The Calgary Flames have just 49 games remaining at the Saddledome before they head to the brand new Scotia Place. General Manager Craig Conroy’s decision from veterans like Nazem Kadri, Rasmus Andersson, and, surprisingly, MacKenzie Weegar opened the floodgates for a full-blown rebuild. Conroy accepted this job knowing he had a lot to fix, and he is well on his way to doing that. This may be the most important offseason of his career.
Nailing another draft
The NHL Draft Lottery is set for May 5, 2026. It’s fairly plausible the Flames are picking in the top three. Conroy has served a masterclass at every draft he has run. His philosophy for building a competitive team is building through the draft. His work this season alone shows he is ready to take that next step.
Conroy has nailed draft picks such as Zayne Parekh, Ethan Wyttenbach, Cole Reschney, and Matevi Gridin. Fans should feel confident as they enter the 2026 draft.
Eleven picks through six rounds, six picks coming in the first two rounds, is exactly why they’ve been trading away expiring contracts or coveted veterans.
The ball is in Conroy’s court. He holds the keys to a potentially franchise-altering draft and offseason. Could the Flames actually use all four second-round picks, or could they be an attractive piece in a trade? The likelihood of hitting a home run with every pick is slim to none, but Conroy has a way of finding diamonds in the rough.
Avoiding the July one tax
Besides drafting, Conroy has done an excellent job avoiding the free agency tax. There is no rush to give expensive long-term deals to older players for the sake of maybe making the playoffs. It feels the complete opposite of what the organization became so familiar with under Brad Treliving. The Flames won’t have to worry about crunching numbers as they have a projected $21m in cap space. There is plenty of flexibility as the Flames work through their rebuild.
What are the Flames to do with expiring contracts?
The Flames have worked on clearing the logjam across their lineup. They’ve integrated young defencemen while rotating in young forwards like Gridin and Aydar Suniev. Your players aren’t going to develop into NHLers if they do not see consistent NHL time. Re-signing players like Ryan Lomberg and Victor Olofsson takes that away from young guys like Tyson Gross, Sam Honzek, and even Rory Kerins.
Defenceman Jake Bean was out most of the season with an undisclosed injury. He was a player who rotated in and out of the lineup. The Flames should feel comfortable with the group they have now to let him walk. You have players like Brayden Pachal or Yan Kuznetzov that can slot in just fine.
Does John Beecher get a Morgan Frost-type deal?
John Beecher was claimed off waivers from the Boston Bruins back in November. It was a move that didn’t make much sense at the time. The forward group was clogged, and he was just going to face the same lack of playing time issues he faced in Boston. Beecher suffered an upper-body injury in early January against the Nashville Predators. Beecher injured his wrist in a fight against Nashville’s Nic Hauge.
Beecher was suspended one game and then missed fifteen due to the aforementioned injury. He returned to the Flames lineup in February and has two goals and five points through 26 games.
The 24-year-old is an RFA this summer. He hasn’t had much luck in the NHL so far, but that doesn’t mean it’ll never stick. His time with the Flames has been a bit turbulent, but maybe the Flames can look right back to Morgan Frost’s early days with the Flames.
Frost struggled offensively and found it nearly impossible to find his game. The Flames signed Frost to a 2-year deal last summer. Frost has 16 goals and 34 points through 69 games.
It would make a lot of sense for the Flames to give Beecher a similar deal. A bounce back after a tough adjustment period into a consistent NHL role is exactly what he needs.
The Flames should trade Coleman
It was one of the expected moves ahead of the trade deadline. Blake Coleman has been a consistent role player in his time with the Flames. At one point, upward of 20 teams were calling on his availability. So, why didn’t the Flames move him? None of the offers was attractive enough.
Conroy won’t let players walk for crumbs. Teams can call Conroy all summer long now that they are aware of what the Flames are looking for in return. Could the Flames maybe get a deal done ahead of the draft to capitalize on more picks?
Trading Coleman would be another step forward in their rebuild, and it is the step the Flames have to make.
Managing your prospects
Watching the Flames’ college prospects dominate has been one of the most exciting parts of the season. Freshmen Ethan Wyttenbach and Cole Reschny are walking away with plenty of accolades.
Wyttenbach was drafted in the fifth round by the Calgary Flames and is now a Hobey Baker Award Finalist. He amassed 24 goals and 58 points in 38 games with the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
Last week, Reschny was named NCHC Rookie of the Year after putting up five goals and 34 points in 33 games. The Flames drafted Reschny 18th overall in the 2025 draft.
Both players are expected to be part of the next wave of Flames and the first generation at Scotia Place. Would another year in college be beneficial, or could the new AHL age eligibility allow one of them to sign their ELC?
Would it be the worst thing for the players or the Flames to have them spend another year in college?
The Flames also need to take a look at how they choose to move forward with Zayne Parekh. Parekh would’ve benefited from spending the season in the AHL rather than returning to the OHL. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. This season, he struggled to adjust to the NHL level of play and stay true to his game.
Development isn’t cookie-cutter and certainly not linear.