It’s been four days since free agency opened, and the Calgary Flames have mostly stood pat. The team elected to re-sign Martin Pospisil, Dryden Hunt, and Colton Poolman and also plucked defensemen Jordan Oesterle and Brady Lyle off of the market to bolster their blue line. Emilio Pettersen and Ben Jones are restricted free agents (RFAs) who still need contracts. However, they let several of their unrestricted free agents (UFAs) sign elsewhere, including defenseman Troy Stecher (Arizona Coyotes), forwards Milan Lucic (Boston Bruins), Trevor Lewis (Los Angeles Kings), and American Hockey League star Matthew Phillips (Washington Capitals).
Related: 3 Reasons Why the Flames Must Re-Sign Matthew Phillips
New general manager Craig Conroy made his first big move just before the NHL Entry Draft, trading Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a pick. His 34 goals and 73 points will be hard to replace. Trade rumours are also circling around soon-to-be free agents Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, and Noah Hanifin, who will most likely be dealt for roster players in return. For the most part, the team seems to be banking on the same roster doing better than last season and the younger players progressing.
The Flames only had $2.4 million available in cap space before they signed Oesterle. They could create more space with a trade or perhaps by buying out forward Kevin Rooney and his $1.3 million deal during the upcoming second buyout period. There are still some talented individuals available that could likely be had with cheap and short contracts and provide a positive impact to the team next year. The two I believe to have hidden value are Denis Malgin and Ondrej Kase.
Denis Malgin
First up on the list is 26-year-old Swiss forward Denis Malgin. He was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft and played 184 games for them before being shipped off to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020 and is coming off a one-year, $750,000 extension signed last summer. This came after a year off from the NHL in which he went home and suited up for Zurich SC of the Swiss league. There he dominated to the tune of 21 goals and 52 points in 48 contests. Midway through the 2022-23 season, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, coincidentally for Calgary Wrangler Dryden Hunt. Between the two teams, he scored 21 points, including a career-high 13 goals.
Malgin is an adept bottom-six scorer who can play all three forward positions. He gets a knock for his smaller stature (5-foot-9, 182 pounds) but it gives him a shiftiness to create chances in the offensive zone and the speed to recover lost pucks. He averages 39 takeaways per 82 games and has a career Corsi for (CF) of 52.2% at even strength, meaning his team controls the puck more when he is on the ice. In fact, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar gave him more defensive zone starts than offensive ones last season because of his trust in Malgin.
He is still young at 26 and could blossom into an even better player given the right situation. There would definitely be a spot for him in Calgary on the wing somewhere in the middle or bottom six of the forward core. With his career play as evidence, he could occupy that spot and make a positive impact for the Flames. He hasn’t ever commanded more than the league-minimum salary, so he would also fit into the Flames’ tight budget.
Ondrej Kase
Next is 27-year-old winger Ondrej Kase. The Kadan, Czechia native was one of the last picks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, selected in the seventh round, 205th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. He made the team full-time in 2016-17 and had his best season in 2017-18 with 20 goals and 38 points in 66 games. Unfortunately, the injury bug struck him and hasn’t really let go. He was limited to just 30 games in 2018-19 but still scored 11 goals and 20 points. He then only suited up for 49 contests before the Ducks jettisoned him to the Boston Bruins in 2020 for David Backes, Axel Andersson, and a first-round pick; in two seasons with the Bruins, he only played 20 games (regular season & playoffs) due to injury.
Kase inked a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs before the 2021-22 season, hoping to rejuvenate his career. He performed admirably but still struggled to stay healthy, scoring 27 points in 50 games. He then signed with the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2022-23 season and played in the season opener but missed the rest of the campaign with concussion problems.
Now, he is healthy and a free agent at 27. General managers are likely weary of signing him, but when he is in the lineup, he performs well as a secondary scorer. Based on his career numbers, if he were to play a full season, he’d finish with roughly 18 goals and 39 points. On the defensive end, he would finish with 47 takeaways. Like Malgin, he controls the puck more often than not with a career 53.2 CF%.
He was earning $1.25 million with the Hurricanes, making him a tad more expensive than Malgin. However, the Flames could try a bonus-based contract that wouldn’t affect their cap space. A one-year deal worth slightly above the league minimum with incentives for games played would suit Kase well. It could pay off in dividends if we were to stay in the lineup for the full season in Calgary. He will surely be motivated to play as hard as he can to cash in on one more big contract before he reaches his 30s.
While the Flames could probably roll with their current roster, it would be nice to see them make a few more additions up front. Signing one or both of Malgin and Kase wouldn’t likely be world-altering for the team’s success, but both players would help the team remain competitive while they go through their roster re-tool. They are inexpensive but pack punches. These are qualities that are hard to find together in a lot of NHL free agents.