The Calgary Flames nearly made the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They had a very solid season with some promising signs. Jonathan Huberdeau showed some life after a brutal start to his Calgary tenure. Nazem Kadri bounced back to score 35 goals. And Dustin Wolf emerged as one of the best young goalies in the NHL.
The Flames entered NHL Free Agency hoping to add to their roster. Calgary has a realistic chance of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026. Especially if Huberdeau, Kadri, and Wolf can take another step next season. Calgary has a chance to make some noise in the Western Conference Wild Card race.
However, the team was quiet over the course of the summer. The Flames signed Ivan Prosvetov to replace the departing Dan Vladar. Calgary also re-signed Morgan Frost on a two-year contract. He came over from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade around the deadline in March. Outside of these moves, though, the Flames were relatively quiet.
Calgary is not pressed to make a substantial move at this time. Still, there are certainly moves they could have made over the course of the offseason. There is still some time for this team to make another addition to the roster. However, the offseason is largely over, and with this in mind, here is one move the Flames should have made this summer.
Flames could use another winger up the lineup
The Flames have a solid foundation already in place. Their top two centers are fine enough, with Kadri anchoring the top line and Mikael Backlund manning the second line. They could use an upgrade here, but it's not as dire as some other positions on the ice.
An area that could be upgraded, though, is winger. Calgary did receive encouraging performances from Huberbeau throughout this season. However, they could use another winger to support the top nine if he falls off again. Matthew Coronato had a good season, but could be due for a slump now that teams have had a good look at him.
Yegor Sharangovich bouncing back would be huge. He scored 31 goals in 2023-24, and signed a contract extension as a result of that performance. However, he scored just 17 goals in 73 games in 2024-25. There is no guarantee he finds his 30-goal form once again.
To be fair, there weren't a ton of scoring wingers available in NHL Free Agency. At least, not ones that had an interest in joining the Flames. Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser were never signing in Calgary. Names like Patrick Kane and Brad Marchand remained with their teams, as well.
Pius Suter, Andrew Mangiapane, and Jonathan Drouin were potential names who could have made sense. However, all three elected to sign elsewhere. Mangiapae, a former Flame, elected to sign with Calgary's bitter Albertan rival Edmonton Oilers in NHL Free Agency.
The Flames do still have a chance to add in this area, of course. And there remain a few intriguing names on the open market. Jack Roslovic is still on the market despite a career-best scoring season. Victor Olofsson is a name that also makes some sense for Calgary.
The Flames are hoping to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026. As things stand, they have the sort of roster that can make it. However, they may still be another move or two away from truly establishing themselves as postseason contenders.
