The Calgary Flames were active on the trade front during the 2023-24. In a way, they had to be active given their situation. Multiple players were on the brink of NHL Free Agency. And with the team heading backwards, it appeared unlikely that they would retain most of them. Since last summer, the Flames have traded Nikita Zadorov, Tyler Toffoli, and Chris Tanev, among others.
Calgary entered this year's NHL Free Agency with a chance to make a splash if they wanted. They were among the league leaders in available cap space and had more than enough room on the roster to upgrade. However, they decided against making a big splash. They made more depth moves while giving a big contract to one of their own players.
The Flames could be headed for a full rebuild as the 2024-25 season begins. For now, though, let's take a look at their NHL Free Agency activity. Here is our grade for Calgary as the options on the open market have considerably thinned out since July 1.
Flames extended Yegor Sharangovich
When the Flames traded Tyler Toffoli, they took a chance on Yegor Sharangovich. Sharangovich had some success with the New Jersey Devils — notably scoring 24 goals in his sophomore season in the league. However, he took a bit of a step back in 2022-23, and that led to the Devils moving on from the Belarusian forward.
Calgary is certainly pleased with how the trade turned out. Sharangovich turned in a career-high performance this past season. He set a personal best with 31 goals and 59 points in 82 games. He saw his average ice time jump to over 17 minutes a game. Though the Flames missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Sharangovich was a major bright spot for the team.
Calgary made sure to reward the Belarusian this offseason. Sharangovich signed a five-year contract extension with the Flames before NHL Free Agency began on July 1. Sharangovich will make $5.75 million a season through the life of the contract. The extension begins on July 1, 2025, and he will have a modified no-trade clause through the life of the deal.
Calgary added Anthony Mantha, among others
In NHL Free Agency, the Flames did make a few intriguing moves. First, they added a couple of veteran wingers. Anthony Mantha had a resurgent 2023-24 campaign that saw Mantha traded from the Washington Capitals to the Vegas Golden Knights. Overall, he scored 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games. In the playoffs, he failed to score a point in three games against the Dallas Stars.
Mantha was not able to parlay this resurgent season into a multi-year deal. He instead took a one-year contract from the Flames on July 1. Mantha will earn $3.5 million this upcoming season. And he will have a modified no-trade clause, giving him some control over his future around the NHL Trade Deadline.
Mantha was not the only winger added to the team through NHL Free Agency. Ryan Lomberg joined Calgary on a two-year contract on July 1. Lomberg recently won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers this past season. He scored five goals and seven points in the regular season while failing to score a point in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Flames also added some depth to the roster in more minor moves. Calgary signed hometown kid Jake Bean to a two-year contract. Bean has not lived up to the first-round pick pedigree he entered the league with. But he could have a chance to crack the Flames roster this season. Finally, Calgary signed goalie Devan Cooley to a two-year contract.
Grading the Flames in NHL Free Agency
Yegor Sharangovich should continue as a regular presence in Calgary's top-six this season. There is some risk involved here, though. The Belarusian forward led the team in goals with 31. However, he had a rather terrible start to the 2023-24 campaign. Additionally, his 19% shooting percentage may not be sustainable moving forward. That said, if he can come close to these numbers moving forward, this is a deal Calgary can live with.
Adding Mantha to this lineup gives them another legitimate top-six forward option. While his time in Vegas did not go well, he did show in Washington that he can still produce in the NHL. He may never reach the heights he did while with the Detroit Red Wings. But Mantha is a fine player, and on a one-year contract, it's not a major risk for the Flames.
Lomberg returns to the Flames after playing his first 11 career games in Alberta. This signing makes some sense. Lomberg has shown he can be an effective bottom-six presence in the league. However, giving him two years is a bit of a risk. He had a negative wins above replacement rating this year and has reached one win above replacement just once in his career.
Lomberg has shown he can make a positive impact, though. These moves, along with the added depth from Bean and Cooley, give Calgary a respectable offseason. They didn't do anything crazy, and one could argue they didn't noticeably get better this summer. But they added players that should make them better to some extent. And these veterans can provide a lot of value for the potential rebuild ahead.
GRADE: C+
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