The Calgary Flames’ 2026 offseason is shaping up as a balancing act, and not just on the way out. The club still needs to clear space and turn some players into future assets, with Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Yegor Sharangovich, Blake Coleman and Connor Zary all mentioned as possible trade chips.
But there’s another layer here: Calgary could also try to add, especially if it helps untangle the crowded forward group. In his latest Summer Trade Watch, David Pagnotta pointed the Flames toward two veterans who could surface in the market, Kirill Marchenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Mason Lohrei of the Boston Bruins.
Marchenko is the more intriguing name on paper. Calgary doesn’t exactly look like a team in position to chase a winger who wants out of Columbus in search of a contender, but the 25-year-old brings the kind of production that would get attention anywhere.
Over the last two seasons, the former No. 49 overall pick has scored 58 goals and put up 141 points in 155 games. If the Flames are trying to surround Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato with more high-end skill in the top six, Marchenko at least fits the profile.
Lohrei’s situation has been floating around for a while. The idea surfaced back at the 2026 trade deadline, when a deal that would have sent Rasmus Andersson to Boston reportedly had real momentum before it collapsed without an extension from Andersson.
Lohrei has delivered 12 goals and 59 points from the blue line over the past two seasons, but the fit has changed since then. With Simon Nemec and Carson Carels added, the need isn’t what it once was.
For now, though, neither path looks especially likely. Marchenko would only make sense if Calgary can move several forward pieces without surrendering much draft capital, and Lohrei no longer looks like the kind of target that solves a real roster need. In other words, don’t expect the Flames to be making a quick move with either Columbus or Boston.
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For Edmonton, the sting is less about a splashy miss than the reality of how thin the margin can be when a player like Giroux is weighing his options. A one-year arrangement with performance bonuses makes sense for a veteran in his stage of the career, and it also underscores why this decision matters so much to teams trying to add help without tying themselves down for long. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Still Have One Free Agency Problem They Havent Solved
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For the Oilers, the question is less about whether there are options and more about which one makes the most sense at this stage. Anthony Mantha, Patrick Kane, Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko all fit the broad profile of players who could interest Edmonton, but the market has not settled yet and nothing appears close to being finalized. That leaves the Oilers waiting on a veteran answer to a problem that still has not been solved. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers May Still Have One Offseason Question Left To Answer
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What remains in focus is whether Edmonton will keep looking for a true top-six addition rather than simply adding another depth piece. The Oilers have plenty of depth options and veteran names in the mix, but the standard for a team with its eyes on a deep run is different, and not every intriguing young player fits the need. If the right forward becomes available, Edmonton could still decide there is one more meaningful swing left to take. [Read more 🡒]