The Calgary Flames have signed forwards Rory Kerins and Sam Morton to one-year, two-way contracts worth US$850,000 for the 2026-27 season, the team announced Thursday. Both players earned NHL call-ups during the 2025-26 campaign and are determined to secure full-time roles with the club.
Kerins and Morton Aim for NHL Regular Spots
Kerins, 24, and Morton, 26, each spent significant time with the Calgary Wranglers in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season while also getting brief stints in the NHL. Morton, a college free-agent signing in 2024, made his NHL debut in the final game of the 2024-25 season and appeared in three games for the Flames in 2025-26. He recorded 38 points with the Wranglers and has established himself as a reliable two-way forward, potentially competing for a fourth-line role in training camp.
Kerins missed a month of the AHL season due to injury but returned to play the final two games of the regular season for the Flames, in addition to two NHL games earlier in the year. Despite the injury, he finished third in team scoring for the Wranglers with 22 goals and 35 assists.
Morton: 'I'm Ready to Go Right Now'
Morton expressed confidence in his ability to earn a permanent spot. “I’m ready to go right now,” he said after the signings were announced. “It absolutely was encouraging (playing three NHL games in 2025-26), and I feel like to me, I proved that it’s attainable and realistic. Now, it’s just a matter of performing to the point where they have no option but to keep me there.”
Flames Bolster Forward Depth
The two-way contracts allow the Flames flexibility to assign Kerins and Morton to the AHL without waivers. Both players will be part of the Flames' training camp this fall, competing for roster spots on a team looking to build depth after missing the playoffs in 2025-26.
