (or more) seasons on an NHL contract, and have played fewer than 80 NHL games (for skaters, 28 for goalies), they become Group 6 UFAs.

The Flames have just one:

D Jonathan Aspirot

Between players under contract already (11) and their three RFAs, the Flames have 14 blueliners that could be playing with them or the Wranglers in 2025-26. We’re not sure there’s any space for Aspirot.