Checking up on where former Calgary Flames are playing in 2025–26

It’s been a quiet offseason for Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames. Heading into the 2025–26 NHL season, the lineup looks almost identical to last season. However, that hasn’t been the case in recent years. After winning their second playoff series in 18 years back in 2022, the Flames have seen a gradual exodus of nearly every player from that team over the last few years.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at where former Flames players are playing in 2025–26!

Atlantic Division, NHL

Boston Bruins

Two former key members of the Flames are suiting up for the Boston Bruins this year. Former top centre Elias Lindholm and defenceman Nikita Zadorov are entering their second season with the Bruins. The two were dealt to the Vancouver Canucks in separate deals during the 2023–24 season. After spending the balance of that season in Vancouver, both signed in Boston the following offseason.

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are home to three former Flames. Former backup goaltender Cam Talbot is back for his second season in Detroit, having been their 1A starting goalie last year. Defencemen Travis Hamonic and Erik Gustafsson will also suit up for the Red Wings. This will also be Gustafsson’s second season, while Hamonic will be making his debut in Motown.

Florida Panthers

A trio of former Flames return for the Florida Panthers. Sam Bennett is entering his fifth full season in Florida after being dealt there ahead of the 2020–21 trade deadline. Matthew Tkachuk is going into his fourth year with the team, having been traded there in the summer of 2022. Both have been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals with the Panthers and won back-to-back Cups the last two years.

A.J. Greer is going into his second season with the Panthers, having won the Stanley Cup with them last season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Former top prospect Jakob Pelletier signed a three-year pact with the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason. The Flames traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers back in January in a deal for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. Pelletier was just starting to establish himself as a full-time NHLer at the time of the trade, but he’ll have to earn it again on a Lightning team loaded with wingers.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Former Flames General Manager Brad Treliving has picked up a few former players over the years. He has also reportedly been interested in making trades to acquire more, but has been shut down by Conroy. At times, he did have former Flames defencemen Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie in Toronto. Now, it’s just Chris Tanev and Calle Jarnkrok.

This will be Jarnkrok’s fourth season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tanev’s second season. Interestingly, both players elected to sign with the Leafs as free agents.

Metropolitan Division, NHL

Carolina Hurricanes

There are two* players expected to suit up for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2025–26. Former first-round pick Mark Jankowski enters his first full season with the Hurricanes. He originally signed a two-year deal with the Nashville Predators back in 2024, but was traded to Carolina at the trade deadline last season.

*Defenceman Oliver Kylington recently signed with the Hurricanes on a professional tryout. After a breakout campaign in 2021–22, the blueliner missed much of the next two years for personal reasons. Sadly, he has since struggled to find a place in the NHL, playing 52 games for three teams over the last two seasons.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets should have three former Flames playing for them this year. Unfortunately, Johnny Gaudreau was taken from this world far too soon. His good buddy and former 2013 sixth-overall pick by the Flames, Sean Monahan, will be entering his second year with the club. His first year was a much-needed bounce-back, with 57 points in 54 games.

The other player is blueliner Erik Gudbranson. Gudbranson signed with the Jackets following the 2021–22 season, and may have had a hand in convincing Gaudreau to sign there, too.

New Jersey Devils

Two former core members of the Flames will lace up for the New Jersey Devils this season. It feels like a lifetime ago that defenceman Dougie Hamilton was a Flame. He’s entering his fifth year patrolling the Devils’ blue line after spending three years in Carolina.

Jacob Markstrom goes into his second full season with the Devils following an offseason trade in June 2024. He posted some solid numbers last season, with a 26–16–6 record—do you see what I see??—a 2.50 goals against average, and a 0.900 save percentage.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are home to just one former Flame this year. Former fan-favourite David Rittich will help Ilya Sorokin man the pipes for the Islanders. This is his first year with them after bouncing around between four teams after the Flames dealt him to the Leafs back in 2021.

New York Rangers

Once a well-regarded defenceman in the Flames’ pipeline, Connor Mackey played 19 games for the Flames before being traded to the Arizona Coyotes—now the Utah Mammoth—in 2023. He signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent on July 1 of that year and has been with the organization ever since. Mackey has only appeared in three games for the Rangers, spending most of his time with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are home to a trio of former Flames this season. After spending the last four years backing up Markstrom and then Dustin Wolf in Calgary, Dan Vladar signed with the Flyers this summer with the hopes of becoming their starting goalie.

Energy winger Garnet Hathaway enters his third year with the Flyers. He had previously spent the four years after leaving Calgary with the Washington Capitals and Bruins. Lastly, depth blueliner Dennis Gilbert also enters his first year in Philadelphia. He played 57 games across two seasons for the Flames and is now on his third team since leaving Calgary in the summer of 2024.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The only former Flame with the Pittsburgh Penguins this year is Anthony Mantha. A disappointing story, Mantha was looking good in a brief stint with the Flames last fall. Then an injury derailed his season. He and the Flames parted ways this summer, and Mantha signed a one-year deal with the Penguins.

Central Division, NHL

Minnesota Wild

A one-time Flame back in 2021–22, Tyler Pitlick inked a two-year pact with the Minnesota Wild on July 1 of this summer. The forward spent all of last season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins after splitting the year prior between the NHL and AHL.

Nashville Predators

Jordan Oesterle is the only former Flame in Nashville this season. He spent the 2023–24 season between the Flames and the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Following the season, he signed a two-year contract with the Bruins. In March of this year, the Bruins placed Oesterle on waivers, and the Predators claimed him.

St. Louis Blues

Milan Lucic is the only former Flame who might play for the St. Louis Blues this season. I say “might” because he is on a PTO with the Blues. After his time in Calgary ended following the 2022–23 season, Lucic signed a one-year deal to return to his roots with the Bruins. However, injury and personal issues limited him to just four games, and he also missed the entire 2024–25 season.

Utah Mammoth

There are a couple of former Flames manning the blue line for the Mammoth. One is former first-round pick Juuso Valimaki. A top prospect within the Flames organization for five years, Valimaki was lost to the Coyotes on waivers in October 2022. He’s been with the organization ever since, posting a career-high 34 points in 2022–23.

Nick DeSimone spent some time within the Flames organization from 2021 to 2024. He was claimed off waivers by the Devils in January 2024, and then again from the Devils by the Utah Hockey Club—now Utah Mammoth—in January 2025.

Winnipeg Jets

The lone former Flame expected to suit up for the Winnipeg Jets this year is Walker Duehr. An undrafted college free agent signing in April 2021, Duehr spent most of the next four years with the organization, accumulating 19 points in 84 NHL games. The Sharks claimed him off waivers from the Flames in January 2025, and then he signed a one-year deal with the Jets as a free agent on July 2.

Pacific Division, NHL

Edmonton Oilers

One of the Flames’ biggest rivals is home to four former Flames this coming season. Originally drafted by the Flames in 2012, defenceman Brett Kulak was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in October 2018. He spent a few years in Montreal before being dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in March 2022, where he has remained since. Kulak has featured in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals over the last two years, losing both to the Panthers.

Following a March 2024 trade from the Coyotes, blueliner Troy Stecher re-upped with the Oilers on July 1, 2024, and is entering his second full season with the team.

Andrew Mangiapane and Curtis Lazar will make their debuts for the Oilers this season. Mangiapane had spent seven years in Calgary before being traded to the Capitals in June 2024. He completed the last year of his contract in Washington, then signed a two-year deal with the Oilers on July 1 of this summer. Lazar, on the other hand, is now on his fifth team since leaving Calgary following the 2018–19 season.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings will have two former Flames this year. First is Andrei Kuzmenko, who was part of the trade that saw Lindholm dealt to the Canucks in January 2024. He was part of the Pelletier trade to Philadelphia a year later, and was flipped to the Kings just months after that at the trade deadline. Kuzmenko signed a one-year deal to return to the Kings on June 30, 2025.

Glenn Gawdin is the other player. He spent five years with the Flames organization after signing an entry-level contract in November 2017. Following the 2021–22 season, he signed a two-year pact with the Anaheim Ducks, and then, upon its expiry, a two-year pact with the Kings on July 1, 2024.

San Jose Sharks

The only former Flame expected to suit up for the San Jose Sharks is Tyler Toffoli, who is entering his second season with them. He spent parts of two seasons with the Flames—scoring 45 goals and 96 points—before being dealt to the Devils in June 2023. In March 2024, less than a year later, the Devils shipped him to Winnipeg. Toffoli inked a four-year deal with the Sharks as a free agent on July 1, 2024.

Vancouver Canucks

Defenceman Derek Forbort is the sole former Flame in Vancouver this year. His time in Calgary was brief, appearing in just seven games after being acquired in February 2020 for a fourth-round pick. He then spent a year in Winnipeg and three years in Boston before joining the Canucks on a one-year deal in July 2024. Forbort is set to appear in his second season as a Canuck after re-upping for another year back in June.

Vegas Golden Knights

There are two former Flames on the Vegas Golden Knights roster at the moment. One is defenceman Noah Hanifin, who’s entering his second full season in Vegas. He spent parts of eight years in Calgary as a major part of the Flames’ blue line following a 2018 trade from the Hurricanes. On March 6, 2024, he was shipped to Vegas, where he signed an eight-year extension just one month later.

The other player is Cole Schwindt. He was notably part of the trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers in July 2022. He spent the next couple of years in the Flames organization, appearing in just four NHL games for the Flames. Vegas claimed him off waivers in October 2024, and he appeared in 42 games for them last season. Schwindt inked a one-year deal in July to go back to Vegas for this season.

American Hockey League

Two former Flames are under an AHL contract, both with the San Diego Gulls. One is 2016 sixth-round pick Matthew Phillips. Flames fans were once very high on him after a couple highly productive AHL seasons with the Stockton Heat and Wranglers, but that hasn’t translated to NHL success.

The other is Ryan Carpenter, who played eight games for the Flames in 2022. He captained the Gulls last year and returns in the same role this season.