The Calgary Flames made a minor move on the third day of free agency, bringing back a player who had spent some time in the organization a few seasons ago.
Forward Justin Kirkland was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Flames today that carries a cap hit of $775,000. It’s a relatively minor move in the grand scheme of things as Kirkland has only ever appeared in nine NHL games since being drafted in 2014.
He spent three seasons in the Flames organization, notching 83 points in 135 AHL games with the Stockton Heat, Calgary’s old affiliate.
Welcome back to #yyc!
The #Flames have signed forward Justin Kirkland to a one-year, two-way contract!
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 3, 2024
The 27-year-old was initially drafted by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft. He played three seasons with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals before leaving the Nashville organization to sign with the Flames in the summer of 2019.
He would then proceed to sign with the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes, where he would get a limited amount of NHL action. In his nine career NHL games, he has no points.
Kirkland’s addition should not be overtly exciting for Flames fans. Though he has an NHL frame, standing at 6’3″ and 183 pounds, he has not been able to translate his game to the major leagues. If anything, Kirkland could wind up as being a call-up option if the team gets into injury trouble throughout the season.
This is Calgary’s sixth signing of free agency so far, joining the likes of Anthony Mantha, Ryan Lomberg, Jake Bean, Devin Cooley, and Jonathan Apirot.
The Flames still have $21 million in projected cap space.
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