4 Offseason Trade Destinations for Flames Forward Blake Coleman – The Hockey Writers – Calgary Flames

Craig Conroy has already moved out plenty of veteran players since taking over as the general manager (GM) of the Calgary Flames, and he isn’t done just yet. Though a good portion of this Flames roster figure to be in the fold for several years, one veteran whose time in Calgary appears to be winding down is Blake Coleman.

Coleman, who many thought would be dealt at or ahead of this year’s trade deadline, just wrapped up his fifth season as a member of the Flames. The 34-year-old agreed to a six-year, $29.4 million deal with the Flames shortly after winning his second-straight Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Flames didn’t need to move Coleman this season given that he still had term left on his contract. That will no longer be the case, as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after the 2026-27 season. Plenty of teams would love to add him in the final year of his contract, and the Flames will likely oblige given that he doesn’t fit into their long-term plans. With that said, here are four teams that would serve as good fits for the dependable two-way forward.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are a team that, despite being extremely competitive, don’t tend to dish out massive contracts to superstar talents. They instead opt for a more well-balanced roster that, for several years, has had next to no holes. Coleman, who commands just $4.9 million and will be a pending UFA, is the exact type of player they’ve gone after in the past.

Coleman has a 10-team trade list in his contract, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him be open to joining the Hurricanes. After all, they are a perennial Stanley Cup contender year in and year out, which would give the veteran a great opportunity to win it all for the third time in his career.

Dallas Stars

If Coleman had it his way, you’d have to think the Dallas Stars would be at the top of his preference list. After all, it’s very close to friends and family, as he was born in Plano, Texas. There’s no telling just how much time remains in his playing career, and you’d have to think he’d love the opportunity to play close to home before his time in the NHL has concluded.

The Stars may also have the available cap space to make this work, as there is no guarantee that they are able to work out a contract for pending restricted free agent (RFA) Jason Robertson. On top of that, Michael Bunting’s $4.5 million cap hit is set to come off the books in the offseason.

Detroit Red Wings

After missing the playoffs for a tenth-straight year, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman admitted that he needs to get better players on his roster going forward. While he will certainly be looking to take a big swing or two at some top-end talent, adding a player like Coleman into his middle-six forward group wouldn’t hurt.

Not only would Coleman give the Red Wings some depth scoring and solid two-way play, but he would also provide a veteran presence that seems to be missing in Detroit. Boding well for the Flames in this case is that the Red Wings boast one of the better prospect pools in all of the NHL.

Tampa Bay Lightning

One other team you have to consider for Coleman is the Tampa Bay Lightning. The organization is extremely familiar with him, as he was a part of their roster for their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.

Coleman would more than likely love the opportunity to rejoin the Lightning, where several pillars of the roster including Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasileskiy remain. They continue to be Stanley Cup contenders, and would benefit from adding Coleman back into their middle-six forward group, even if it is only for one season.

Coleman Could Be Traded This Summer

Though many seem to think a move involving Coleman will come at the trade deadline, that may not be the case. This Flames team has had plenty of players go out the door midseason in recent years, which can cause for distraction. Don’t be surprised to see Conroy move him in the summer to prevent that distraction from taking place.