Flames News & Rumors: Wolf, Andersson, Pospisil & More

Wolf was exceptional for the Flames this season, but happened to be going up against a 21-year-old defenceman in Hutson, who put up 66 points. The Flames’ netminder impressed nonetheless, finishing with a 2.64 goals-against average (GAA) along with a .910 save percentage (SV%) in 53 appearances. The strong rookie campaign was enough to see him named to the NHL’s All-Rookie team last week.

Andersson Continuing to Be Discussed in Potential Trades

It’s no longer if Andersson gets traded, but when. The Flames are in no rush to move the 28-year-old blueliner, as he has one more year remaining on his contract. That said, it’s become quite evident that the two sides won’t be working on a long-term extension, meaning that a trade is inevitable at some point.

Andersson could get moved as soon as the draft in late June, or could be held onto all the way up until the 2026 Trade Deadline. Hanging on to him would have some benefit, as it could allow him to have a rebound season after what was a rough go in the 2024-25 campaign. Either way, the Flames figure to get a good return for the top-four defenceman who excels at both ends of the ice.

Pospisil Named to Slovakia’s Olympic Roster

Teams are beginning to name the first six players of their respective rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and Pospisil was one of those select few who got the call. The 25-year-old was named to Slovakia’s roster alongside Juraj Slafkovsky, Tomas Tatar, Erik Cernak, Simon Nemec, and Martin Fehervary.

Pospisil is coming off of his second NHL season, one in which he scored four goals and 25 points in 81 outings. He brings a ton of speed, which will be of value on the Olympic-sized ice, and also figures to be one of the most physically intimidating forwards in the tournament. Though his 2024-25 season was somewhat disappointing, this is the type of tournament where he could wind up having a massive impact thanks to the intangibles he brings.

Hanlon Named to Flames’ Hockey Operations Staff

The Flames announced on Monday morning that Hanlon will be the team’s new assistant GM. The name will ring a bell to many Flames fans, as Hanlon has served as the vice president of communications with the organization for nearly 30 years.

“Peter will be involved in all areas of hockey operations including player evaluation, player recruitment and strategic planning,” GM Craig Conroy said. “Together with assistant GMs Dave Nonis and Brad Pascall, Peter will help us pursue our goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Calgary.”

Hanlon will begin his new role on July 1. While it is a big shift in roles, he knows the organization and everybody in it very well given how long he has been around. It will be interesting to monitor how he fares in his new role as he looks to assist Conroy and the rest of the Flames’ hockey operations staff in a much different way.

Looking Ahead for the Flames

While the Andersson talk continues to be the biggest storyline for the Flames, there are also questions relating to the future of Dan Vladar, who is also set to become a free agent this offseason. There are also still some restricted free agents needing to be signed in Morgan Frost, Connor Zary, and Kevin Bahl.