While anything can happen in a league with such parity, the consensus is that the Calgary Flames will struggle in 2024-25. Though general manager Craig Conroy has said tanking isn’t part of his plan, the struggles are somewhat by design as the organization heads for a rebuild in hopes of long-term success.
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As with many rebuilding teams, the Flames elected not to spend much money in free agency and now have over $20 million in cap space. This presents a great opportunity for many players to compete for spots on the opening-night roster, with open positions ripe for the taking. Here are seven Flames who will be fighting for a spot on the Flames this season.
Matt Coronato
The Flames do not need to rush their young talent, which could work against Matt Coronato. The 21-year-old boasts top-six forward potential, and management will avoid doing anything that could negate potential.
Coronato impressed in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, posting 41 points in 42 games. Unsurprisingly, the NHL proved to be a much more difficult challenge, as he had just nine points in 34 contests. It will be up to him to show in training camp that he’s put in the work over the summer to help him contribute further at the NHL level.
Adam Klapka
Adam Klapka’s stock has risen dramatically since he signed with the Flames as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2022-23 season. His biggest asset has always been his size, at a whopping 6-foot-6, 235 pounds. What many didn’t see coming is the strong development of his offensive game.
Klapka was a great power forward with the Calgary Wranglers last season, scoring 21 goals and 46 points in 61 games. While he doesn’t project to be a 20-goal scorer at the NHL level, another uptick in his offensive abilities could land him in a spot on the Flames’ fourth line come opening night.
Walker Duehr
An impressive 27-game stint to close out the 2022-23 season was enough for the Flames to reward Walker Duehr with a two-year, $1.65 million extension. He began the 2023-24 season with the Flames but was assigned to the AHL after compiling just one goal through 19 games.
Duehr was recalled later in the season but finished with just two goals and seven points in 40 games. The step back from an outbreak campaign in 2022-23 puts him in danger of being cut if he doesn’t stand out positively at training camp.
Kevin Rooney
Kevin Rooney was signed to a two-year deal ahead of the 2022-23 campaign but spent most of the season in the AHL. The same seemed to be in store for him in year two following an injury which required shoulder surgery in training camp, though he was able to make his way back to the Flames on his return.
Despite recording only four points in 33 games last season, Rooney was re-signed to a one-year, $1.3 million deal. He makes up for a lack of offence with strong penalty killing and a knack for winning faceoffs, and his cap hit suggests he’s likely to start the season with the Flames. A tough performance in training camp could change that, though.
Dryden Hunt
The Flames acquired Dryden Hunt from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 Trade Deadline but elected to keep him in the AHL to close the campaign. To the 28-year-old’s credit, he came back looking to prove many people wrong and appeared in 28 games with the Flames last season.
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Hunt is likely to be in the AHL and called up in case of injury, though he does have some experience over others he’s competing against. With 230 NHL games under his belt, he may be able to find a way to stick with the Flames on opening night if he does enough to impress head coach Ryan Huska throughout camp.
Joel Hanley
Shortly after the Flames traded away two of their top defencemen, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin, they snatched Joel Hanley off waivers from the Dallas Stars. The 33-year-old finished the season with the Flames but was used sparingly. He averaged 14:32 of ice time in the 10 games he played.
Given his age, Hanley wouldn’t crack many NHL blue lines this season. That may not be the case with the Flames, as they have a very inexperienced group in what figures to be their biggest weak spot. His veteran experience may be enough to keep him around, at least in the early going.
Ilya Solovyov
Of all the Flames’ prospects on the back end, Ilya Solovyov has the best chance of making the roster this season. The 24-year-old has three AHL seasons under his belt and suited up for 10 games with the Flames in 2023-24.
Solovyov projects to be a third-pairing blueliner at best and is nearly at the make-it-or-break-it age. The Flames don’t have a ton to play for this season, so management and the coaching staff might agree it’s time to give him a proper look to see if he can be a valuable asset in the years to come.
Feisty Flames Training Camp Ahead
Many NHL rosters feel decided already, aside from maybe one or two spots. That isn’t the case for the Flames, who seem content with letting players battle things out to determine who starts the season in the NHL. This will make their upcoming training camp as intense as could be and one that fans will certainly want to monitor.
