16 former Calgary Flames players are unrestricted free agents this summer

With the 2025-26 season officially complete, all 32 NHL teams are now turning their attention to the draft and free agency.

For the Calgary Flames, their focus will be heavily on the draft, as they own eight picks in the first round. Free agency won’t be as big a priority for them, given their rebuilding timeline, though they could poke around for a good value contract or two.

While the Flames may not be a particularly busy team in free agency, the organization does have plenty of alumni who have their calendars circled for July 1. In fact, there is a total of 16 former Flames who appear set to hit the free agent market.

Here’s a look at all 16:

Rasmus Andersson (Vegas Golden Knights)

• Position: RHD
• Age: 29
• 2025-26 stats: 81 GP, 17 G, 30 A, 47 PTS
• Last cap hit: $4.55 million

Rasmus Andersson struggled to fit in with the Vegas Golden Knights after being acquired from the Flames in January. Still, the trade allowed him to go on a lengthy playoff run and appear in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in his career.

Andersson is currently without a deal in place for next season, though there have been reports suggesting an extension is close with the Golden Knights. Despite his struggles to close out the 2025-26 campaign, it should still be quite the ticket.

Andrei Kuzmenko (LA Kings)

• Position: LW/RW
• Age: 30
• 2025-26 stats: 52 GP, 13 G, 12 A, 25 PTS
• Last cap hit: $4.3 million

Andrei Kuzmenko continued the trend this season, where he started strong with his new team only to fizzle out in year two. The LA Kings and their fan base had a firsthand view of it this season.

After a strong start with the Kings late in the 2024-25 season, Kuzmenko was back to being a very frustrating player in 2025-26. He’s got the skill to produce, but the inconsistencies in his game make him a difficult player to count on.

Anthony Mantha (Pittsburgh Penguins)

• Position: LW/RW
• Age: 31
• 2025-26 stats: 81 GP, 33 G, 31 A, 64 PTS
• Last cap hit: $2.5 million

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Anthony Mantha signed a one-year, show-me deal with the Flames. He appeared in just 13 games before suffering a season-ending injury. That forced him to sign another one-year deal, this time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This time around, he had the best season of his career.

This is great news for Mantha, who has set himself up for a nice payday this offseason. That won’t make Flames fans feel any better, as they are well aware they could have gotten a nice return for him at the 2025 trade deadline if he’d had similar success.

Erik Gudbranson (Columbus Blue Jackets)

• Position: RHD
• Age: 34
• 2025-26 stats: 37 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS
• Last cap hit: $4 million

Has it really already been four years since Erik Gudbranson left the Flames to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets? Time sure does fly.

Gudbranson, who is now 34, is probably thinking the same about his career. The 2010 third-overall pick has now played for eight teams over his 842 games, and may wind up signing with a ninth organization this summer.

A.J. Greer (Florida Panthers)

• Position: LW
• Age: 29
• 2025-26 stats: 78 GP, 17 G, 15 A, 32 PTS
• Last cap hit: $850,000

Injuries to key players meant other Florida Panthers had the opportunity to play bigger minutes, and A.J. Greer made the most of it. The 29-year-old surpassed both the 20- and 30- point mark for the first time in his career, and was just three goals shy of 20 on the season. He’s set himself up for a nice raise this summer.

Kevin Rooney (Utah Mammoth)

• Position: C
• Age: 33
• 2025-26 stats: 1 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 PT
• Last cap hit: $775,000

The 2025-26 season was a frustrating one for Kevin Rooney. After suiting up for 70 games with the Flames in 2024-25, he managed to get in just one NHL game this season, spending the rest of his time in the AHL. This coming season could be the 33-year-old’s final shot to prove he can still be an everyday NHLer.

Cam Talbot (Detroit Red Wings)

• Position: G
• Age: 38
• 2025-26 stats: 34 GP, 3.19 GAA, 883 SV%
• Last cap hit: $2.5 million

It’s been quite the run for the undrafted Cam Talbot, who has logged 567 games at the NHL level while earning nearly $40 million to this point in his career. That said, the writing may be on the wall.

Talbot has always been a very underrated NHL goalie, but Father Time catches everyone, and his stats this past season are concerning. It remains to be seen whether a team will give him an opportunity to continue his career.

David Rittich (New York Islanders)

• Position: G
• Age: 33
• 2025-26 stats: 30 GP, 2.76 GAA, .894 SV%
• Last cap hit: $1 million

David Rittich is far from a top-tier goalie, but he’s been able to carve out a decent career in mainly a back-up role. He continued with that this past season, serving as a relatively steady presence behind New York Islanders starter Ilya Sorokin. If the Isles don’t re-sign him, there should be interest from a few other teams.

Troy Stecher (Toronto Maple Leafs)

• Position: RHD
• Age: 32
• 2025-26 stats: 64 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 PTS
• Last cap hit: $787,500

After struggling to get into the lineup with the Edmonton Oilers to start the season, Troy Stecher became a massive part of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ back end down the stretch. The 32-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Leafs this past November.

Stecher wound up averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time in 58 games with the Leafs, and was widely recognized for his solid play. He hasn’t just extended his career with the impressive season, but is in line for a higher salary, as well.

Calle Jarnkrok (Toronto Maple Leafs)

• Position: C
• Age: 34
• 2025-26 stats: 56 GP, 6 G, 2 A, 8 PTS
• Last cap hit: $2.1 million

A solid middle-six forward for years with the Nashville Predators, injuries have severely impacted Calle Jarnkrok’s effectiveness. The Maple Leafs won’t be sad to rid themselves of him, and there’s a strong chance all other 31 teams across the league pass on him.

Travis Hamonic (Detroit Red Wings)

• Position: RHD
• Age: 35
• 2025-26 stats: 26 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS
• Last cap hit: $1 million

It feels as though Travis Hamonic’s career has been hanging on a thread for several years, but credit to him: he’s found a way to keep extending it. The motivation to carry on is presumably still there on his end, as he’s just 74 games away from 1,000 in his career.

Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oilers)

• Position: C
• Age: 31
• 2025-26 stats: 45 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS
• Last cap hit: $775,000

Despite hitting 20 points on just two occasions, Curtis Lazar has carved out a 617-game career.

Lazar’s biggest assets are his hockey smarts and overall compete level. While he’s not going to bring much offence, he’s a player coaches trust, and gives cap-strapped teams a cheap option to plug into the lineup. Don’t be surprised to see him earn another deal for the 2026-27 campaign.

Brett Kulak (Colorado Avalanche)

• Position: LHD
• Age: 32
• 2025-26 stats: 83 GP, 1 G, 11 A, 12 PTS
• Last cap hit: $2.75 million

What a chaotic season for Brett Kulak. The 32-year-old was traded not once but twice midseason, and may be finding yet another home soon, given his UFA status. Whoever adds him will be getting a very solid third-pairing defenceman who has a ton of playoff experience.

Derek Forbort (Vancouver Canucks)

• Position: LHD
• Age: 34
• 2025-26 stats: 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS
• Last cap hit: $2 million

A hip injury, which wound up requiring season-ending surgery, limited Derek Forbort to two games in 2025-26. Despite getting up there in age, this may not be the last we’ve seen of the 34-year-old, who has made it clear he hopes to play at least a few more seasons in the NHL.

Nick DeSimone (Utah Mammoth)

• Position: RHD
• Age: 31
• 2025-26 stats: 40 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 8 PTS
• Last cap hit: $800,000

Nick DeSimone logged just 27 games with the Flames, but that marked the first NHL stint of his career. Since then, he’s logged 71 more games, including a career-high 40 this season. It’s a feel-good story, and one that the 31-year-old will hope to continue in 2026-27.

Dennis Gilbert (Ottawa Senators)

• Position: LHD
• Age: 29
• 2025-26 stats: 8 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT
• Last cap hit: $875,000

This is a very similar story to DeSimone, although Dennis Gilbert had played 25 NHL games before joining the Flames organization. He was able to log 57 games over two seasons with the Flames, and has since gotten in brief NHL stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators.

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