3 former Calgary Flames still looking for homes in free agency

The Calgary Flames were one of many teams who were active on July 1, the opening day of free agency.

General manager Craig Conroy wound up signing Anthony Mantha, Jake Bean, Ryan Lomberg, and Devin Cooley to short-term deals.

To no surprise, the Flames didn’t land any of the highly sought after free agents, though they were all scooped up on the first day of free agency as well. Things for the Flames, and most teams, have been quiet since, despite many players still waiting to find new homes. Here’s a look at three former Flames who have yet to put pen to paper for a new deal.

Oliver Kylington

• Age: 27
• Position: D
• Last season with Flames: 2023-24

The Oliver Kylington scenario is quite odd. After taking roughly a season and a half off to deal with mental health issues, the 27-year-old returned to the team in late January. He seemed to be very pleased with how they handled his situation, and it appeared to everyone that he would be returning in 2024-25.

Despite the Flames offering Kylington a contract, he chose to hit the market with the belief he could fetch a better deal elsewhere. That may have been a misjudgment by his camp, as he remains unsigned. A return to Calgary hasn’t been completely ruled out, though Conroy has recently said the door is closing.

Milan Lucic

• Age: 36
• Position: LW
• Last season with the Flames: 2022-23

After spending four seasons with the Flames, Milan Lucic was able to return to the Boston Bruins last summer on a one-year deal. It didn’t go as planned, as he suited up for just four games due to an alleged domestic incident with his wife.

Lucic’s play has dramatically declined since his prime years with the Bruins. That, paired with his off-ice incident last season, will make it very tough for him to find a new home.

Tyler Pitlick

• Age: 32
• Position: C
• Last season with the Flames: 2021-22

It’s entirely valid if you forgot that Tyler Pitlick played for the Flames. Calgary picked him up in a trade with the Seattle Kraken ahead of the 2021-22 season, but he played in just 25 games before being dealt to the Montreal Canadiens in a deal that saw Tyler Toffoli go the other way.

Pitlick wound up splitting the 2023-24 season between the New York Rangers and their AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. He’ll likely need to settle for a league minimum deal at best this summer or perhaps look to go overseas to continue his playing career.

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