The Calgary Flames are in a great spot right now. While they aren’t close to competing for a Stanley Cup, they are slowly building this thing from the ground up. They already have several great prospects in the system, and were able to add two more at the 2025 NHL Draft in Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter.
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The Flames also have a ton of cap space, as PuckPedia currently has them $19.8 million below the league maximum. They do still have two restricted free agents (RFAs) to lock up in Connor Zary and Morgan Frost, though those two won’t take up anywhere close to that remaining money. They may look to take a big swing in free agency, or perhaps go for more depth moves realizing there is still some time to go before they are ready to compete. With that said, here are six free agents they may look to target once things kick off on July 1.
Aaron Ekblad
Speaking of swinging for the fences, one player the Flames may look to target is Aaron Ekblad. The 29-year-old may still wind up returning to the Florida Panthers, though he would need to take a significant discount to do so. If he instead hopes to cash in big, few teams could give him more money than the Flames.
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
The Flames could use an upgrade on the right side with Rasmus Andersson expected to be traded between now and the 2026 Trade Deadline. While some fans may prefer to leave room open for young up-and-comers such as Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz, Ekblad would immediately give them a great right-shot option behind, or perhaps ahead, of MacKenzie Weegar.
Jack Roslovic
The Flames’ biggest goal for some time now has been to improve down the middle. That was proven by the fact they selected two centres in the first round of the 2025 Draft, though neither Raschny nor Potter are sure things. While a true number-one centre isn’t on the market this summer, there are some who could help in the short term.
One such player is Jack Roslovic. The 28-year-old boasts a ton of skill, but hasn’t been able to put up the numbers many expected, due in large part to limited opportunity. That said, he’s still put together some solid numbers throughout his career, and is coming off a season which saw him score 22 goals and 39 points in 81 games with the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s projected to sign a three-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.09 million, which the Flames would have no issue affording.
Ryan Lindgren
Another defenceman who is sure to get plenty of interest on the open market this summer is Ryan Lindgren. The 27-year-old is slightly undersized for a defenceman at 6-foot, 194 pounds, but plays a relentless style which has helped him overcome his small stature.
Ryan Lindgren, Colorado Avalanche (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)
Lindgren would give the Flames a reliable left-hand option alongside Kevin Bahl. There aren’t a whole lot of other options in the organization, which may make targeting a left-hand defenceman such as Lindgren a worthy option to consider. He’s projected to sign a three-year deal with a cap hit of roughly $4.03 million.
Christian Dvorak
Another centre option the Flames could look to add this summer is Christian Dvorak. It’s a player the Flames have been linked to in the past, though his prior $4.45 million cap hit likely scared them, and a number of other teams, off. He will be signed for much less this time around, and could be a decent fit with the Flames.
Dvorak is a middle-six centre who is strong defensively and can produce decent offensive numbers. In 82 games with the Montreal Canadiens this past season, he scored 12 goals and 33 points. It marked the sixth time in his career posting north of 30 points, which is intriguing for a Flames team who struggled to score this past season. Should he sign for the two-year deal with an AAV of $1.77 million as projected, the Flames should be all over him.
Luke Kunin
While certainly the least intriguing of the three centres on this list, Luke Kunin could garner some interest from the Flames’ brass this offseason. He has transitioned into a solid bottom-six forward in recent seasons, but may be capable of putting up better offensive numbers with a bigger opportunity.
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The 27-year-old was selected 15th overall in 2016, and was expected to be a decent producer offensively. He showed some promise early in his career, putting up 15 goals and 31 points in 63 games during the 2019-20 season with the Minnesota Wild. It may be worth taking a flyer on him given that he’s projected to sign a two-year deal with a cap hit of just $1.78 million.
Anton Forsberg
One position the Flames will need to target this offseason is goaltending. While Dustin Wolf is locked in as the starting goalie for the long-term future, it looks like they will need to find him a new backup, as Dan Vladar is expected to test free agency in hopes of finding more playing time.
Anton Forsberg, Ottawa Senators (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Should Vladar indeed depart, the Flames could look to replace him via free agency, and one name that would make plenty of sense is Anton Forsberg. The 32-year-old has been a middle-tier backup throughout his 190-game career, and is projected to have a cap hit of only $1.7 million on his next deal. That is a very cheap option considering Vladar was on a $2.2 million cap hit the past two seasons.
Flames Are a Team to Monitor
While they won’t be in the running for players like Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers, the Flames are certainly a team to keep an eye on in free agency. Their abundance of cap space makes them a strong suitor to land many players who are available, and if they are hoping to build off of a strong 2024-25 season, they could wind up being bigger players in free agency than many anticipate.
