- Craig Conroy says nothing about the rebuild plan changed, which is why Calgary sat out free agency again
- The Flames scored a league-worst 2.54 goals per game last season and had nobody clear 45 points
- Read below for the three questions NHL.com says will decide Calgary’s season
Calgary is running it back with the kids.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy was asked why his team barely showed up for free agency this summer, and he pointed straight at the rebuild in Derek Van Diest’s Calgary entry in NHL.com’s 32-in-32 series.
“We’ve had a plan the whole time, and it’s still the same. I told you we wouldn’t be doing much with free agency, lots of teams have jumped in, but with us and who we have on the roster, the opportunity we want to give those guys, it just made more sense to go with what we have right now.”
The Flames went 34-39-9 and finished seventh in the Pacific Division last season, a year after just missing the playoffs. They averaged 2.54 goals per game, the worst mark in the NHL, and nobody on the roster got past 45 points.
Conroy answered that by clearing out more veterans, not fewer. Nazem Kadri, Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar all moved during the season, and Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta went to Minnesota on July 2 for Jake Middleton and three draft picks.
Their one real addition came out of a June trade with New Jersey. Simon Nemec arrived on June 23 alongside Maxim Tsyplakov, then signed a five-year, $36.25 million contract on July 6.
The 22-year-old spent his Devils career behind Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes. Asked about the depth chart he just walked into, Nemec sounded ready to run it.
“I feel confident to play a lot of minutes and be one of the leaders of the team. That’s going to be my goal for next season.”
Dustin Wolf is the bigger swing. The goalie went 23-29-3 with a 3.01 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage in 57 games, a drop from the .910 he posted as a Calder Trophy runner-up in 2024-25, and he’s now starting year one of a seven-year, $52.5 million deal.
Jonathan Huberdeau is the third question on Van Diest’s list. Hip resurfacing surgery ended his season at 50 games and 25 points, and Conroy expects him at full health for camp. His eight-year, $84 million contract has been graded the worst in hockey three years running.
There’s a clock on all of it. Scotia Place opens for 2027-28, which makes this the Scotiabank Saddledome’s farewell season.
The plan needs Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost, Connor Zary and Joel Farabee scoring like a playoff team before the Flames move into the new building.
