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[Calgary Flames]

Flames sign forward Adam Klapka to two year contract extension ($1.25 million AAV)

There are few players in the Calgary Flames system, or even the entire National Hockey League, that boast the physical gifts of forward Adam Klapka. After getting a prolonged look at the NHL level in 2024-25, it seems like Klapka will be here to stay.

The Flames announced on Tuesday afternoon that they’ve signed Klapka to a two year contract extension with a $1.25 million cap hit. Klapka was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, and he’ll become an RFA when his new deal expires after the 2026-27 season.

A product of Prague, Czechia, Klapka is listed at 6’8″ and 230 pounds. The right shot winger came over briefly to North America during his junior days, but primarily played in his home country and dabbled in pro hockey with stints in the Czech Extraliga and second-tier Czech 1.Liga.

The Flames’ European scouts recruited Klapka and he signed a two-year entry-level deal during the 2022 off-season. He spent 2022-23 adjusting to North American hockey with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, posting 25 points over 60 games – with his production primarily in the 2023 half of the schedule. In the following season, he made his NHL debut, playing six NHL games (and scoring a goal) and posting 21 goals and 46 points over 65 AHL games with the Wranglers.

The 2024-25 season was the final waiver-exempt year of Klapka’s NHL career as he played on a one-year contract. The Flames floated him back and forth from the NHL to the AHL frequently. If there was a spot in the lineup that needed someone, Klapka often got first crack at the gig. His confidence and consistency seemed to grow over the season, and he finished the campaign as a fourth-line fixture alongside Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Rooney, with the trio playing big parts in the Flames’ late-season push for a playoff spot.

In 2024-25, Klapka had 10 points over 31 NHL games and 26 points over 33 AHL games. When he was with the Wranglers, he was one of their standouts, and the quality of his play while he wore the Flaming W led to him spending half of the season with the big club. Heck, he was good enough that he was invited to play for the Czech national team at the World Championship, too.

Klapka’s waiver eligible for the first time in 2025-26. He’s on a one-way deal with a $1.25 million cap hit. He’s 6’8″, 230 pounds, and he moves like a much smaller player. Suffice it to say, Klapka has passed his audition. Unless he plays his way off the roster in the fall, we’ll likely see Klapka as a full-time NHLer to start the 2025-26 season.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...-two-year-contract-extension-1-25-million-aav

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames and Rasmus Andersson to exchange contract extension numbers this week: report

Gang, in case you haven’t noticed, the Calgary Flames’ roster has changed quite considerably since Craig Conroy became general manager back in 2023. The general trend has been older players on expiring contracts moving elsewhere, and younger players joining the team.

With that in mind, let us direct you to Frank Seravalli’s Trade Targets board over at Daily Faceoff. On Wednesday morning, Seravalli updated his board with some new information regarding several players that could be on the move.

Among them? Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season.

Here’s Seravalli:

This is a big week for the Andersson conversation, as the two sides are expected to trade initial numbers for the first time to see what an extension might look like. The tenor of those talks will determine what happens next. Fish or cut bait? Andersson presents great trade value, even after a relatively down year, for a right-shooting defenseman with an edge, double-digit goal scoring ability and a very reasonable cap hit. The Flames aren’t in a rush. They’d have no problem hanging onto him until the trade deadline to potentially watch his stock rise even higher.

So here’s the deal with Andersson: he’s a well-respected right shot blueliner who is an alternate captain and one of the most-tenured members of the Flames team. He’s a big piece of the team both on and off the ice. Heck, he played a dozen games with a broken bone in his leg. He is a good hockey player, his spooky-bad plus/minus this past season notwithstanding.

However, Andersson is on a contract that expires after one more season (with a $4.55 million cap hit next season), and he and the Flames are eligible to ink an extension starting on July 1 – as the final year of his deal begins. Andersson is an October 1996 birthday, and he would be celebrating his 30th birthday during the first month of the first season of his next deal.

This contract is a big chance for Andersson to, as the kids say, get that bag – and get financially set up for life. Hockey’s a contact sport and injuries happen, so this could be Andersson’s last chance to get that bag. When we looked at market comparables, the general ballpark on a long-term deal would be something like seven or eight seasons at $8 million per season (or thereabouts).

The Catch-22 for everybody involved is roughly as follows:

• The Flames may really like Andersson, but may not like how his contract ages as he gets deeper into his 30s and so they have an incentive to go shorter-term (or find ways to get Andersson’s cap hit down). They might not like Andersson at the number the market dictates he could get as a free agent.
• Andersson may really like the Flames, but with where he is in his career he’s got incentives to lock in as long a contract as he can get. He might not like the Flames at the number they would be comfortable at giving him on a long-term deal.

As Seravalli alluded to: once the two sides exchange numbers and concepts, then we’ll see what the next steps are, and whether or not Andersson is locked into a new deal… or finds himself on the trade market. Andersson’s deal has a six team no-trade list, so he has a small amount of control over where he may end up, if it comes to that.

We’ll have more on the Andersson saga is it develops.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...e-contract-extension-numbers-this-week-report

 

[Calgary Flames]

A history of the 80th overall pick, the Flames third-round pick in the 2025 draft

There are a surprising number of notable players selected 80th overall.

The Calgary Flames’ fourth pick in the 2025 draft and their final one until the 144th overall pick is the 80th overall pick. So far, we’ve looked at the history of the 18th overall pick, as well as the 54th overall pick. The Flames will have another pick, the 31st or 32nd overall pick, depending on who wins the Stanley Cup.

In this article, we’ll look at the history of the 80th overall pick, both players the Flames have drafted, and some of the more notable players from around the league.

Flames select Willi Plett in 1975​

The first two players the Flames picked with the 80th pick were when they were in Atlanta. In 1975, they selected Will Plett in the fifth round.

Plett played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League, scoring 222 goals and 437 points in 834 games. Seven seasons were spent in the Flames organization, scoring 122 goals and 244 points in 452 games. Only two seasons were spent in Calgary, scoring 44 goals and 93 points in 156 games. On Jun. 7, 1982 (his 27th birthday), he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars.

Flames select Gord Wappel in 1978​

Another player the Flames picked when they were in Atlanta was Gord Wappel in 1978. Unlike Plett, Wappel only played 20 NHL games, scoring a goal and two points, along with playing two post-season games. In total, Wappel played two games with the Atlanta Flames and 18 games when they moved to Calgary.

His final season before retiring was in 1982-83 with the Central Hockey League’s Colorado Flames, where he scored 10 goals and 44 points in 70 games.

Flames select Goer Johansson in 1985​

The first time the Flames picked 80th overall after moving to Calgary was in 1985. They selected left-shot defenceman Roger Johansson with that pick, with the Swede playing 161 games with nine goals and 43 points.

His best season came with the 1990-91 Flames, scoring four goals and 17 points in 38 games. Johansson’s career-high in points came in 1992-93, also with the Flames, where he scored four goals and 20 points in 77 games.

Johansson finished his career in Sweden after the 2000-01 season.

Flames select Jake Boltmann in 2020​

There is only one Flames’ prospect selected 80th overall who hasn’t played in the NHL yet – Jake Boltmann.

The right-shot defenceman played five collegiate seasons from the 2020-21 season until the 2024-25 season, with the first four seasons coming with Notre Dame. Last season with Northeastern University, Boltman scored two goals and 12 points in 35 games.

Moreover, the 23-year-old was involved in the trade that landed the Flames the 22nd overall pick, used to select Connor Zary.

Flames select Aydar Suniev in 2023​

The Flames traded Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils for Yegor Sharangovich, as well as a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. That third-rounder turned out to be the 80th overall pick, used to select Aydar Suniev.

Suniev, 20, was selected from the British Columbia Hockey League’s Penticton Vees and played two seasons at UMass. In his rookie season, he scored 12 goals and 25 points in 36 games. Last season, he increased his goal total to 20 and his point total to 35.

After UMass was eliminated from the National Tournament, Suniev joined the Flames for the final game, taking a penalty. He’ll start next season with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers.

Notable players selected 80th overall​

Plett happens to be one of the most notable players selected 80th overall, playing 834 games, the fifth-most for 80th overall picks. Bob Rouse, selected by the Minnesota North Stars in 1982, holds the record for most games played with 1,061, scoring 37 goals and 218 points.

However, the most notable player selected 80th overall by far is Esa Tikkanen, who was selected by the Oilers in the 1983 draft. The Finnish forward went on to win four Stanley Cups with the Oilers and one with the New York Rangers in 1994. His 244 goals and 630 points are the most for any player selected 80th overall.

Other players with over 800 games played are Kris King, the Washington Capitals’ 1984 draftee, and Greg Gilbert, who was selected in the 1980 draft by the New York Islanders.

Two active players have played over 500 games that were selected 80th overall: Bryan Rust and Anthony Duclair. The former, selected in the 2010 draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, has scored 203 goals and 437 points in 639 games, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Duclair hasn’t won a Stanley Cup, but has played 607 games with 153 goals and 314 points. His career-best season came in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers, scoring 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games.

The Canucks selected Elias Pettersson in the 2022 draft, and the defenceman became a regular in the second half of last season. Another 80th overall pick who may see action in the future is 2019 select Graeme Clarke, who has played three NHL games and scored 16 goals and 37 points in 64 American Hockey League games last season.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/a-hist...the-flames-third-round-pick-in-the-2025-draft