The complete history of Calgary Flames August trades

August is widely considered the quietest month on the NHL calendar. The season is over, the draft and free agency have passed, and at this point most teams are just waiting for training camp to get started. With that said, it doesn’t mean the Calgary Flames haven’t made some trades in August over the years.

While most of their work in August has been small, the Flames have made a couple of big-time moves this month. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at every August trade in Flames history.

August 18th, 2022

Traded Sean Monahan and a 2025 1st to MTL for Future Considerations

Ah, the Summer of Brad. A distant nightmare in Calgary. This is without a doubt one of the worst trades in modern Flames history. The team sent long-time centre Monahan along with their own 2025 first-round pick to Montreal for nothing in return. The trade was made so that the Flames could open up cap space to sign Nazem Kadri.

While the idea made sense, giving up a first-round pick that was only top-10 protected to shed one season of Monahan’s contract was a massive overpay. The trade backfired immensely, with Monahan rebounding in Montreal and netting the Canadiens a first-round pick at the 2023 trade deadline. To make matters worse, the Flames crashed and burned in 2024-25 and ended up giving Montreal the 16th overall selection.

August 20th, 2018

Traded Hunter Shinkaruk to MTL for Kerby Rychel

There wasn’t much to this deal. Two failed first-round picks playing in the AHL swapped for each other. The duo combined for two NHL games after this trade, and zero points.

August 29th, 2011

Traded Daymond Langkow to ARI for Lee Stempniak

In a bid to get younger, the Flames shipped out veteran centre Langkow for the much younger Stempniak. I’m not sure what the thought process was from Arizona here. Langkow was 35, and Stempniak was 28. Langkow ended up retiring after just one season in Arizona, while Stempniak had a solid three years in Calgary before netting them a third-round pick at the 2014 trade deadline.

August 25th, 2005

Traded Toni Lydman to BUF for a 2006 3rd (John Armstrong)

The Flames had six years without a trade in August, but 2005 was incredibly busy thanks to the NHL lockout finally ending. Lydman skated in just six playoff games for the Flames during the 2003-04 run thanks to an injury and didn’t have a place on the roster leading into the 2005-06 season. The third-round pick turned into John Armstrong, who never played a game in the NHL.

August 9th, 2005

Traded Future Considerations to COL for Philippe Sauve

The Flames also acquired 25-year-old backup goalie Philippe Sauve that August. He would post an .891 save percentage with the Flames in eight games before being traded a year later.

August 4th, 2005

Traded Chris Clark, 2007 7th (Andrew Glass) to WSH for 2006 7th (Devin DiDiomete) and 2007 6th (Jens Hellgren)

After playing all 26 games of the 2003-04 run, veteran Chris Clark was shipped to Washington for a couple late picks. Clark had a solid career with Washington, including a 30-goal, 54-point season, while also being named team captain. Both picks the Flames received never played NHL minutes.

August 26th, 2004

Traded Oleg Saprykin and Denis Gauthier to ARI for Daymond Langkow

Another major part of the 2003-04 run shipped out, as Oleg Saprykin was shipped to Arizona along with Denis Gauthier for a 29-year-old Daymond Langkow. This was a huge win for the Flames, as Langkow spent the next six years in Calgary as a staple in their top six. His 77 points in 2006-07 ended up being the best season of his career. Both Saprykin and Gauthier were out of Arizona within two seasons.

August 18th, 1999

Traded Steve Shirreffs to WSH for Benoit Gratton

This trade was basically two late 1995 draft picks swapped for each other. Shirreffs never played in the NHL, while Gratton skated in just 24 games for the Flames and was out of the league by 2004.

August 7th, 1998

Traded Rick Tabaracci to WSH for 2000 9th (Bjorn Nord)

Fun fact: the Flames acquired Rick Tabaracci in 1995, traded him in 1996, acquired him again in 1997, and then traded him again in 1998. He would end up playing just 23 games in Washington, while Bjorn Nord, taken with the 9th round pick, never played in the NHL.

August 25th, 1997

Traded Trevor Kidd, Gary Roberts to CAR for J.S. Giguere and Andrew Cassels

The only August blockbuster in franchise history came back in 1997, when the Flames traded franchise legend Gary Roberts, then 31 years old, along with starting goaltender Trevor Kidd, to Carolina in exchange for 28-year-old centre Andrew Cassels and 20-year-old blue-chip goaltending prospect J.S. Giguere

This ended up being a whiff for both sides. Roberts only spent three years in Carolina and never topped 53 points, while Kidd spent just two years with the Hurricanes before being claimed in the 1999 expansion draft.

Cassels was a bust in Calgary, spending just two seasons in town and never topping 44 points despite posting multiple 60+ point campaigns before the trade. Giguere, meanwhile, was famously shipped out of town by general manager Craig Button in 2000 for a second-round draft pick. Giguere would then go on to be one of the best goaltenders of his generation.

August 26th, 1991

Traded Paul Fenton to HFD for 1991 6th (Joel Bouchard)

The first August move in franchise history, the Flames traded veteran Paul Fenton to Hartford for a sixth-round pick. Fenton played just 60 more NHL games following the trade, while the sixth-rounder turned into Joel Bouchard, who played 126 games in Calgary before being claimed in the 1998 expansion draft.