Welcome back to another edition of CapFriendly Friday! If you are unfamiliar with CapFriendly Friday, it involves looking at trade proposals on CapFriendly.com‘s Armchair GM feature. The Armchair GM feature let’s users become the GM of their team, and make whatever moves they see fit.
Last week, we looked at deals involving Noah Hanifin, Roman Josi, Luke Schenn, among others. The team wasn’t in a playoff spot then. Now, with two weeks to go until the 2022-23 NHL Trade Deadline, the Flames still find themselves outside of the playoff picture. These next two weeks are extremely important, but right now, the Flames are in a pickle. The majority of fans seem to think that the team will still add, in an attempt to save the season. But, spending assets for rental players with a chance to miss is very sketchy.
Before you read on, check out our Q&A with CapFriendly to get insights on the inner workings of the site and some fun stories all about NHL contracts.
As you can probably imagine, some of these CapFriendly Friday proposals get our minds thinking and might make sense at the NHL level, while others are just straight up bonkers. I like to cover a little bit of both, so sit back, grab a snack, relax, and let’s laugh as we dive into some trade proposals. Let’s start with a trade proposal involving the Flames and Ducks.
Calgary trades for Klingberg
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggested the Flames as a potential suitor for Klingberg, namely to improve their power play. I don’t hate that idea, knowing Calgary’s defence could probably make up for Klingberg’s defensive deficiencies. As for the cost of this trade, I wouldn’t go as high as a second-rounder.
As mentioned before, trading high assets for rentals when you aren’t in a playoff spot is scary stuff. Getting Rooney’s contract off the books for next year is a positive, and this trade wouldn’t be the end of the world. That’s probably around the ballpark for an accurate price for Klingberg, I would think.
Calgary trades Mangiapane and assets for JVR
Stop it. No. Random CapFriendly Armchair GM user, why are you the way that you are? The Flames trade three assets, two of which are high value, for a pending unrestricted free agent. Calgary would still laugh even if you shift the second-rounder to the other side of the deal. I know Mangiapane hasn’t been the same as his 2021–22 self, but he’s part of the best forward line in the NHL. Absolutely a massive no to this trade.
Duclair is reunited with Huberdeau, and the Panthers receive draft picks
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided a little speculation on a recent 32 Thoughts podcast, saying “I wonder if Calgary tries to see if they can get Anthony Duclair.” We’ve looked into Duclair as a trade target for the Flames, as he checks a lot of boxes. He played the majority of last season with Jonathan Huberdeau in the latter’s record-setting 115-point, 71-assist season as a left wing.
Reconnecting Huberdeau with Duclair and trying to spark the success they had last season makes sense. For the cost proposed by this user, I think that’s pretty fair, considering Duclair has another year of term at $3M after this season. The one concern would be Duclair’s injury, as he hasn’t played a game yet in 2022–23. Though it sounds like he’s close to returning to action.
A blockbuster deal involving DeBrincat, Mangiapane, and Weegar
This would be an absolute whopper. I’m sure this got materialized after a blogger connected Weegar and the Senators yesterday, which I don’t believe to be true. The Flames love Weegar and do not plan on trading him, which I’m sure is the same situation as DeBrincat and the Sens.
If this trade were to happen, I think the general basics of this deal do make some sense. DeBrincat is exactly what the Flames need, a volume shooter with a right shot. The Sens need a defenceman and Weegar is as good a fit as any. Adding in Mangiapane makes sense to make up for the value between Weegar and DeBrincat, and the Sens throwing in a defence prospect in Thomson is a nice touch.
Markstrom is sent to the Leafs for a package including Samsonov
This is a fun one. Markstrom is the talk of the town in Flames land these days, given his horrendous season. Retaining half of Markstrom’s contract for this year and three after would be a tall task, but the return isn’t shabby at all, especially considering the seasons both Samsonov and Jarnkrok have had. You could then sign Samsonov, or flip the pending restricted free agent to another team in the summer if you think Dustin Wolf is ready. This would be a fascinating trade to make if you’re the Flames, as it would give them future flexibility, but also cost them $3M in dead space through the 2025–26 season.
Calgary plays it cool, trades a mid-round pick for Dadonov
I looked into Dadonov as a deadline target for the Flames, as he would be a minimalistic option. If the Flames are going to add, I would prefer something like this, where it’s a low price to pay. The Flames might not need to make a deal like this, but Dadonov does have a history with Huberdeau, and could help to spark him. This user also mentions that Dadonov is playing his best hockey right now, which can be clarified through his four assists in his last three games.
Calgary trades Lucic and futures for Crouse and Gostisbehere
Trading the 2023 first-rounder should be completely off the table for the Flames given their situation. But, I do like the two players coming back Calgary’s way in this deal. If Kylington isn’t coming back this year, Gostisbehere could be a good replacement in puck transition and some of the offensive tools this team is missing.
Crouse has four years left after this one, with an AAV of $4.3M. He’s had an up and down career, but he’s transitioned in a solid player this season, with 19 goals and 31 points in 50 games. This isn’t a move I would personally make, but I do like the two pieces coming over from the Yotes.
Time is ticking
These next two weeks are going to be filled with trade talk and hopefully actual trades. The Flames must continue to put their best foot forward, and try and cement themselves into a playoff position. It has the potential to be Brad Treliving’s last deadline as general manager of the Flames, so there could be some fireworks. There will be a ton of trade proposals in the coming weeks, and we will be back next Friday to discuss some more deals!
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
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