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Lomberg's time with the Calgary Flames appears to be coming to an end

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Apr 20 2026, 4:55 pm
Lomberg's time with the Calgary Flames appears to be coming to an end
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

At the Calgary Flames’ locker room cleanout on Friday, fan favourite Ryan Lomberg made one more public plea to try and stick with the organization.

The 31-year-old, who signed a two-year deal with the Flames after winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, is set to become a UFA this summer.

“I’ve been pretty vocal about how much I love Calgary, how much I want to be a part of it, how much I love the people, the organization, all that stuff. I’ve enjoyed every day wearing the Flaming C, and I’ve been proud to be a Calgary Flame. I’m not exactly sure what the future holds, but I’m definitely thankful to be a Calgary Flame and to have been a Calgary Flame.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this from Lomberg, who has made it clear all season long that he would be more than open to signing an extension. That said, the writing has been on the wall over the last month, suggesting his time with the Flames may be coming to an end.

Lomberg, a player who brings plenty of energy and grit as a fourth liner, appeared in just two of the Flames’ final 19 games of the season. He was often the odd man out in order to give younger players such as Tyson Gross and Aydar Suniev some NHL games.

The youth movement is expected to continue in Calgary heading into 2026-27, as the organization is continuing to go through somewhat of a rebuild approach as they continue to build towards the future. That direction appears to be pushing Lomberg out of the picture, though GM Craig Conroy didn’t shut the door entirely regarding a return.

“We’ve got to take a couple days because everything is emotional. I’ll reflect and see where we think this is going. We have a lot of players under contract right now. When you have players, there needs to be room to play, too.”

Though nothing has been ruled out just yet, it’s tough to envision the Flames potentially blocking out a younger player from the roster in order to bring Lomberg back into the fold. Barring a sudden change of heart on behalf of management, it appears as though the undersized enforcer will be looking for a new home this summer.

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