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5 Calgary Flames players that are pending unrestricted free agents

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Aug 4 2026, 5:28 pm
5 Calgary Flames players that are pending unrestricted free agents
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames could wind up being sellers once again this coming season.

The Flames were heavy sellers during the 2025-26 campaign, moving out the likes of Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri. That has continued into the offseason, with Blake Coleman being dealt to the Minnesota Wild.

Having moved out so many key veterans, the Flames are expected to struggle once again in 2026-27 as they continue to rebuild. And, while they aren’t likely to be as busy on the trade front, they do still have several players entering the final year of their respective contracts that they could look to trade for more draft picks and/or prospects.

Here’s a look at the five Flames players who are set to become UFAs after the 2026-27 season:

1. Morgan Frost

  • Age: 27
  • Cap hit: $4.375 million
  • 2025-26 stats: 82 GP, 22 G, 21 A, 43 PTS

The Flames have a big decision to make on Morgan Frost. The 27-year-old is set to enter the 2026-27 campaign as their number-one centre, giving him a great opportunity to put up points in hopes of a big contract extension.

While the Flames would love to keep him around, it’s important they don’t overpay Frost even with their lack of centre depth. Should his demands be too high, they’d be better off trading him to a playoff pretender for a solid package.

2. Ryan Strome

  • Age: 33
  • Cap hit: $5 million
  • 2025-26 stats: 52 GP, 8 G, 13 A, 21 PTS

Ryan Strome appeared to be completely rejuvenated after being traded to the Flames this past season. The veteran centre fit in seamlessly, recording five goals and 12 points in just 19 games.

flames-strome

Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

Though Strome’s cap hit isn’t ideal, his play to close out the 2025-26 campaign suggests he still has some game left. If he can produce at a similar clip through the first few months of the 2026-27 season, there could be some interest from playoff-bound teams.

3. Maxim Tsyplakov

  • Age: 27
  • Cap hit: $2.25 million
  • 2025-26 stats: 49 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 PTS

After a decent rookie season with the New York Islanders in 2024-25, Maxim Tsyplakov’s game fell off completely in 2025-26.

The 27-year-old, who split 2025-26 between the Isles and New Jersey Devils, was acquired by the Flames in the Simon Nemec deal. He’ll likely be a player that’s in and out of the lineup in 2026-27, which suggests he won’t have much, if any, value heading into next year’s trade deadline.

4. Joel Hanley

  • Age: 35
  • Cap hit: $1.75 million
  • 2025-26 stats: 68 GP, 0 G, 7 A, 7 PTS

Since arriving in Calgary late in the 2023-24 season, Joel Hanley has proven he is capable of handling a third-pairing role. The 35-year-old won’t net a massive return, but should receive some interest near the deadline from teams looking to add depth to the back end.

Flames-Hanley

Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

5. Brayden Pachal

  • Age: 26
  • Cap hit: $1.19 million
  • 2025-26 stats: 39 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 PTS

After struggling to get in the lineup in 2025-26, Brayden Pachal will need a strong training camp to crack the roster this coming season. Should he do so, he will still be in and out of the press box quite regularly, making it hard to envision any sort of interest from other teams going into the trade deadline.

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