Calgary Flames Make First FA Signing Of The Summer

The Calgary Flames were the only team in the NHL to not make a move yesterday on the first day of free agency, but they were quick to follow it up on Sunday, as they announced their first official signing of the summer.

Given their salary cap situation, it was unsurprisingly not a big move, as they have landed former Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings defenceman Jordan Oesterle on a one-year deal worth $925,000.

The 31-year old has racked up 349 games in the NHL thus far, scoring 19 goals and adding 65 assists for 84 points over that time, and with Noah Hanifin more than likely on the way out, he could slot in nicely on the third blue-line pairing. The Flames prospect cupboard defensively is quite bare, but even so, they’ll be hoping that Oesterle can get them through the 2023-24 campaign before one of their top prospects can make the leap to the NHL, but if not, they’re hoping he could be a solid trade chip at the deadline.

Calgary are expected to make some trades in the coming days and weeks to move out some salary, and when they do, they could look to target some veteran names that can help them contribute in 2023-24, but for now, this is a solid pickup for a blue-line group that could be moving out Nikita Zadorov and Noah Hanifin soon.

So what do you think? Is this a good move for Calgary? Does this signal they could be moving out one, or even two D-men going forward? As always, let us know all your thoughts in the comments below.