Last season, we saw plenty of new faces on the ice for the Calgary Flames, and while some were brand new, others we'd either seen before or watched for a long time in the American Hockey League with the Calgary Wranglers.
Two of those players were Rory Kerins and Sam Morton, and while they continued to dominate for a Wranglers team that struggled for much of the year, they were never given an extended look at the NHL level. That led many to believe they could both be departing, but one day before the 2026 NHL Draft, the Flames took to social media to announce that both had signed one-year, two-way contracts.
🔒’d in!
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 25, 2026
The #Flames have inked forwards Rory Kerins and Sam Morton to one-year, two-way deals with an AAV of $850,000! pic.twitter.com/mBrxH1R6t8
The deals are identical, both carrying salary cap hits of $850,000 for the year, with the team giving them the opportunity to once again prove that they can be regular NHLers, even if the coach won't give them that chance.
In 2025/26, Kerins played in 52 games for the Wranglers, tallying 22 goals and 57 points in that time, but with the Flames, he was held scoreless in four games while posting a -1 differential on the ice. As for Morton, he was held scoreless in three games for the Flames after putting up 38 points in 68 AHL games. While the NHL dream shouldn't be over for either, it's more likely than not that their ceiling is very, very good players in the AHL, something the Flames desperately need.
Both players are capable of being difference makers in the AHL, and for a Wrangler team that missed the Calder Cup Playoffs, getting back two pieces in their top-six will help, especially as other young forwards join the team and need support and direction. Ultimately, it's unclear if either can be given a significant role in the NHL, but with good production in the AHL, anything could happen, so it's easy to see why they returned to Calgary to get that opportunity.
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