Calgary Flames' 2024 Free Additions & Releases – Hockey Writers – Flames Deals

It's four days into the annual NHL free agent frenzy, and there's a lot of noise surrounding some of the contracts that have been offered. A whopping $1.12 billion was awarded on July 1 alone, breaking the NHL's previous record for the most money spent in a day. The Calgary Flames made a big move of their own: signing six new players to add to the roster in addition to re-signing star forward Yegor Sharangovich and minor league defenseman Jonathan Aspirot. General manager Craig Conroy has chosen to use his nearly $30 million in cap space very wisely, offering short, affordable contracts that won't interfere with his young team's roster. However, like every season, other players have left the Flames for different opportunities. Without further ado, let's take a deeper look at these latest additions and releases to the Flames roster.

Add-ons: Short Term, High Value

Despite teams like the Nashville Predators offering hundreds of millions of dollars to other big names, Conroy and the Flames chose to remain patient and look for value signings instead. As mentioned earlier, he awarded six contracts. First up was homegrown Jake Bean, who signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract. Bean will be coming off his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets where he scored four goals and 13 points in 72 games. The Blue Jackets chose not to be eligible for restricted free agency, resulting in him becoming an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and thus free to sign with any team. The 26-year-old is a solid two-way defenseman who should replace Oliver Kylington on the defensive second pairing. He has said that he enjoyed playing for his favorite club growing up, and he could become a permanent member of the team if he does well.

The Flames' next signing was 29-year-old Anthony Mantha, who signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract. He was a first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings and played with them for six seasons of his career, scoring 95 goals and 194 points in 302 games. He was sent to the Washington Capitals in 2021 and his play declined until 2023-24, leading to his trade at the deadline to the Vegas Golden Knights. He finished the season with 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games to go along with a plus-11 average. All of this was done in just over 14 minutes, the lowest full-season average of his career. The power forward brings size (6-foot-5, 234 pounds) to the Flames' forward core and excellent scoring touch. He should be highly motivated to work out his one-year “prove it” deal in order to earn big money as a free agent in 2025. Conroy said his hope is for Mantha to develop chemistry with fellow French-Canadian Jonathan Huberdeau.

Conroy also snapped up recent Stanley Cup champion Ryan Lomberg (two years, $4 million), sending the 29-year-old back to square one. The Flames signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2015 and he suited up for 11 games in two seasons with the franchise. He is the most efficient sixth baseman, registering 179 hits in 82 games so far in his career and causing damage in the neck. They also signed 27-year-old goaltender Devin Cooley to help shore up the crease with Dustin Wolf as the health of Dan Vladar is uncertain and Jacob Markstrom was traded to the New Jersey Devils. His deal was for two years, with an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level and interestingly one-way in the first year before switching to both in the second year. That's a useful job for Conroy as the logjam at the crease has been a problem of late, but it shouldn't be anymore.

Related: Dustin Wolf's Next Contract Project With Calgary Flames

The Flames also signed minor leaguers Justin Kirkland and Martin Frk to one-year, two-year minimum league deals. Frk is a seasoned professional, with over 600 games of experience in various leagues including 124 NHL games. He played with Flames star linebacker MacKenzie Weegar as a kid. Kirkland has skated in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the past eight seasons but logged nine NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes. Thankfully, he played three seasons with the Flames' former AHL team, the Stockton Heat. Both will play with the AHL's Calgary Wranglers in 2024-25.

Extraction: Some Painful, Some Easy

Every season is the same: people come and people go. No roster will ever be the same as last year, which is part of what makes professional sports teams special. This year, the Flames lost six players. The first to sign elsewhere is Dillon Dube, who has not played since his 2018 World Juniors scandal culminated. In fact, none of the NHL players involved are part of NHL franchises, and rightfully so. Dube signed with Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). This is an easy pill to swallow for the Flames, who don't want to be talked down about in the association. Seventh defenseman Dennis Gilbert was a key member of the rotation, playing in 34 games last season and providing toughness and physicality whenever he suited up. Unfortunately for the Flames, he signed with his hometown team, the Buffalo Sabres, on a one-year contract.

The Flames and Florida Panthers are essentially swapping fourth-line grinders, as AJ Greer signs from the Sunshine State. He was released on waivers by the Boston Bruins and continued to play 59 games with the Flames, scoring six goals and 12 points in three starts. The Flames may feel comfortable letting Greer go with Lomberg now in the fold. Wranglers senior center Ben Jones also left, signing with the Minnesota Wild for the next two seasons. The 25-year-old played the last two years with the club, scoring 38 goals and 97 points in 143 games. Sadly, he didn't get a chance to play with the Flames during his time. Another Flames defenseman who signed elsewhere as Jordan Oesterle headed east joined the Boston Bruins on a two-year contract. He didn't find consistency with the Flames but was active every time he was on the roster. He has whistled in 22 NHL games and 30 for the Wranglers.

Minor league pitcher Colton Poolman has also left for greener pastures as he will join Gilbert in the Sabers organization. He played four years with the Flames AHL teams; two with the then Stockton Heat, and two with the Wranglers. Due to the large number of defensemen who would be there, it probably made the administration comfortable with allowing the seniors to move on. The final Flames UFA mentioned above is fan favorite Kylington, who made an encouraging comeback after spending a year and a half away from hockey to deal with mental health issues. The 27-year-old played in 33 games for the Flames, scoring three times and eight points. Conroy said in a recent interview that “the door is closed” on Kylington's return. This will come as a shock to many Flames fans, as they were hoping to continue watching him have a positive impact on those struggling with mental health through his strong play.

Ultimately, Conroy and company did a great job in the first three days of free agency. Most general managers, old and new, pull the trigger too quickly and end up offering contracts that are too long, too expensive, or both. None of the six additions received deals for more than two years, and none had a peak annual salary of more than $3.5 million. Conroy still has a few of his restricted players to sign, but currently has more than $21 million in cap space available. Look for other moves to come, whether it's signings or trades that see the Flames take on bad contracts or dead money to acquire assets.