Predicting outcomes of Flames' four pending free agents

The Calgary Flames don’t have many pending free agents heading into the summer, given that they moved most of them during the season.

General manager Craig Conroy dealt Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin in separate trades throughout the season, all of whom were on expiring contracts. That is no longer the case for Hanifin, however, as he recently signed an eight-year extension with the Vegas Golden Knights.

As a result of the moves, the Flames find themselves with just four pending free agents as the offseason approaches. AJ Greer, Oliver Kylington, and Dennis Gilbert are set to be UFAs, while Nikita Okhotiuk will be an RFA.

The Flames are set to have a ton of cap space this summer but are unlikely to maximize it given that they are still in the early stages of a retool. Instead, they will likely look to round out their roster with inexpensive signings on short-term deals.

That makes Greer a likely option to come back. The 27-year-old was scooped up off waivers from the Boston Bruins in October. He was limited to 59 games due to a gruesome foot injury but was solid in a fourth-line role when healthy. A short-term deal with a cap hit of around $1 million would make sense for both sides.

Another who is likely to return is Kylington. The 26-year-old defenceman was able to return to the lineup in January after missing the entire 2022-23 season due to personal reasons, and looked quite good given the amount of time he had missed. He has expressed his desire to return to the Flames and should be expected back on another short-term deal with a cap hit similar to the $2.5 million tag he carried this season.

For Gilbert, an extension feels less likely. The Flames will have a bit of a log jam on the blue line next season, with MacKenzie Weegar, Rasmus Andersson, Joel Hanley, Brayden Pachal, and Daniil Miromanov all locked up. Add Kylington to that, and you have six defencemen on the books, along with prospects Jeremie Poirier and Ilya Solovyov who will push for spots in training camp.

Speaking of a log jam on the back end, don’t be surprised to see Okhotiuk get a new deal and be in the mix to crack the Flames roster as well. Conroy acquired the Russian defenceman from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline. He only appeared in nine games and didn’t look particularly great when he did suit up, but is just 23 years old. Signing him to a cheap, one-year extension is a low-risk move for a player still rounding out his game.

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