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The 2024 NHL Draft is one week away! The Calgary Flames are approaching that event with 33 players under contract for the coming season, and some question marks at virtually every position. After a really big period of roster change over the past 12 months, we’re still figuring out how the pieces fit together.
In advance of the chaos of the draft – and adding a bunch of young players to the reserve list – here’s a brief snapshot of the Flames’ organizational roster, broken down by position.
Goaltenders
[2 under contract]
| Name | Age | Contract Details |
| Dan Vladar | 26 | $2.2 million (one-way) |
| Waltteri Ignatjew | 24 | $870,000 (two-way) |
In the system: Arsenii Sergeev (NCAA), Yegor Yegorov (MHL), Daniil Chechelev (VHL)
Pending free agents: Dustin Wolf (RFA), Oscar Dansk
Jacob Markstrom is a New Jersey Devil, which makes the 2024-25 tandem inevitably Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar. Neither has ever been a number-one in the NHL, Vladar’s coming off major hip surgery, and current third-stringer Waltteri Ignatjew hasn’t played a game in North America. Ever. We’re expecting the Flames to add a quad-A type with NHL experience to work with Ignatjew with the Wranglers, but this will be a fascinating season between the pipes.
Defencemen
[10 under contract]
| Name [Shot] | Age | Contract Details |
| MacKenzie Weegar [R] | 30 | $6.25 million (one-way/no-trade) |
| Rasmus Andersson [R] | 27 | $4.55 million (one-way/modified no-trade) |
| Daniil Miromanov [R] | 26 | $1.25 million (one-way) |
| Kevin Bahl [L] | 23 | $1.05 million (one-way) |
| Joel Hanley [L] | 33 | $787,500 (one-way) |
| Brayden Pachal [R] | 24 | $775,000 (one-way) |
| Hunter Brzustewicz [R] | 19 | $950,000 (two-way, waiver exempt) |
| Joni Jurmo [L] | 22 | $850,000 (two-way, waiver exempt) |
| Jeremie Poirier [L] | 21 | $823,333 (two-way, waiver exempt) |
| Artem Grushnikov [L] | 21 | $814,167 (two-way, waiver exempt) |
In the system: Jake Boltmann (NCAA), Etienne Morin (QMJHL), Axel Hurtig (WHL)
Pending free agents: Nikita Okhotiuk (RFA), Yan Kuznetsov (RFA), Ilya Solovyov (RFA), Dennis Gilbert, Oliver Kylington, Jordan Oesterle, Colton Poolman, Mark Pysyk
There’s no better position to illustrate how much change the Flames have gone through over the last year than the blueline. They have 10 defenders under contract right now: seven of them weren’t with the organization a year ago. On paper, it feels like we have a set NHL group – especially so if Oliver Kylington is re-signed – but for those wondering about the farmhands getting a chance I shall say this: considering the acquisition cost for Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal was just the waiver fee, I don’t think the Flames would hold them on the NHL roster over a rookie that’s earned a shot.
Centres
[8 under contract]
| Name [Shot] | Age | Contract Details |
| Nazem Kadri [L] | 33 | $7 million (one-way/no-move) |
| Mikael Backlund [L] | 35 | $4.5 million (one-way/no-move) |
| Kevin Rooney [R] | 31 | $1.3 million (one-way) |
| Connor Zary [L] | 22 | $863,333 (two-way) |
| Clark Bishop [L] | 28 | $775,000 (two-way) |
| Sam Morton [L] | 24 | $870,000 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
| Rory Kerins [L] | 22 | $846,667 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
| Ilya Nikolaev [L] | 22 | $836,667 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
In the system: Cade Littler (USHL), Jaden Lipinski (WHL)
Pending free agents: Riley Damiani (RFA), Cole Schwindt (RFA), Ben Jones
The NHL group has three guys past their 30th birthdays, albeit guys that are pretty good in their particular roles. Beyond them… sophomore Connor Zary, who played up the middle in junior (and over the last few weeks of last season) and looked good. The AHL group is a bit lean on reinforcements, though Cole Schwindt was effective in the AHL’s stretch drive. If Zary isn’t great up the middle, we could see the Flames try out Martin Pospisil (who played up the middle at the Worlds for Slovakia) or Yegor Sharangovich (who did spot duty for the Flames as a centre in 2023-24) there instead.
Wingers
[13 under contract]
| Name [Shot] | Age | Contract Details |
| Jonathan Huberdeau [L] | 31 | $10.5 million (one-way/no-move) |
| Andrew Mangiapane [L] | 28 | $5.8 million (one-way/modified no-trade) |
| Andrei Kuzmenko [R] | 28 | $5.5 million (one-way/modified no-trade) |
| Blake Coleman [L] | 32 | $4.9 million (one-way/no-trade) |
| Yegor Sharangovich [L] | 26 | $3.1 million (one-way) |
| Martin Pospisil [L] | 24 | $1 million (one-way) |
| Walker Duehr [R] | 26 | $825,000 (one-way) |
| Dryden Hunt [L] | 28 | $775,000 (two-way) |
| Matt Coronato [R] | 21 | $925,000 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
| Samuel Honzek [L] | 19 | $918,333 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
| William Strömgren [L] | 21 | $900,833 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
| Parker Bell [L] | 20 | $857,500 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
| Lucas Ciona [L] | 21 | $830,000 (two-way/waiver exempt) |
In the system: Demetrios Koumontzis (ECHL), Aydar Suniev (NCAA)
Pending free agents: Jakob Pelletier (RFA), Adam Klapka (RFA), Dillon Dube (RFA), A.J. Greer
If you have a favourite Flames prospect, they’re probably a winger and they’re probably not going to have a clearly defined NHL role until the club figures out the futures for their three prominent pending 2025 free agents: Yegor Sharangovich, Andrei Kuzmenko and Andrew Mangiapane. As it stands, it’s unclear where the NHL opportunities will be for the likes of Jakob Pelletier, Adam Klapka, Matt Coronato, Sam Honzek or William Strömgren to begin the season – Pelletier’s newfound waiver eligibility could make this an interesting storyline for training camp.
By mid-season or the trade deadline? Who knows?
The other question with a “who knows?” answer: where are the goals going to come from?
Projected 2024-25 lineup
(Meant to illustrate how the team would look right now, without trades, but presuming that Kylington re-signs.)
Mangiapane – Backlund – Coleman
Pospisil – Kadri – Kuzmenko
Huberdeau – Zary – Sharangovich
Hunt – Rooney – Duehr
Extras: TBD
Weegar – Andersson
Kylington – Miromanov
Bahl – Pachal
Extra: Hanley
Vladar
Wolf
Don’t take these lines and pairings as gospel, but we tried to replicate what worked last season as best we could. We could see a lot of different combinations, but we also think that Bahl and Pachal could be a fun “tough minutes” shutdown pairing if given some time to gel. In terms of the forward group, we are curious if (and how) players like Pelletier or Coronato could work their way into the lineup.
And again: where are the goals going to be coming from?
What do you think of the Flames’ organizational roster right now? What do you think they need more of? Where are the holes and where are the strength areas?
More must-reads:
- Is Kirill Kaprizov worth a record-setting contract?
- Troubling update emerges about Joel Embiid’s health
- The 'NFL mascot names' quiz
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Is Kirill Kaprizov worth a record-setting contract?
All signs point to the Minnesota Wild signing All-Star winger Kirill Kaprizov to a massive extension this summer. Recent reports suggest that the Wild will likely sign Kaprizov to an eight-year, $120M contract. This deal would surpass Leon Draisaitl’s contract for the league’s highest average annual value (AAV). Still, it would fall $4M short of Alex Ovechkin’s record for the largest contract ever signed in the NHL. This raises the question: Is Kaprizov worth such a significant investment? Unfortunately, Kaprizov is coming off the worst season of his career thanks to injuries. He finished the campaign with 41 games played in the regular season, and another six in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Although he missed half the season, he scored 25 goals in 56 games, finishing third on the team in scoring and 16th in Hart Memorial Trophy voting. Finishing that high in team-scoring for a playoff team while losing half the year to injuries is a testament to Kaprizov’s value. Since joining Minnesota for the 2020-21 NHL season, he’s scored 185 goals and 386 points in 319 games, far and away the highest on the team over that stretch. Kaprizov’s contract demands ultimately come down to one equation. Assuming he’s signed to the $15M figure, Minnesota must ask if he’s worth 14.4% of their cap for the 2026-27 season, and even less throughout the subsequent years. It’s a fairly easy equation to sort through. Over the past five years, Kaprizov has been directly involved in 386 goals scored by the Wild. To understand his impact, we can analyze his point contribution to the total number of goals the entire team has scored during that period. Since Kaprizov began his career, Minnesota has scored 1,197 goals. Factoring in Kaprizov’s contributions, it’s easy to ascertain he’s been involved in 32.2% of the Wild’s goals, despite missing many games due to injuries. Given that he’s accounted for one-third of the team’s offense since coming into the league, it seems like an easy investment to make for the Wild. Unfortunately, his injuries are cause for concern, and they could become an issue throughout negotiations when agreeing to a final dollar amount. Regardless, the good news is that Minnesota appears to realize exactly what they have in Kaprizov. Their only pathway to contention runs through him, and they’re seemingly ready to recognize him financially for that. His hypothetical $15M AAV won’t last long as the league’s highest, with Connor McDavid prepared to earn more on his next contract with the Edmonton Oilers, or elsewhere. Still, although it’s not commonplace to make wingers some of the league’s highest-paid, Kaprizov is worth every penny.
'Agreement in Place' - Journalist Provides Key Update on Sunderland’s New Striker Transfer
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The cold, hard truth is that the Washington Commanders have all of the leverage in the Terry McLaurin contract standoff
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Triple H provides statement on Seth Rollins' SummerSlam appearance
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