Scout’s Analysis: What did Calgary do in the MacKenzie Weegar trade?

On Wednesday morning, Mackenzie Wigar told Eric Francis if he were asked to waive his no-trade clause: He would consider it. Weegar did not request a trade. He’s faced with the fact that the Flames are rebuilding and not even close to making the playoffs, and the 32-year-old still has very little playoff experience in his career.

So the table was set for trading.

A few hours later, one was confirmed.

The Flames sent Weegar to Utah for defenseman Olli Maatta, college forward Jonathan Castagna and three second-round picks in the 2026 draft. Originally affiliated with Ottawa, Rangers, and Utah.

Flames GM Craig Conroy explained that Maatta had Calgary on his 10-team no-trade list but was convinced to join. Weegar had a complete no-trade clause, and after considering his options, Utah decided that was the way to go.

“He’s a very competitive guy. He gives everything he’s got every night.”

Maatta, a 31-year-old defender, was around. The Finnish Olympian, who is approaching 800 career NHL games, won two Stanley Cups early in his career in Pittsburgh, and that experience will be invaluable to the Flames, who feature a young team that could use his leadership.

“I see (Maatta) as a solid, good puck mover, PK guy. You don’t see him on the PP,” Conroy continued. “But I see him having a good time for us. He will be able to help these young players.”

Castagna is an exciting 20-year-old prospect in his third season at Cornell, leading the team in scoring and wearing an ‘A’. He could join the organization as early as this spring.

But perhaps the best part of the trade to rebuild the Flames were the three second-round picks. The Flames now have six picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, all of whom would be in the top 50 overall as of today. Whether or not he’s all used to scouting new prospects in the pipeline, Conroy is an asset that could be used for creativity in the offseason.

“You can use these picks to move up in the draft. You can use these picks to make trades for players. It opens up a lot of opportunities,” Conroy said.

So that’s one big domino for the Flames and not what we expected a few weeks ago. Without maintaining the salary, Calgary still has one retention slot left and may need to keep it open for a Nazem Kadri deal. Meanwhile, Blake Coleman is also active as a trade candidate. Reconstruction continues with the aim of making it more competitive when the new stadium opens in 2027.

For Utah, this trade marks a departure from how they have approached the trade deadline in the past with a clear mission: to make the playoffs. The Mammoth, which holds the West’s first wild card spot with a +24 goal differential, is starting to spend picks and prospects after years of stockpiling its future.

To learn more about the trade between Calgary and Utah, contact scout Jason Bukala.

To Utah: Mackenzie Wigger

Whenever I am tasked with writing or talking about MacKenzie Weegar and the great career he has had over the years, I am biased. When I was at Florida, we drafted Weegar with the sixth-to-last pick of the 2013 (206) draft.^Day overhead). The fact that he has played in 610 NHL games to date speaks volumes about his hard work and determination.

Utah GM Bill Armstrong and the Mammoths’ coaching staff will be amazed at how professional Wiega is on and off the ice. A two-way defender’s statistics this season don’t tell the whole story. People will judge his minus-35 rating as a huge concern. But the reality is that the Flames have struggled to score goals and Weegar has been tasked with facing his best matchups every night.

I fully expect Mammoth to appreciate the fact that he’s willing to play physical shots and block shots. Weegar has 130 hits and 143 shot blocks this season. He averages over 23 minutes of ice time per game, can be deployed in all situations, and provides secondary offense.

Utah has been trying to become a playoff team, and Weegar’s addition sends a clear message to the team and fans that Armstrong believes it is time to spend his assets and get into the discussion in the Stanley Cup tournament.

To Calgary: Olli Mata, Jonathan Castagna and three 2026 second-round picks.

Castagna is an NHL prospect. He is the Cornell Big Red’s leading scorer at the college level (14G-18A) and gets 18-21 minutes per game of ice time while being deployed in all situations. Castagna is trustworthy in all three areas. When not on offense, he can flex defensively, face off against top laners, and win key faceoffs. He plays at a quick pace and projects as a bottom-six NHL forward in my opinion who could handle spot duties on the second power play unit.

No doubt Calgary did its due diligence prior to this deal and believes they are in a good position to sign Castagna to an entry-level contract at the end of his season at Cornell.

Part of their process would have included researching the details of Castagna games. To illustrate some of the dependable complexity of his overall game, here are his shot metrics (left graphic) along with his faceoff success percentage (right graphic).

As for draft capital, I’m not at all surprised by what the Flames received in return from Utah in this deal. Weegar is a pro. He pulls the rope in the right direction for the team and competes as best he can every night.

Weegar arrived in Calgary along with a 2022 first-round pick in a trade of Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt and Matthew Tkachuk. Looking back at it and seeing what they received in return for Weegar now, four years later at this deadline, you can see just how respected Weegar is in the league. I think it could be argued that Utah overpaid for his services. But Mammoth has been stockpiling assets for years, waiting for an opportunity to make these kinds of deals.

Conroy deserves a lot of credit here. He communicated with Weegar every step of the way, and they clearly had mutual respect for each other. The end result is the following draft grid for today’s Flames:

Flames fans, get ready for what’s to come. The future is bright.