One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2024-25 season for the Calgary Flames was how will the defence hold up.

The only sure bets on the blue line were MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson. There was a lot of uncertainty outside of those two players.

Luckily for the Flames, two players have emerged and played above expectations.

Kevin Bahl has turned into a legit top four defender in the NHL. His mix of size, skating, reach, and physicality has turned him into a player that the Flames are going to want to keep around for a long time.

Joel Hanley went from being the 8th defenceman on the Flames depth chart to playing on the top pairing with MacKenzie Weegar. His rise up the Flames depth chart is one of the great stories of this season.

Craig Conroy has some big decisions to make as we inch our way closer to the off-season. One of the biggest ones will be what should he do with his defence core?

First and foremost, Conroy has to decide what to do with Rasmus Andersson. The veteran defenceman is only one year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent. The Flames will either need to sign him, or trade him between now and the 2026 trade deadline.

Publicly, the Flames have been very vocal about their intentions to sign the Swedish defenceman to a long term contract extension. That deal would kick in when Andersson turns 30.

It’s going to be fascinating to see what kind of AAV Andersson will be looking for. He has had a very disappointing season for his standards. Andersson is on track to have the worst single season plus/minus in Calgary Flames history. He’s currently minus-33, which is tied for 4th-last in the NHL.

The Flames have been outscored 57-41 with Andersson on the ice at 5v5 this season.

He’s on pace for only 32 points. That’s his worst points per game output since is sophomore campaign in 2019-20.

Will his poor season bring down the AAV and term to a reasonable number? Or will Andersson be looking for a major pay raise on an eight year contract?

Then there is pending UFA Joel Hanley who has come out of nowhere and joined MacKenzie Weegar on the Flames top defence pairing. Hanley has set a career high in average ice time and games played. He has some of the best underlying numbers on the team as he is above 50% in all major shot metrics.

On top of that he’s been an important addition to the leadership group according to people around the Flames locker room on a daily basis. That is the kind of guy the Flames are going to want to keep around if they’re able to come together on a reasonable contract extension.

Kevin Bahl is a restricted free agent this summer. Should the Flames sign Bahl to a two or three year bridge contract? Or should they sign him to a long term contract extension? The Flames will re-sign him, but it’s unclear what direction they will go.

Then there are the depth pieces on the Flames blueline: Jake Bean, Brayden Pachal, and Daniil Miromanov are all signed for next season.

But Conroy can’t bring them all back based off what we’ve seen from them this season.

It’s in the Flame best interest to explore trades for the likes of Bean and Miromanov, even if it’s for future considerations or a minor league player. If they aren’t able to find a suitor for those two, then putting them on waivers would be the next logical step.

Conroy needs to find room to put young players in the lineup. Zayne Parekh is not eligible to play in the AHL next season. And he’s too good for the OHL. The best option might be to have him with the big club.

Yan Kuznetsov, Ilya Solovyov, Hunter Brzustewicz and Artem Grushnikov are all going to want a legit shot to make the NHL roster.

And then there is the idea of the Flames making a trade or signing a free agent. Do they make a play for Bowen Byram? Will they sign a free agent like Vladislav Gavrikov, Ryan Lindgren or Dmitry Orlov?

The Flames have a lot of options to weigh when it comes to their blueline. It is going to be fascinating to see how it all plays out.

Signed: MacKenzie Weegar, Rasmus Andersson, Jake Bean, Brayden Pachal, Daniil Miromanov

UFA: Joel Hanley

RFA: Kevin Bahl, Yan Kuznetsov, Jeremie Poirier

Prospects: Zayne Parekh, Ilya Solovyov, Hunter Brzustewicz, Artem Grushnikov