The Calgary Flames took a major step toward trimming their camp roster on Friday morning, cutting 16 players after Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
Seven of those players were reassigned to the Wranglers: Andrew Basha, Hunter Brzustewicz, Jonathan Castagna, Will Dineen, Tyson Gross, Axel Hurtig and Arsenii Sergeev.
Brzustewicz is the name that stands out most from that group. A lot of people expected him to be on the opening night roster after he played 34 NHL games last season, but instead he’s headed back to the Wranglers, where he’ll get a chance to log top-pairing minutes.
The Flames also placed eight players on waivers, giving the other 31 NHL teams an opportunity to claim them: Michael Benning, Andreas Englund, Dryden Hunt, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Jake Livingstone, Sam Morton and William Stromgren.
There aren’t many real shocks in that group. Kerins has put up strong numbers in the AHL, but he hasn’t looked like a real part of the Flames’ long-term picture for a while. Some around the team believed Morton or Hunt might be able to grab a spot with Jonathan Huberdeau sidelined by injury, but neither did enough to win over the coaching staff.
The other move announced Friday was Chase Harrington being reassigned to the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The 18-year-old made a strong impression in camp and lasted much longer than most people expected.
After all of those moves, Calgary is down to 27 players in camp: 16 forwards, eight defencemen and three goalies. The club still has four more cuts to make before the 2026-27 season.
The Flames have one preseason game left, and it comes Saturday night at Rogers Place against the Edmonton Oilers.
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Flames Final Roster Cuts Just Put Calgarys Depth Under Pressure
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Mike Benning, Jake Livingstone, Dryden Hunt, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton and William Stromgren all cleared waivers and were sent to the AHLs Calgary Wranglers, leaving the Flames with a clearer look at who stays in the big-league mix and who continues developing in the system. It is the kind of roster housekeeping that can pass quickly in the standings-driven grind of camp, but it also puts a spotlight on how thin the margin can be for depth players trying to hold onto NHL jobs. [Read more 🡒]