The Flames have decided to take a slower approach to this year’s offseason and become more cautious with where they spend their money. The real prominent decision was seeing how much newly acquired player, Yegor Sharangovich was going to ask for. He has officially signed with the Flames at $3.1 million for two years, and will look to improve on his point totals last year in a bigger role with the Flames.
Draft Recap
Round 1, pick #16 – Samuel Honzek, LW
Honzek is something the Calgary Flames are looking for, size and pure power. Coming in at 6-4, 185 pounds, Honzek still has plenty of room to grow into his body and find his form.
Honzek is a player with smart thinking and can really play in all situations. He plays in all three zones and is extremely effective when he uses his body. He is a hard player to knock off the puck, as he protects it well. His playmaking and goal scoring is something you notice when he takes scans of the ice and finds open teammates along with blasting his rocket of a shot.
Round 2, pick 48 – Etienne Morin, D
Morin is a very good selection inside the second round. He plays like a modern-day defenceman; he is reliable at both ends of the ice and shines when the play is moving up ice and can recognize when he can jump up in the play.
Morin is a very safe pick and easily recognizable for being a good teammate and a hard worker. He was relied upon for being the power play specialist and was on the penalty kill as well, he even played a game with a season-high total of 41 minutes. He flourishes with his skating ability as he really plays with high speed and great intensity of wanting to win for his team.
Round 3, pick 80 – Aydar Suniev, LW
Suniev has had an interesting time deciding on where to play especially when he decided to leave Russia. He elected to play on some prep teams before choosing to go play in the BCHL. It was in Penticton where he exploded and became a top player in the entire league. Suniev will play in the NCAA with Massachusetts where he can help himself become more of a complete player. Suniev has great offensive ability and instincts, although his foot speed will need to be improved upon if he wants to make a name for himself in Massachusetts.
They received this pick when they traded Tyler Toffoli to New Jersey for Yegor Sharangovich and a 3rd round pick on June 27th, 2023.
Round 4, pick 112- Jaden Lipinski, C
Lipinski is another big forward like Honzek. Lipinski isn’t as much of a goal scorer as Honzek is, but he does have a tremendous ability to find teammates on the ice and make strong passes to put them into scoring positions. One thing interesting about Lipinski is how competitive he is and how much he likes to throw his weight around on the ice and how he plays a tough game.
Round 6, pick 176- Yegor Yegorov, G
Yegorov played in the MHL last season where he played fifteen games with Dynamo Moskva and was the backup for most of the year. He still posted some impressive numbers, as he had a .915 save percentage and two shutouts.
Round 7, pick 208 – Axel Hurtig, D
Hurtig is a fearless defenceman who plays a big game and is someone who uses their size as an advantage. Hurtig is known for being a great defensive defenceman, he pushes guys to the outside and plays with a tight gap. Hurtig is someone who can make a strong first pass and be utilized to box out opposing players in front of the net.
The Off-Season
Incoming
Yegor Sharangovich (signed 3.1M x two years) – Sharangovich came over in a trade with the New Jersey Devils when they traded Tyler Toffoli. Sharangovich is a younger player and was an RFA this past summer, the Flames got some value on Toffoli who was also on an expiring contract after next season.
Jordan Oesterle (signed 925,000 x one year) – Oesterle is a depth addition to the Flames. He is a cheaper option for a team that doesn’t have a lot of cap space and is still a reliable defensive defenceman. This provides the team with some flexibility to let their young defensive prospects develop more.
Brady Lyle (signed 775,000 x one year) – Lyle is a nice addition for the Flames to add towards its depth on the blueline. Lyle is known for being able to move the puck well and is offensively talented. He is only 24, with some pro experience at the AHL level and has proven he deserves a chance at the NHL level.
Outgoing
Tyler Toffoli – Toffoli has been a great player for the Flames. The 31-year-old has been able to produce at a high rate of offence and really help the team in the playoffs as well. He will be able to go to a talented group in New Jersey and compete for a cup next season.
Matthew Philips – Philips moving on isn’t surprising, he needs a chance to play in the NHL and unfortunately, Calgary isn’t going to be the place. You can see he has some tremendous skill and is ready to play at the NHL level. Washington will be a good destination for him.
Milan Lucic – Lucic is going back to where he was drafted, although Lucic created an exciting element to the game, he just got too slow and is getting much older. He will fit in with a team that has more older guys and will most likely retire as a Boston Bruins player.
Trevor Lewis – Trevor Lewis is also returning to his former team the La Kings. He will go and be a depth piece to the Kings who are a very good team and loaded for some years to come.
Troy Stecher – Troy Stetcher signs back with one of his former teams as well in the Arizona Coyotes. Stetcher didn’t get to play too many games with the Flames after being a deadline acquisition, he will be a top-four defenceman on a struggling team like Arizona.
Kristians Rubins – Rubins has officially signed with MoDo Hockey in the SHL. Rubins split time between the Belleville Senators and Calgary Wranglers last season.
Re-signed
Dryden Hunt (signed 775,000 x two years) – Hunt is a two-way winger who can provide some grit to the lineup. He isn’t the biggest player, but he brings a physical aspect to the game and can play both sides of the wing.
Colton Poolman (signed 775,000 x one year) – Poolman is an experienced pro who signed out of college in 2020. He is more known for his defensive skills and can add some help to develop Jeremie Poirier into a better player for the future, both played significant time together last year.
Martin Pospisil (signed 775,000 x one year) – Pospisil has had some bad injury luck and hasn’t been able to play many games since being drafted in 2018. He has some natural skill and plays with an edge to his game that blends in well with his size.
Clark Bishop (signed 775,000 x two years) – Bishop is 27 now and has been a reliable forward for the Wranglers. He was drafted by the Hurricanes in the fifth round in 2014 and was with the Wranglers for the entire year last season.