logo
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
The Flames have no conspicuous scratches in final game before NHL trade deadline
alt
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Ryan Pike
Mar 5, 2026, 20:52 EST
Comments
The Calgary Flames hosted the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome in both clubs’ final game before the National Hockey League’s 2026 trade deadline, which is Friday at 1 p.m. MT.
Amidst a flurry of rumours regarding several players – among them forwards Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman and Ryan Lomberg, and defencemen Zach Whitecloud, Brayden Pachal and Joel Hanley – the Flames had zero conspicuous absences during the pre-game warm-up skate and zero remarkable scratches. John Beecher was a healthy scratch, while Olli Maatta, acquired on Wednesday, was still in transit from Utah and wasn’t available to play.
The Flames have already been busy ahead of the trade deadline.
(They also have swapped AHLer Jeremie Poirier to Dallas in exchange for AHLer Gavin White, if you want to be exhaustive.)
There have been a lot of rumours regarding the futures of Kadri and Coleman with the Flames. Kadri has been said to be open to a move, preferably to a contender, while Coleman has been subject of such rumours since basically Christmas. Kadri has three years remaining after this season with a $7 million cap hit, while Coleman has a year left after this one at $4.9 million; each player’s age and cap hit have led to speculation that only one player would be able to be moved, as the Flames have just one salary retention slot available for use.
Whitecloud has also been subject of a lot of rumours, with several teams reportedly vying for the player’s services.
For what it’s worth, speaking after morning skate, Flames head coach Ryan Huska provided two pieces of lineup information.
  • On Maatta’s availability: “Not tonight, unfortunately. He’ll be flying in and arriving later tonight, and then he’ll be available for us Saturday.”
  • Asked about if Kadri or Coleman would play and if there were any lineup changes: “No lineup changes.”
The trade deadline is Friday at 1 p.m. MT.

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th, from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Editorials

Breaking News