Flames sign defenceman Kevin Bahl to 6-year, $32.1M US contract

The Calgary Flames have signed defenceman Kevin Bahl to a six-year contract, the club announced Saturday.

The deal carries an annual average value of $5.35 million US.

Bahl, who turned 25 on Friday, had 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) and 35 penalty minutes in 73 games for the Flames this past season.

The left-shot blue-liner's average ice time of 21:23 ranked third on the Flames.

Bahl, a big presence at six-foot-six and 230 pounds, was acquired from New Jersey along with a first-round pick in this year's draft in exchange for goaltender Jacob Markstrom in June 2024.

He was drafted by Arizona in the second round (55th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He has 45 points (seven goals, 38 assists) in 221 career games.

The Detroit Red Wings acquired John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, a trade of the veteran goaltender that could start the dominos falling around the NHL with several teams looking for help in net.

Detroit sent backup goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder to Anaheim for Gibson, whose name has been in trade rumours for several years. No salary was retained.

Back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton, rebuilding Philadelphia and others are expected to pursue a goaltender this off-season.

Gibson, 31, has spent his first 12 seasons in the league with Anaheim. He's signed for two more at a salary cap hit of $6.4 million.

"We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade," general manager Pat Verbeek said. "It became clear John wanted a new opportunity, and after many discussions with him we felt now was the right time to make this move."

The Ottawa Senators acquired defenceman Jordan Spence