Flames eye AHL-only deals as Wranglers seek roster help

Calgary kept its qualifying-offer list to three players Monday, a sign the club is guarding flexibility while leaving room to patch the Wranglers with AHL-only deals. The NHL deadline to issue qualifying offers to pending restricted free agents was 5 p.m. ET on Monday, June 30, 2026, and Calgary’s announcement named only Simon Nemec, Brennan Othmann and William Stromgren.

That approach puts the focus on the Wranglers’ roster rather than on a crowded NHL contract sheet. Calgary’s AHL affiliate finished 23-34-10-5 for 61 points in 2025-26, a result that left it well behind the Pacific Division leaders and underscored the need for veteran help. With Brad Pascall operating as Wranglers general manager and Flames assistant general manager, and Brett Sutter behind the bench, Calgary has the front-office and coaching structure to absorb short-term AHL additions without tying up NHL-level flexibility.

Matthew Phillips sits at the top of that kind of list. Calgary drafted the Calgary-born winger in the sixth round in 2016, 166th overall, and Phillips has long been one of the more proven scorers in the organization’s pipeline. In 2022-23, he was voted a First Team AHL All-Star after scoring 36 goals and 76 points for the Wranglers, while tying an AHL record with 15 game-winning goals.

Phillips also brings a resume that stretches beyond one big season in Alberta. He has played 34 career NHL games and 410 career AHL regular-season games, producing 140 goals and 212 assists for 352 points. That sort of mileage makes him a natural fit for a team looking for players who can steady an AHL lineup, drive offense and handle heavy minutes without forcing Calgary to sacrifice contract room on the NHL side.

His most recent numbers show he is still producing. Phillips played 71 games for the San Diego Gulls in 2025-26 and finished with 16 goals and 36 assists for 52 points. For a Wranglers club in need of reinforcement after a 61-point season, a player with that track record looks less like a stopgap than a stabilizer, especially for a roster that needs proven AHL production as much as it needs organizational depth.