Flames sign forward Justin Kirkland to one-year contract extension
The Calgary Flames have signed forward Justin Kirkland to a one-year contract extension, the club announced Monday.
Kirkland, 28, collected two goals and eight points in 21 games with the Flames in the 2024-25 regular season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in late November. He also went 3-for-4 in shootout attempts with the club.
Per the club release, Kirkland’s new contract with the Flames carries a $900,000 NHL cap hit. It is also the first one-way contract of his professional career.
KIRKLAND SIGNATURE 🙌
Justin Kirkland has signed a one-year extension with an AAV of $900,000! #Flames | @original16beer pic.twitter.com/SgHRB2tkjh
Kirkland is currently in his second stint with the Flames organization. The Winnipeg product previously spent three years in the Flames’ minor-league system between 2019 and 2022, playing exclusively with the AHL’s Stockton Heat.
A third-round pick of the Nashville Predators back in 2014, Kirkland made his professional debut in 2016 after wrapping up a strong junior career with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. He eventually made his NHL debut with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2022-23 season, skating in seven games before his tenure was cut short by a freak car accident.
Kirkland made a full recovery but never played another game with the Ducks, signing with the Arizona Coyotes organization for the 2023-24 season and appearing in two more NHL games with them before rejoining the Flames in July 2024.
Thrust into a full-time NHL role early in the 2024-25 season after an injury to Kevin Rooney, Kirkland took the ball and ran with it. The 6’3″ forward endeared himself to the Flames fanbase with a series of timely goals and even partnered with Costco for an endorsement deal (a play on the warehouse giant’s in-house “Kirkland Signature” brand).
The Flames made Kirkland their nominee for the 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in recognition of his dedication to the game after multiple severe injuries. Now, it appears he’ll be given a legitimate shot at locking down the team’s No. 4 center role to begin the 2025-26 campaign.