Though the opening day of free agency wasn’t the busiest for the Calgary Flames, they still made some moves. The first was the biggest of the bunch, as they signed forward Anthony Mantha to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. They also added Jake Bean, Ryan Lomberg, and goaltender Devin Cooley on short-term contracts.
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The Flames may not be done just yet, either. There was plenty of speculation that they were interested in Jake DeBrusk, and reportedly offered a contract to Viktor Arvidsson as well. With over $21 million remaining in cap space, they may still look to sign another player or two to a short-term deal to help keep them competitive while they continue with their retooling efforts. Here are four that could be signed to inexpensive deals that would help with just that.
Daniel Sprong
Daniel Sprong has been an underrated goal scorer throughout his NHL career, particularly in the last two seasons. He’s coming off of a season with the Detroit Red Wings in which he had 18 goals along with 43 points in 76 games, and the season prior had a career-high 21 goals and 46 points in 66 games with the Seattle Kraken. Those totals come despite mainly playing bottom-six minutes with little to no power play time.
Sprong is a player who would be given a good opportunity to relish with the Flames, as they don’t exactly boast the most talented lineup right now. He would not only be afforded some opportunities in the top-six, but could be given some special teams time as well. That should help boost his numbers, and would allow for the Flames to flip him to a contender at the trade deadline for a pick or prospect. AFP Analytics has him projected to sign a three-year deal with a $4.1 million cap hit, but it should be noted they predicted the same for Mantha. If they can get him at $4 million or less for one year, it’s a deal worth signing.
James van Riemsdyk
Though he isn’t as dominant as he was earlier in his career, James van Riemsdyk still serves as a power forward who can provide secondary scoring. He proved that this past season with the Boston Bruins, notching 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games, along with another five points in 11 playoff outings.
Not only would van Riemsdyk help with the Flames’ offence, but he’s also a veteran of over 1,000 career games. He would be a great fit to help show the ropes to some of the organization’s younger talent who are still learning what it takes day in and day out to be a pro at the NHL level. He is coming off of a one-year, $1 million deal, and should be expected to sign a very similar contract this time around.
Jack Roslovic
One of the more intriguing names that remains up for grabs is Jack Roslovic. The 27-year-old boasts plenty of talent, particularly when it comes to playmaking. He also plays down the middle of the ice, an area which the Flames could improve upon before entering the 2024-25 season.
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Roslovic’s inconsistencies make him somewhat of a reclamation project, which could work well with a Flames team not expected to make a ton of noise this coming season. If he impresses, there is the potential for an extension to be worked out, though, there would also be a market for him come the trade deadline. He was moved from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the New York Rangers earlier this year for a fourth-round pick. Due to his inconsistencies, he will almost undoubtedly see his salary drop from last year’s $4 million cap hit. A one-year, $3 million deal is likely what it would take to bring him in.
Tyson Barrie
The Flames had some major struggles on the power play last season, and a big part of that came due to the fact that they didn’t have a true power play specialist on the blue line. If they want to fix that issue for 2024-25, there may not be a better defenceman available to do just that than Tyson Barrie.
Despite Barrie’s defensive deficiencies, he is highly gifted offensively, having surpassed the 50-point mark seven times in his career. He’s looking for a fresh start after a rough stint in Nashville, and heading to a team like the Flames where he would get a big opportunity could prove massive to get his career back on track. AFPAnalytics predicts he will sign a one-year deal worth approximately $1.75 million, which would be an absolute bargain for the Flames.
Flames Not Wanting to Bottom Out
Though many Flames fans will look at the current roster and feel it should be set in stone, management may be thinking otherwise. General manager Craig Conroy has made it clear he doesn’t want to bottom out and do a full rebuild, and has stated his intentions to make his team competitive this coming season and beyond. All four players on this list, though by no means game-breakers, would certainly help in that regard.
