Welcome back to another edition of CapFriendly Friday. If this is your first time here, welcome, and let’s catch you up! In CapFriendly Fridays, we look at some trade proposals from CapFriendly’s Armchair GM feature, which allows users to put themselves in the general managers seat. You want to trade Connor McDavid for a seventh-round pick, or buyout Leon Draisaitl? It’s certainly not realistic, but you have the opportunity to do so on CapFriendly.
Browsing CapFriendly’s best and worst trades
Just like the last CapFriendly Friday, we will be looking at trade proposals of a large variety, some bonkers, and some with merit. So, sit back, grab a snack, and let’s laugh and think through these trade proposals.
I will disclaim: none of these proposals are my own, rather ones that I’ve found while browsing the Armchair GM feature.
Calgary trades Markstrom and Hanifin for… Carey Price’s contract.
Insert the Michael Scott “No, God! No, God please, no! No! No… Noooooo!” clip. This trade is just… so bad. Why.
Calgary trades their Vezina calibre goaltender and a top-four defenceman for a player who has had a tremendous career, but likely won’t ever play again. In this deal, the Flames free up a whopping $21.45M dollars, assuming they would put Price on the long-term injured reserve, but… why would they do that? If the year was 2017, this deal makes sense. But, it makes absolutely no sense in any shape or form now. Moving on.
Calgary trades Tanev to the Leafs for a package at the deadline
Moving onto a deal that actually makes some sense, where the Flames trade Tanev to the Leafs for a good prospect in Knies, Kerfoot, and a third-round pick. With the abundance of defencemen on the Flames roster, trading one for a forward has been a major talking point among the Flames fanbase.
I don’t think the Flames would have any appetite to trade Tanev, as he has become a staple on both the backend and leadership core. A good prospect, middle-six winger, and a mid-round draft pick is decent value for Tanev, but I don’t think the Flames would make this deal given how important he is to the team.
Calgary trades Valimaki to the Canucks for Pearson
This is a deal that makes a ton of sense to me. As I outlined earlier this offseason, the Canucks have a plethora of wingers and lack on the backend. The Flames on the other hand, have a plethora of defencemen, and lack wingers. The Flames probably have to add another asset, but this deal makes ton of sense based solely on merit.
Pearson makes sense as a Flames target due to playing on a line with Tyler Toffoli and under head coach Darryl Sutter while he was a King. He would also have familiarity with Trevor Lewis and Milan Lucic. With two more years at an average annual value of $3.25M, fitting in Pearson’s contract would be manageable, and shipping out Valimaki’s $1.55M helps make this deal cap complaint for 2022–23. If Vancouver could retain a chunk, say $500K, that would help the Flames’ cap situation even more.
Calgary and Arizona trade… everything
You thought we were done with the bonkers proposals, didn’t you. Well, sorry to disappoint. This is a classic example of the ten-player, six-pick swap that we see oh so very often in the NHL! This proposal has everything included, and it hurts my brain and my eyes. Next.
Calgary acquires Konecny from the Flyers for a 1st and two defencemen
This would be a big addition and the exact player type for the Flames to add. In exchange, the Flames would give up Kylington and Valimaki, plus a first-round pick. This is a big price to pay, but Konecny might be worth it. Konecny shoots right, gets under the skin of his opponents, and has good offensive ability, being a consistent 50-point player throughout his career.
With a manageable $5.5M cap hit for the next three years, Konecny would be a good addition for a team attempting to make playoff runs for the next number of years.
Philadelphia had a disaster season last year, and made incredibly strange offseason moves. Should they falter to start 2022–23, I could see moves like this trade proposal being made as the Flyers look to change it up. With the left side of Provorov, Sanheim, and York already, I don’t know what their interest level would be in Kylington and Valimaki. But, this deal has a ton of merit, as Konecny is someone whom I think would be of major interest to the Flames.
Time for the new season
The offseason is about to end, as training camps are set to begin in the middle of next week. But, the Flames still could be adding to their winger depth, and guys like Kerfoot, Pearson, and Konecny could be candidates. The free agent market has dwindled to only Sonny Milano being an option for the top nine, so the trade market could be where the Flames turn.
Brad Treliving loves working in the shadows, as no one expected or even heard about the Tkachuk trade return until it was announced. These are moves that could happen tomorrow, or you know, much later on in the season around the 2022–23 NHL Trade Deadline.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
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