The Calgary Flames moved Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline, and in doing so they also gave up a seventh-round pick to acquire Ryan Strome from the Anaheim Ducks, taking on the final 1.5 years of his deal that make him a pending free agent following the 2026/27 season.
After landing in Calgary, Strome found his groove rather quickly in a middle-six center role, as he was afforded the opportunity of playing time that he wasn't given with the Ducks early in the season. Given this chance, he was able to hit the ground running in Calgary, tallying a very impressive 5 goals and 12 points in 19 games played, showing that even as he passes 32-years of age, he's got plenty of juice left in the tank.
While that doesn't mean he'll continue that play in 2026/27, if he is able to replicate any of that success early in the year, with one year remaining on his deal at $5 million, he should draw plenty of interest from Stanley Cup contenders. That's next season however, for now, the veteran forward is reflecting on his first season in Calgary and his second stint in Alberta, with nothing but good things to say about the Flames, their culture and the current state of the rebuild.
"I think the young guys took a big step at the end of the year there, there's a lot of good veterans in that room. I think when you're going through these rebuilds and stuff it's tough, and I've been through it before. I think a lot of the things that are intangibles that you need to take that next step once you acquire those young players like a good culture and good older guys surrounding and helping these young players. All those things, a good dressing room, a good vibe and a good staff, I think all those things are in place in Calgary and I think that's a huge start on a rebuild and a turnaround."Ryan Strome
“It doesn’t take as long as it use to it seems like and these kids are ready to go right out of college and junior — and we’ll see what happens in Calgary.”
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) April 29, 2026
- @strome18 on the optimism going into next season.
Presented by J.P. Wisers pic.twitter.com/3W6PMcRZUw
While Strome definitely isn't part of the Flames long term plans, it's great to see a somewhat outside perspective on how things are going inside Calgary's locker room, as things are seemingly trending in the right direction all around. One thing that Flames fans may be sick of hearing however is about the 'good culture' in the locker room, as that's something that seemingly held back the front office from diving into a rebuild for years.
Now however, they've got the young talent emerging with more and more to come in the next few seasons with the depth of prospects at the NCAA level as well as future draft capital, so if Strome is right about where things are headed, the future is indeed looking bright in Calgary.
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