Insider: ‘I Don’t Wonder, I KNOW’ The Calgary Flames Are Preparing A Big Offer Sheet

Are the Calgary Flames ready to make a huge splash this offseason? They'll have a whopping $37 million in cap space available, minus the deals they'll have to work out with a handful of key restricted free agents.

With the rising cap and the experience of the St. Louis Blues' successful poaching of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway last offseason, this could very well be the Summer of the Offer Sheet.

According to insider Darren Dreger, speaking on the Flamesnation podcast, GM Craig Conroy is most certainly planning a huge offer sheet.

I don't wonder—I KNOW that that's what Calgary's looking at... I don't doubt for a second that the Calgary Flames will be amongst the most aggressive in that area (of Offer Sheets). And because Calgary has the pieces required, why wouldn't you?

By "pieces", Dreger would be referring to the draft pick compensation that would be necessary in the event of an offer sheet signing, per NHL rules. The higher the AAV in the offer sheet, the more costly the draft picks. But the Flames do have two firsts, a second and two thirds in the 2026 Draft, so they do have a little extra to play with for offer sheets this coming summer. And then there's that boatload of cap room as well.

The Flames were actually strongly considering offer sheeting Broberg & Holloway, who got scooped up by the Blues in that fashion last offseason. They just "didn't go through with it," said Flamesnation host Dean 'Boomer' Molberg.

This offseason, however, insists Dreger, "Calgary's gonna try.

"When you look at the restricted free agent class this year, there are lots of players that we can envision the Calgary Flames and other teams circling and knowing would be great add."

And the reasoning is simple: These notable RFAs are already NHL players on the rise, with proof that they can perform at the highest level. Whereas, says Dreger, "if you're waiting for that top five, top 10, top 15 first-round pick to materialize (on your roster at the NHL level), best case scenario: you're 3 to 5 years down the road."

Expect the Flames to be "aggressive" in trying to secure a young RFA star on the rise this summer. One name that Molberg & Dreger mentioned as a potential target: Defenseman Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres — if they don't trade him first.