The Calgary Flames’ free agent additions and subtractions for 2024.

Four days have passed since the NHL’s annual free agent bonanza began, and a lot of talk has been generated about some of the contracts that have been awarded. On July 1 alone, $1.12 billion was distributed, shattering the previous NHL record for the most money spent in a single day.

Amidst the chaos, the Calgary Flames also made some moves of their own: they re-signed star forward Yegor Sharangovich and minor league defenseman Jonathan Aspirot, in addition to adding six new players to the roster.

General manager Craig Conroy made the extremely prudent decision to use his nearly $30 million in cap space, awarding short, cheap contracts that won’t impede the process of retooling his youthful club.

But as is always the case, a few players left the Flames for other chances each season. Let’s take a closer look at each of the Flames’ most recent roster signings and subtractions without further ado.

While some major players received hundreds of millions of dollars from teams like the Nashville Predators, Conroy and the Flames opted to wait and pursue bargain acquisitions.

He awarded six contracts, as was previously mentioned. Jake Bean, a local product, was the first to sign a two-year, $3.5 million contract.

Bean just finished his third season in which he played in 72 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, tallying four goals and thirteen points. The restricted free agent became an unrestricted free agent (UFA), free to sign with any team, after the Blue Jackets decided not to qualify him.

As a reliable two-way defender, the 26-year-old should successfully replace Oliver Kylington in the second defensive pairing. He has already expressed how thrilled he is to play for the team that he grew up rooting for, and if he does well, he may end up staying on the blue line permanently.

The next player to join the Flames was 29-year-old Anthony Mantha, who signed a $3.5 million, one-year contract. He spent six seasons as a player with the Detroit Red Wings, where he was selected in the first round and finished with 95 goals and 194 points in 302 games.

After being traded to the Washington Capitals in 2021, he played poorly until 2023–2024, when he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline. In 74 games, he concluded the season with 23 goals, 44 points, and a plus-11 rating.

All of this was accomplished in a mere 14 minutes of ice time, which is his lowest career full-season average. The 6-foot-5, 234-pound power forward adds size and a superb scoring touch to the Flames’ forward line.

He has a one-year “prove it” deal, so he should be driven to perform well in order to earn a huge salary as a free agent in 2025. Conroy expressed his desire for Mantha and fellow French Canadian Jonathan Huberdeau to get along.

Ryan Lomberg, a 29-year-old Stanley Cup champion, was also signed by Conroy (two years, $4 million), returning him to his starting point. He was signed by the Flames in 2015 as an undrafted free agent, and throughout his two seasons with the team, he played in 11 games.

With 179 hits in 82 games thus far in his career, he is a very potent bottom-six energy forward that wreaks havoc on the forecheck.

In addition, they acquired 27-year-old goalie Devin Cooley to support Dustin Wolf in the crease as Dan Vladar’s health is still unknown and Jacob Markstrom was moved to the New Jersey Devils.

His two-year contract had an average NHL salary of $775,000 per year, and it was interesting to note that the first year of the pact was one-way before turning into a two-way one in the second. Conroy did some pretty smart work there since there has been a logjam in the crease lately, but it should be resolved now.

Martin Frk and Justin Kirkland, two minor league forwards, were also signed by the Flames to one-year, two-way contracts for the league minimum. Frk is an accomplished professional who has played in over 600 games across multiple leagues, including 124 NHL contests.

In juniors, he played with MacKenzie Weegar, a great defender with the Flames. Over the past eight seasons, Kirkland has skated mostly in the American Hockey League (AHL), but he has also played in nine NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes.

Ironically, he spent three seasons as a player with the Stockton Heat, the former AHL affiliate of the Flames. In2024–2025, both will undoubtedly play for the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL.

The same thing happens every offseason: individuals come and go. Professional sports teams are unique in part because no roster is ever the same as it was the previous season.

The Flames lost six players this season. Dillon Dube, who hadn’t participated since his regrettable 2018 World Juniors issue came to a head, was the first to sign with another team. To be fair, none of the NHL players in question are currently affiliated with any NHL teams.

Dube signed a contract with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Dinamo Minsk (KHL). For the Flames, who don’t want the bad press from affiliation, this is a fairly simple pill to swallow.

Dennis Gilbert, a seventh-year defenseman who played 34 games the previous season and brought a great deal of toughness and physicality to the team whenever he dressed, was a crucial element of the rotation. Sadly for the Flames, he agreed to a one-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres, his hometown team.

When A.J. Greer signed a contract with the Sunshine State, the Flames and Florida Panthers effectively traded fourth-line grinds. After being claimed off waivers by the Boston Bruins, he played 59 games for the Flames, netting 12 points and six goals in addition to three fights.

Given that Lomberg was now a member of the team, the Flames probably felt safe in letting Greer walk. Ben Jones, a top six center for the Wranglers, also left, spending the next two seasons with the Minnesota Wild.

During his two seasons on the team, the 25-year-old scored 97 points and 38 goals in 143 games. Regretfully, he was never able to play with the Flames in his time there.

Jordan Oesterle, a depth defenseman for the Flames, signed a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins, moving east. Although he was dependable when he was in the lineup, he never achieved consistency with the Flames. In addition, he skated in 30 games with the Wranglers and 22 NHL games.

Colton Poolman, a minor-league rearguard who was supposed to join Gilbert in the Sabres organization, also departed for better opportunities.

He spent two seasons as a player with the Stockton Heat and two seasons with the Wranglers in the AHL with the Flames. It’s likely that management felt comfortable letting some of the older defensemen go because there are so many more prospects in the pipeline.

The final Flames UFA is the previously mentioned fan favorite Kylington, who made a remarkable recovery from a year-and-a-half away from hockey due to mental health concerns.

The 27-year-old scored three goals and finished with eight points in 33 games for the Flames. On Kylington’s return, Conroy said in a recent interview that the “door’s probably closed.”

Many Flames supporters would be hurt by this because they were hoped that he would keep using his strong play to help people who were dealing with mental health problems.

In the end, Conroy and the team have performed admirably over the first three days of free agency. Many general managers, both experienced and novice, move too quickly and wind up awarding contracts that are excessively costly, excessively drawn out, or both.

Not one of the six newcomers received a contract longer than two years, and none of them had an average yearly worth greater than $3.5 million.

Conroy has almost $21 million in cap space right now, but he still has a couple restricted free agents of his own to sign. Expect further actions in the near future, including trades or signings that result in the Flames acquiring dead money or terrible contracts in return for players.