The Calgary Flames will be busy this offseason. It will start with their 11th draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. However, after selecting the Flames’ next class of the future, general manager (GM) Craig Conroy and their entire front office will have to return their focus to reducing the roster with 29 players, including all injuries.
With the Flames currently in top three scoring position, not blocking a late season run, not knowing the lottery results yet, and with many new prospects playing well after their NHL debut, their fire sale may need to continue this offseason to make room for the younger guys next season, and the Flames have a few other veterans to trade for.
Here are a few Flames to watch come up in trade rumors this offseason, with a relatively weak waiting list and plenty of teams looking to quickly retool after the 2025-26 offseason.
Blake Coleman
This will be obvious. Until the deadline, Blake Coleman was near the top of most trade boards, in addition to Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar, who eventually moved.
Coleman is likely to be the most talked about name because of his manageable contract, which includes one season and $4.9 million. He’s on pace for another 20-goal season, and according to HockeyStats.com, he ranks in the 87th percentile in offensive Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and the 98th percentile in defensive WAR among the majors (from ‘Player Cards,’ hockeystats.comApril 12, 2026).
There is certainly a case the Flames can make to keep Coleman. He has two Stanley Cup championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning and embodies the hard-working, physical culture the Flames will want instilled in many young prospects who are close to being ready for full-time NHL roles.
However, this is also the reason why a trophy contender would overpay for someone like Coleman. He produces on both ends of the ice, kills penalties, and plays at the rim. There may be a few teams willing to give up opportunities and futures to bring in Coleman as a season-long hire to chase the Cup.
Joel Farabee
2018 first-round pick Joel Farabee is one goal away from his third 20-goal season in the NHL before turning 27. He had a great bounce-back season after a difficult 2024-25 campaign, where he had 11 goals and 14 assists between the Flames and the Philadelphia Flyers.
After this season, Farabee will have just two years left on his $5 million-a-year deal that he signs back in 2021. They also brought in Morgan Frost in a trade with the Flyers, who sent Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, and another draft pick, as both sides looked to get their young players ready.
In retrospect, the Flames got the better end of this deal, with both Farabee and Frost adjusting well. However, the Flames have a lot of wing players, and with a weak free agency phase, the Flames could get a great opportunity to score a 20-goal three-pointer (assuming he gets one more this season), who is under 27 and under control for two more seasons, while keeping a valuable asset in that deal.
Obviously the Flames could keep Farabee and it wouldn’t be wrong to do so. But having him and Jonathan Huberdeau back from injury could create a logjam at the end. Especially if Cullen Potter and Cole Reschny are together for maybe another season or so.
Other teams looking at Farabee would see good production from a player entering the prime of his career at a reasonable price with control for two more seasons. That could create some interest this offseason when many teams will be trying to rebuild quickly.
This could be the Flames’ best chance to get more value out of Farabee.
Devin Cooley
This is one that Flames fans will not want to hear, and I really disagree from a personality and cultural standpoint. But sticking with the core of players the Flames can trade, Devin Cooley may be the lead in that regard.
The undrafted 28-year-old has been outstanding in his first season in the NHL. He has the eighth-best save percentage and the seventh-most goals saved per 60 minutes among goalies who will play 1,000 minutes or more this season.
The Flames are clearly committed to Dustin Wolf as their goaltender of the future, as his $52.5 million contract will begin next season.
But Cooley’s blunt honesty and willingness to detail the attitude that led him to endure so many obstacles on his way to the NHL is why GM Conroy could find something interesting about him and potentially face the tough decision of whether to let him go.
After one season, Cooley already feels ingrained in the Flames culture, but if he’s going to make a big trade, now would be the time.
Related: Devin Cooley’s Comments on Flames Culture Light Up Recent Hot Streak
In fact, the Flames could justify keeping any of the three, given the potential cap space and the picks they’ll be making. Of course, there will be new Flames who will play full time with the team next season. However, moving these guys will depend on how well the Flames think their young players are ready to take on bigger roles and play solid minutes.
Either way, I think the Flames may have to field calls from contending teams looking to add these veterans to their roster.
