5 former Flames who remain on the free agent market

With free agency nearly a month in, plenty of players who entered the summer up for grabs have found themselves new homes.

While some teams are still looking to tinker with their lineups ahead of the season, plenty are already locked in and ready to go. That said, for the teams still looking to make changes, several players remain up for grabs.

Some of those players who remain hopeful for a new deal were part of the Calgary Flames at one time or another. Here are five that were a part of the Flames organization that remain on the market.

Nick Ritchie

Flames fans got a brief stint of Nick Ritchie last season when he was a cquired in a trade from the Arizona Coyotes at the deadline. The 27-year-old played 17 games in Calgary, scoring four goals and adding a helper.

Ritchie was selected 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 draft but has never lived up to expectations. That said, he can still provide secondary offence, and is particularly good at finding the back of the net from in tight. At the very least, he should be able to latch on somewhere on a PTO ahead of training camp.

Brett Ritchie

Funny enough, it was Brett Ritchie and Connor Mackey who were dealt for Nick and Troy Stecher at the trade deadline. Brett, who is the older of the two Ritchie brothers at 30, is also waiting on the free agent market in hopes of signing a new deal.

Ritchie has very little in terms of offensive skill, but he made a great impression under former head coach Darryl Sutter thanks to his relentless effort every shift. He has some skills that can make for an everyday bottom-six forward, but the lack of offence may hurt him when it comes to signing an NHL deal.

Josh Leivo

After recording just nine points in 38 games in his only season with the Flames during the 2020-21 campaign, Josh Leivo was forced to spend plenty of time in the AHL in 2021-22. He made the most of it, putting up big numbers throughout the regular season while scoring 15 goals in 18 playoff outings, which caught the eyes of the St. Louis Blues.

Leivo signed with the Blues last offseason and fought his way back to the NHL, suiting up for 51 games while scoring four goals and 16 points. He had shown an ability to provide secondary scoring earlier in his career, but the lack of just that in recent years has resulted in him waiting this long to try and find a new home.

Brian Elliott

Given the carousel the Flames have had in the crease over the years, it may take a second to remember that Brian Elliott appeared in 49 games for them during the 2016-17 season. The now 38-year-old had a solid regular season in Calgary but collapsed in his playoffs, leading to his departure.

Since leaving the Flames, Elliott has had stints with the Philadelphia Flyers and, most recently, the Tampa Bay Lightning. He struggled to a 3.40 goals against average and a .891 save percentage in 22 appearances this past season, but reportedly received some interest from the Toronto Maple Leafs weeks ago. He may still be able to find work in a backup role for the 2023-24 campaign.

Alex Chiasson

Alex Chiasson also spent a lone season with the Flames in 2016-17, scoring 12 goals and 24 points. The 32-year-old has been a reliable secondary scorer throughout his entire 651-game career and proved the same this past season with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring six goals and nine points in 20 games.

In recent years, Chiasson has been forced to accept PTOs and earn a contract out of training camp. The same happened last year and resulted in him starting the season off in the AHL, though he quickly proved when given the opportunity that he is still a capable NHL forward. Teams looking for some more offensive production out of their bottom six should be giving him some consideration.

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