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The Calgary Flames have missed the playoffs three straight years now. This year, they narrowly missed out on the playoffs, which led to the expectation that they would potentially be aggressive this offseason. That has not come to fruition, though. Still, they kept around some solid pieces while also making some signings in NHL free agency.
The Flames did not lose a lot in free agency. Jonathan Aspirot would sign with the Boston Bruins, but he has been an AHL prospect that the Flames were willing to let walk. Anthony Mantha also moved on, signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played in just 13 games last year. The biggest loss in the offseason was Dan Vladar. The goaltender played in 30 games last year, going 12-11-6 with a 2.80 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. He signed with the Philadelphia Flyers this offseason.
The Flames made five signings this summer, and this is how they grade out.
The Flames extend Adam Klapka
Klapka returns to the Flames on a two-year $2.5 million deal. He was an undrafted player out of the Czech Republic, signing with the Flames on an entry-level contract in May of 2022. He would make his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season, playing six games with one goal with the Flames. Last year, he would play another 31 games at the NHL level, with six goals and four assists. Still, he showed major improvement at the end of the year.
In his last ten games of the season, his ice time grew to over 12 minutes per game. Further, he had four goals and four assists in the last ten games, while also having a plus-two plus/minus rating. The Czech forward had started slow in his AHL career until production took off for him, and that may be true for him at the NHL level as well.
This is a low-risk and high-reward signing. At a cost of just $1.25 million per year, he is taking up less than 1.5% of the salary cap space. He will also still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal. At 6-foot-8 and 236 pounds, Klapka is a physical presence on the ice, and if his offensive game keeps growing, this will be a great signing for the Flames.
Adam Klapka contract grade: A-
Kevin Bahl gets a six-year extension
Bahl will also be returning to the Flames. He signed a six-year $32.1 million extension this offseason. Bahl was the 55th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes, but would be traded to the New Jersey Devils before playing for the organization. He would break into the NHL in the 2021-22 season and grow into a solid player. In his last season in New Jersey, he played all 82 games with 17:23 of ice time per game. He scored a goal and added ten assists.
Last summer, he was traded to the Flames as part of the deal for Jacob Markstrom. The Canadian defender was a major part of the Flames' defense this past season. He was often paired on the top rotation with Rasmus Andersson. Bahl would be third among blue liners in points last year for the team, while also sitting third on the team in ice time per game.
This signing may become more important for the team as well. If the Flames move Andersson, it will be Bahl on the top line with MacKenzie Weegar. At a cost of just $5.35 million per year, locking up the young defender for six years was a great move by the franchise.
Kevin Bahl contract grade: A
Sam Morton returns on a one-year deal
Morton may not be the biggest signing by the Flames, but it may have been a solid move. He signed a one-year two-way deal worth $775,000 when he is playing with the NHL club. The American-born center would play a total of six years of college hockey, finishing up with Minnesota State before signing a deal with the Flames in March of 2024. He would be assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, playing in 13 games with five goals and two assists.
Last year, he would play almost the entire season with the Wranglers again. The center would play 70 games, scoring 20 goals with 25 assists. He would finish the season third on the team in goals and fifth in overall points. He would also play one game with the Flames, scoring his first NHL goal.
There is some promise with the soon-to-be 26-year-old prospect. His goal-scoring ability has been solid, and he has been great on the powerplay. If he can continue to develop at the AHL level, the Flames may have made a great deal here.
Sam Morton contract grade: C+
The Flames reward Morgan Frost with a two-year contract
Calgary also re-signed trade deadline acquisition Morgan Frost. The Canadian was a restricted free agent and now has a two-year deal, him an AAV of $4.375 million per year. Frost joined the team as part of the trade with the Flyers that also brought Joel Farabee to Calgary. The former first-round pick of the Flyers would score three goals with nine assists in his 32 games with the team.
The contract may be a very effective one. In his last two full seasons with Philly, he scored over 40 points in each season. He was on pace for that again before the trade sent him to Calgary, and he would end the season with just 37 points between the two teams. Still, he should be expected to return to a 40-point scorer and will also help out on the powerplay. While he is expected to be the third-line center, the cost of the contract relative to his output is solid.
Morgan Frost contract grade: B
Ivan Prosvetov heads to Calgary
After trading Markstrom last offseason, the Flames relied on Dustin Wolf and Vladar as their goaltending options this year. Wolf played in 53 games this past year, while Vladar played in 30. Still, with the latter leaving in free agency, the Flames needed to find a replacement. Prosvetov has been tabbed to be that replacement. He was drafted in 2018 by the Arizona Coyotes, and the Russian netminder would make his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season. He struggled heavily, though, and would spend the majority of the next season in the AHL again.
The Russian goaltender would end up being placed on waivers after the 2022-23 campaign and would be claimed by the Colorado Avalanche. Once again, he was solid at the AHL level, with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage, but struggled at the NHL level. In 2023-24, he had a 4-3-1 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage with the Avalanche. Last year, he would play in the KHL with CSKA Moscow, going 20-16-2 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Ultimately, the netminder has shown potential in both the AHL and KHL, and is still young. Still, there is a lot of uncertainty. With a young goalie already sitting in the starting role, this may not have been the best signing.
Ivan Prosvetov contract grade: D
Final grade on the Calgary Flames' 2025 free agency signings
The Flames just missed out on the playoffs this past year and needed to make a big move if they were going to move up in the standings next year. They have failed to do that. With the possibility that Andersson will be traded, Calgary will then have a major gap on the blue line. Further, if their 24-year-old netminder, Wolf, struggles this year in just his second full season as a starter, they do not have a solid backup option. The Flames had plenty of salary cap space, but chose not to use it. This may come back to haunt them at the end of next season.
Overall grade for the Flames' 2025 free agency Class: C+
