Flames free agency target: Ryan Lindgren

Pros for the Flames

The biggest pro for the Flames regarding Lindgren would be adding depth on the left side. It’s no secret that the Flames could benefit from getting another left-shot defenceman, as Jake Bean is their current option in the top-four right now. While Joel Hanley excelled in his role, he likely won’t be back next season. Bean hasn’t exactly thrived when placed in a top-four role, so Lindgren could be a slight upgrade.

The Flames are pretty much set for the right side, as they have MacKenzie Weegar, Brayden Pachal and Daniil Miromanov, as well as Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz battling for spots. Their depth for the left side as of right now is Jake Bean, Ilya Solovyov and Yan Kuznetsov. It’s unlikely the Flames will place Solovyov in a top-four role full time, so Lindgren would be a good stopgap for added depth.

Bahl – Weegar

Lindgren – Parekh

Solovyov/Bean – Pachal/Brzustewicz

Miromanov

He’s also not going to command a whole bunch of money. He was making $4.5 million on his last deal, so the Flames would be able to meet his asking price, assuming it isn’t too outrageous.

Cons for the Flames

To be honest, I don’t see many cons when it comes to signing a player like Lindgren short-term. One con would be if the Flames sign him to too much money and term, but that seems unlikely given where they’re at.

Lindgren also was playing mostly bottom-pair minutes in Colorado, and has been known to struggle a bit when given a larger role. With that being said, fans wouldn’t necessarily expect Lindgren to come in and be a defensive specialist, especially since Calgary is rebuilding. He’s rather more of a depth add to ensure the young guys don’t have as much pressure early on.

What will Lindgren’s next contract look like?

Given Lindgren’s role and position, he will receive a significant amount of money, but it won’t be excessive. I think he gets $3.75-$ 4.25 million on the open market, likely in a short-term deal between 3 and 4 years as well.

If the Flames were to offer him a contract, it would make sense if it was around 2-3 years with an AAV around $4.25-4.5 million. Of course there’s always the chance a desperate team would offer up more cash, but this is the number that makes most sense to me if he joined the Flames.

Final thoughts

I wouldn’t hate the idea of the Flames bringing in Lindgren short-term. They need another body on the left side, and Lindgren could fulfil that role. He’s not the flashiest or most elite defender, but he’ll get the job done when needed.

I could see the Flames do what they did last offseason, where they brought in players on short-term deals to balance out their roster. The Flames will need to address the left side, and Lindgren could be a good candidate to do so.