Free Agents The Flames Should Target

The Flames disappointed once again this season failing to qualify for post-season play after getting swept in the opening round the year prior. They have already made a blockbuster trade shipping out top-pair defenceman Dougie Hamilton, fan favourite Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox for up-and-coming Noah Hanifin and two-way pivot Elias Lindholm. The Flames have some dire needs including goal scoring, toughness, speed, depth, leadership and goaltending. Here are some free agent signing ideas in no specific order the Flames should explore.

Carter Hutton:

17 W 7 L 3 T 2.09 GAA 0.931 SP%

Once Mike Smith went down with an injury it signaled the end of the Flames' playoff hopes as neither David Rittich or Jon Gillies could hold down the fort. Smith is injury prone and he is getting up there in age so it's time to get some insurance policy behind him. Carter Hutton is the best goalie available so they would have to offer him a large contract but it may be worth it. If not they could turn to Jonathan Bernier or Robin Lehner for the backup position. 



Riley Nash:

76 GP 15 G 26 AST 41 PTS

Riley Nash would fit perfectly as the third-line center as he is a huge upgrade from Mark Jankowski or Sam Bennett. He would provide depth scoring from the third line which was invisible for the Flames last year plus he could kill penalties and play in his own zone. Nash set career numbers in Boston last year in a limited role so increased responsibility could mean a career year at a reasonable price.



Ryan Reaves:

79 GP 4 G 6 AST 10 PTS

Calgary was pushed around by everyone last year; no one would fight or stick up for anyone. The key to fixing this: bring in one of the league's toughest players in Ryan Reaves. Reaves will fight anybody and can win any scrap he gets involved in. He would also provide energy and may even be able to pot more goals than Calgary's fourth-line wingers last year.



Patrick Maroon:

74 GP 17 G 26 AST 43 PTS

Patrick Maroon would bring in physicality and scoring to a squad that desperately needs both. He can play a third-line role or a top-line role as he proved when he rode sidekick to Connor McDavid in 2017 scoring a career high 27 goals. In Maroon you would also get someone who is afraid of no one. A perfect replacement for the recently-traded Micheal Ferland.



Derek Ryan:

80 GP 15 G 23 AST 38 PTS

Derek Ryan could be a great fourth-line center or third-line center on Calgary, bringing offence and defence to the bottom six. He is also familiar with the new bench boss Bill Peters which makes this move more likely to occur than the others on this list. Due to Ryan's lack of games in his career at age 31, he would also come very cheap.



Antoine Roussel:

73 GP 5 G 12 A 17 PTS

Roussel had an off year this past season but it's not the scoring you ask for when Roussel is in your lineup. He is one of the league's best pests, trash talking and face washing anyone who comes in his way. He takes his fair share of penalties finishing with 126 this past season but the time in the box is worth it. Roussel would be cheap too coming off the worst season of his career.



Mike Green:

66 GP 8 G 25 AST 33 PTS

The Flames' power play was atrocious in the second half of the season and that was with recently-traded Dougie Hamilton. The solution: bring in power-play specialist and former Norris winner Mike Green back to his hometown. With an already deep blue line core, Green would not have much defensive responsibility; he would instead be there to replace the offence that departed when Hamilton left.



Michael Grabner:

80 GP 27 G 9 AST 36 PTS

The Flames seemed very slow last year relative to most teams in the NHL. Enter in Michael Grabner, who is one of the league's fastest players who fills the back of the net scoring 54 goals the past two season combined. Adding this caliber of speed and depth goal scoring would be a huge boost to a team who severely needs both. Grabner will be in for a hefty pay raise from his $1.65 million deal.



Jay Beagle:

79 GP 7 G 15 AST 22 PTS

The perfect fourth-line center, Jay Beagle is one of the league's best face-off men who plays a very defensive-centered game. Bringing Jay Beagle back to the place he was born would bring a penalty-killing machine to Cow Town as well as championship pedigree as Beagle is the only player ever with a Stanley Cup, Calder Cup and Kelly Cup.



Kris Versteeg:

24 GP 3 G 5 AST 8 PTS

If Calgary fails to bring in some of the above names, they could turn to somebody already in their system. Kris Versteeg's efforts on the power play were missed during his long absence last year. Versteeg is nearing the end of his career though so he may not be good enough coming off an injury but at a cheap price the risk may be worth it.



Zac Rinaldo:

53 GP 5 G 2 AST 7 PTS

If Ryan Reaves falls out of Calgary's reach, bring in last year's Michael Haley. Rinaldo is fearless who plays on the edge. In this signing, Calgary would get nothing more than somebody other teams' fear but it is also something needed.



David Perron:

70 GP 16 G 50 AST 66 PTS

It's now time to dive into the top of the free agency class. David Perron was great for the expansion Golden Knights but a Stanley Cup finals benching will probably lead to the end of Perron's tenure in Vegas. To gain Perron's services, Calgary could offer him a spot alongside Johnny Gaudreau where Perron would have a chance to repeat his season from last year or he could help fix the bottom six as well.



James Van Riemsdyk:

81 GP 36 G 18 AST 54 PTS

Putting James Van Riemsdyk on the Flames top line would give them one of the best lines in hockey. Van Riemsdyk is one of the free agency class' best pure goal scorers; he can score from anywhere including the dirty areas. It may seem like a good fit but based on the lack of other scorers, Van Riemsdyk will probably make way more money than the Flames or anyone else should be willing to pay him.



John Tavares:

82 GP 37 G 47 AST 84 PTS

No matter how slim the chances are of landing John Tavares, he should be on everybody's list. One of the greatest free agents to ever reach the open market, Tavares will earn one of the biggest deals ever awarded in the NHL. Tavares and Gaudreau would form a deadly combo but Flames fans will only be able to dream of it because Tavares has narrowed his team list down and unsurprisingly the Flames are not on it.



Jarome Iginla:

1554 GP 625 G 675 AST 1300 PTS

The greatest Calgary Flame of all time. Give Iginla one more chance to win hockey's ultimate prize. Even if he just plays the power play and provides leadership, he would sell tickets as Flames fans would pack the Saddledome to watch his farewell tour. As it stands now, Iginla's playing career is probably over but anything is possible. 



Carter Hutton goes to http://foxsports.com/. Riley Nash goes to http://thehockeywriters.com/. Photo credit for Ryan Reaves, Antoine Roussel and Kris Versteeg goes to https://www.nhl.com/. Photo credit for Patrick Maroon goes to https://www.thefantasydoctors.com/. Derek Ryan and John Tavares goes to https://www.si.com/. Mike Green, Zac Rinaldo David Perron, James Van Riemsdyk and Jarome Iginla goes to https://www.sportsnet.ca/. Michael Grabner goes to http://nypost.com/. Jay Beagle goes to https://twitter.com/.

Why The Flames Should Bring Back Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla just turned 40 years old on July 1st, the day free agency opened up in the NHL and he still remains unsigned. For 17 seasons Iginla gave all he had to the Flames organization taking them all the way to game seven of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals vs the Tampa Bay Lightning falling one game short of hockey's ultimate prize. Since he left Calgary Iginla has played five seasons with four different clubs in the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. Iginla has played in 1554 games, scored 625 goals and produced 1,300 points. His 1.554 games are the most ever without having a Stanley Cup. Iginla has plenty of awards winning the Rocket Richard twice, Art Ross, Lester B Pearson, King Clancy and Mark Messier Leadership Award. He has also won five Gold Medals for Canada including two Olympic Gold Medals where in 2010 he set up Sidney Crosby for the Golden Goal. If anybody deserves a Stanley Cup who does not have one it is Jarome Iginla.



The future Hall of Famer and greatest Calgary Flames player of all time left the Flames because they were going into a rebuild and management wanted to give him a chance at the cup. Iginla failed to win with the Penguins and Bruins who were both considered favourites before signing in Colorado and failing to make the playoffs for his two-and-a-half seasons there. At the trade deadline he reunited with former head Coach Darryl Sutter in Los Angeles but they also failed to qualify for the playoffs. Iginla proved he can still play producing nine points in 18 games while playing in California. Possible teams Iginla could take a run with are the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, his hometown Edmonton Oilers or the one that makes the most sense, a return to the Calgary Flames.



The Flames look like they are going all in next season based on the moves Brad Treliving pulled off during the draft and free agency. Bringing in Travis Hamonic from the Islanders and resigning Michael Stone gives the Flames one of the best defensive cores in the NHL as they join Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and TJ Brodie. After a disappointing season from Brian Elliott in net Treliving traded for Mike Smith and Eddie Lack to improve the goaltending situation. No big splashes were made at forward but they still have a good top six with depth in all positions. Iginla could fit on the third line with Kris Versteeg and Sam Bennett or on the fourth with Matt Stajan and another winger.



Even after Iginla's departure he is still the most popular Flames player ahead of star forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan as well as captain Mark Giordano. When he returned to Calgary he skated out after the game and did laps around the rink before turning back to the bench where Zdeno Chara and the rest of the Bruins made him skate around to the applause even longer. Even when Iginla scores against the Flames in the Saddledome the cheer is just as loud as if a Flames player scores so imagine how loud if it would be if the flaming C was on his jersey. He was cheered when he got first star while playing for the Kings picking up a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in his most recent outing in Calgary.



Now imagine if the Flames brought him back and they managed to make the playoffs, a place where Iginla has not played since his time in Boston. They score three series clinching goals making their way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Iginla and the whole sports world knows this will be his last shot at the cup giving the Flames extra motivation to win it for Iggy. They win one game, then another and another meaning one more game and he gets the cup. They win it the next game, Iginla receives the cup from Mark Giordano and lifts it over his head holding it for as long as he wants before skating off with it. What if the last time Iginla was on the ice was carrying the cup above his head in a Calgary Flames jersey?

Photo credit in order goes to http://bleacherreport.com, http://vancouversun.com/, http://www.tampabay.com/, http://calgaryherald.com/, http://bleacherreport.com.