The Calgary Flames acquired forward Blake Coleman in the summer of 2021. It was a fantastic add by General Manager Brad Treliving, who had some questionable free agency decisions in the past. Since then, Coleman has been a reliable depth forward for the organization. Not to mention, he is also a great leader who knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup.

As great as he has been, it may be time for the Flames to move on from him. The lacklustre start to the season could mean that the Flames need to trade away some older pieces.

Coleman’s contract situation

Blake Coleman has officially entered the second-to-last year of his current contract. He signed a six-year deal with the Flames back in the summer of 2021. For the most part, this has been an awesome contract. He has been a reliable depth scorer, setting a new career high in goals with 30 in the 2023–24 season. Unfortunately, last season was a rough one for Coleman, who only scored 39 points in 82 games. The fact is, his current performance does not align with the Flames’ roster or cap hit.

Per PuckPedia, the Flames are currently spending the sixth most money on their forward core. This is a massive concern considering how much this team struggles to score goals. The Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri contracts obviously take up the most cap space, but they are supposed to. Having third-line players nearly making five million a year is tough to build around. It is not like Coleman is the only one on the team who falls in that category. Guys like Joel Farabee and Yegor Sharangovich also make too much money based on their efforts.

Coleman’s contract has a 10-team approved-trade list in place. This makes the situation a little bit tougher for Craig Conroy as it limits his options, but I think some contending teams would be willing to take that contract. Losing a guy like Coleman may hurt in the short run; however, in a season where the Flames could tank for Gavin McKenna, I think moving him is a smarter move.

Too many forwards

A topic that is often discussed around the Flames fanbase is the fact that this team has too many forwards. This is a significant issue with the organization, which takes away great opportunities for the younger players. Coleman is one of the guys who takes away ice time from players like Rory Kerins, Connor Zary, Matvei Gridin, and Martin Pospisil.

The fact that Zary has spent time on the fourth line is unbelievable. He deserves top-nine minutes at minimum, and I think Kerins deserves a long-term shot at becoming an everyday NHLer. Now with Jonathan Huberdeau returning from injury, Gridin has been assigned to the Wranglers.

At the moment, the roster has too many forwards, even with Huberdeau—just returning—and Martin Pospisil on the injury reserve. What are the lines going to look like when everyone is healthy? Will the fourth line be Ryan Lomberg, Pospisil, and Zary? That line makes absolutely no sense.

The team has not been built correctly, and they desperately need to move on from some depth forwards. Mikael Backlund is definitely a name that can be drawn into this dilemma, but since he is the captain and just got extended, it makes sense to keep him around for a fourth-line centre.

Out of all the current depth forwards on the Flames, I think Coleman makes the most sense to trade. He is still a valuable player to have, and he is the exact kind of player contending teams look for at the trade deadline. Do you think the Flames should consider moving Coleman at the deadline?

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Where could Conroy trade him?

Seeing as it is so early in the season, it is tough to predict exactly where Coleman could end up. Fortunately, there were two teams I could see pursuing Coleman.

1) Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild are in a similar boat as the Flames. They have been mediocre for many years without accomplishing much. With the team extending Kirill Kaprizov, there is no doubt the franchise still wants to win. I think they could be passive buyers at the deadline, having Coleman on their list. He would fit great on their third line with Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman. That would be a certified checking line that would destroy opponents on the forecheck.

I could see the Flames looking for draft picks from Minnesota. Luckily, they have a few third and fourth-rounders Calgary could take.

2) St. Louis Blues

The other team I could see pursuing Coleman is the St. Louis Blues. They could use an upgrade from their current third-line winger, Mathieu Joseph, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Coleman would bolster the Blues’ third line alongside Brayden Schenn.

The Blues would have to shed some cap space, so a deal involving Torey Krug’s contract and some draft picks makes sense. Like the Wild, the Blues have multiple third and fourth-round picks available to acquire Coleman.

What do you think the Flames should do to solve their problem of having too many rostered forwards?

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