The Calgary Flames this week unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art new arena that will be ready in the fall of 2027, and Calgary's lineup will and should look notably different by the time the new rink is good to go.
Dustin Wolf and Nazem KadriThe Calgary Flames unveiled their plans for a new arena this week, giving fans a thrill to see what the future will look like, but on-ice-wise, the Flames’ roster is a different story altogether.
Calgary's GM Craig Conroy began the tear-down part of the rebuilding process this past season with the trading of star forward Elias Lindholm and veteran defensemen Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov. However, those trades are just the beginning of the changes that will inevitably come to the roster. And many current members of the Flames won’t be with the team when the new rink arrives in the autumn of 2027.
For starters, Calgary’s two highest-paid players – winger Jonathan Huberdeau and center Nazem Kadri – will likely be wearing different uniforms three years from now. Both Huberdeau and Kadri are under contract through the 2027-28 campaign, but neither one is likely to want to suffer through the lean years that will have to come for the rebuild to take effect.
Huberdeau is currently 31 years old, while Kadri is 33, so you’d have to think they’ll welcome a trade well before their contracts are up. Kadri’s $7-million annual salary will be easier to move in a trade than Huberdeau’s $10.5-million salary, but the situation could shake out with Kadri being traded, and Huberdeau could have the final year of his contract bought out if he can't be traded.
Similarly, Calgary’s current No. 1 defenseman, 30-year-old MacKenzie Weegar, is also signed through 2027-28, but as a minute-munching right-shot blueliner, he could be the most valuable trade chip Conroy has to dangle on the trade market. And like Kadri and Huberdeau, Weegar has a full no-trade clause for the next two seasons, so he’ll be able to call the shot about which team Conroy can move him to. But it's difficult to envision Weegar being happy as a Flame considering how much losing is likely ahead.
Also, 27-year-old D-man Rasmus Andersson is under contract for the next two seasons, but his contract has a six-team no-trade clause. He’ll be a UFA as of 2026, but Andersson could want out well before then. He’ll be in his prime by then, and Andersson will have great value around the league. Of anyone we’ve mentioned thus far, Andersson is most likely to stick around for the long term, but as we’ve seen with Calgary in recent years, things can change in a hurry, and Andersson isn’t guaranteed to stay a Flame for his entire career.
Finally, forwards Anthony Mantha, Mikael Backlund, Andrei Kuzmenko and Blake Coleman also could be ex-Flames once the new arena is ready. Mantha and Kuzmenko are signed only for this coming season, and they'll be UFAs after that. Meanwhile, Backlund’s contract is up in 2026, and Coleman’s deal expires in the summer of 2027. The 35-year-old Backlund is the oldest of the quartet, and Coleman is 32, so their effectiveness might well be on the wane well before the new rink opens up. And the 29-year-old Mantha and 28-year-old Kuzmenko might choose to play elsewhere sooner rather than later.
As we’ve said before, the Flames’ best bet over the long haul is to grit their teeth and bear the losing that’s almost assuredly ahead for them. That way, they’ll be in the best position to win the NHL’s draft lottery and acquire the type of generational talent that’s eluded them for decades. You don’t get those kind of players in trades, and you don’t get them in free agency. You have to take your lumps in the win/loss columns and excel at drafting and development. Moving veterans like Kadri, Huberdeau, Weegar and the aforementioned others will get the Flames the draft picks and prospects Conroy is currently seeking.
The new arena should help Calgary recruit top talent when the time is right. But in the interim, the Flames have to be ready and willing to move out otherwise helpful hands and make the best of the situation they’ve created. Trying to scratch out a wild-card playoff spot won’t do anything but assure them of more mediocrity, and now that they have a timeline on a new rink, the Flames have to bide their time and painstakingly work through the muck and mud that comes with a major rebuild. It’s going to hurt, but going back to their old ways isn’t the answer.