The Calgary Flames finally picked up a couple of wins, but fell in the shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Still, their recent performance has bumped their record up to 4–7–2. They still however sit 30th in the league. Given the Flames’ rough start, the topic of a retool or even a rebuild has been at the forefront in Calgary. It’s gotten to the point where even major media members like Eric Francis have discussed a looming rebuild in Calgary as the team has halted all contract talks for unrestricted and restricted free agents alike.
Calgary Flames trade candidates
So if the Flames did finally decide to pull the trigger and rebuild once and for all, who could potentially be on the way out in Calgary to start building for the future? Let’s break down the Flames’ current roster.
No reason not to trade them
These names are no-brainers for trades and a rebuild virtually needs to see these players traded if it’s to be successful.
Elias Lindholm
You knew Elias Lindholm’s name would come up first here. Lindholm is without question the key piece for any pending Flames rebuild. The 28-year-old top line centre is a pending UFA and is the most valuable piece at the Flames’ disposal if they decide to reset the roster. The Flames were reportedly offering Lindholm in the neighbourhood of $9 million a year before breaking off contract talks. With the direction the team is heading, there is zero reason to continue any talks with Lindholm at this point and the full focus should be on finding him a new home before the trade deadline passes. Anything else would be an organizational failure.
Lindholm would provide the Flames with a real solid starting block to a rebuild and instantly restock their cupboards with picks and prospects, something the Flames desperately need. Despite his slow start he still carries a strong reputation around the league due to his 42-goal, Selke finalist season in 2021–22.
Lindholm could realistically fetch the Flames a first-round pick, top prospect, and young roster player at the trade deadline this year, similar to the Bo Horvat deal from last season. Or perhaps an elite prospect on the outs like Kent Johnson in Columbus?
The bottom line is there is zero reason to consider keeping Lindholm if the Flames rebuild, and trading him would be crucial to kicking off a successful rebuild given the assets he could bring back.
Noah Hanifin
Noah Hanifin is in the exact same position as Lindholm and should without question be one of the first Flames moved if they enter a rebuild. The Flames were reportedly very close to handing Hanifin a giant $50 million contract before Hanifin decided to walk away from contract talks due to the team’s rough start. Now a trade out of town should be the only option if the team goes forward with a rebuild.
Just like Lindholm, Hanifin’s a pending UFA and carries high value around the league due to his age and spot in the lineup. Outside of Lindholm, Hanifin is the Flames’ most valuable trade chip if they enter a rebuild and there is absolutely no reason not to move him before the trade deadline.
As a 26-year-old top-four defenceman with over 600 games under his belt, Hanifin would garner a ton of attention across the league if he was made available near the trade deadline. The Flames could likely get back something along the lines of the price they paid for Dougie Hamilton back in the day: a first-round pick and two second-rounders.
If you’re entering a rebuild, adding as many top 64 picks as you can is crucial and Hanifin would no doubt bring back a couple. There’s just no world where either signing or holding onto Hanifin makes much sense.
Chris Tanev
Like the two names above, Chris Tanev will be a UFA at the end of the season. That alone makes it so that there’s no reason not to trade him before the deadline. Unlike Hanifin and Lindholm who are still relatively young, Tanev is in his mid-30s meaning there is really no justification for extending him on a rebuilding team, leaving a trade as the only choice.
Tanev is still an incredibly valuable and useful NHL defenceman for his age and has been one of the NHL’s best defensive defencemen this season. His xGA/60 ranks top 30 among all regular NHL defencemen this season. He’s the exact type of sturdy veteran defenceman NHL teams drool over on deadline day.
If Ben Chiarot and Jake McCabe can get first-round picks at the trade deadline, there’s no reason Tanev can’t. As a veteran player and pending UFA, Tanev should absolutely be moved this season to get future assets back for a rebuild. If you can yield a high return for a veteran who is likely to walk for nothing anyway, you jump on that opportunity every day of the week.
Daniel Vladar
Daniel Vladar’s name has been on the trade block for months now but a trade hasn’t materialized yet. With that said there’s no world where the Flames shouldn’t still be looking to move him, especially if they enter a rebuild.
The backup goalie is in the first year of a two-year deal that pays him $2.2 million AAV but his results have really dropped over the past calendar year. That doesn’t mean there isn’t still a market for him. NHL teams are always looking for NHL goaltending help, especially as the season goes on and injuries occur.
The only argument for not trading Vladar is to protect Dustin Wolf from a tanking team in a free fall. You’d much rather have a veteran goalie suiting up behind a tanking roster versus a prospect with limited NHL action.
That said you can only keep Wolf in the AHL for so long and Vladar really doesn’t have a long-term future in Calgary if they enter a rebuild. If you can get even a mid-round pick for him, it’s probably worth pushing the trade call as soon as that offer is on the table.
Nikita Zadorov
In case you didn’t know, the Flames have a plethora of pending UFAs despite Craig Conroy’s promise this wouldn’t be the case. Regardless, one of the lower profile ones is Nikita Zadorov who is in an interesting spot right now. Or, at least he was until literally last night.
Zadorov has reportedly requested a trade, and this might push him up to a top priority in terms of getting a good return on a defender whose career was rejuvenated after landing in Calgary. Of all the team’s pending UFAs, no one had made it more clear that he wanted to remain with the team. And then it all changed and came as a bit of a blindside.
At 28 years old and playing the best hockey of his career the past two years in Calgary, it makes sense that Zadorov would be interested in sticking around. We don’t know what has gone on in the locker room with the team’s rough start, but regardless of Zadorov’s own sentiments, the Flames should absolutely be exploring a trade.
As mentioned Zadorov has played the best hockey of his career in Calgary and his status around the league has greatly risen since the Flames paid a third-round pick for him in 2021. Extending Zadorov wouldn’t have been a terrible idea considering the team will likely have a ton of holes on the blueline next year and Zadorov clearly loves the city of Calgary, but if he’s feeling like he needs a new scene, there’s not much you can do.
If the Flames can get back a top-60 pick for him, it’d be a big win. Zadorov brings the grit and tenacity that contenders love to acquire going into the playoffs so there’s a very real possibility getting back a second-round pick or even a first-round pick could happen. Paging Brad Treliving.
Trades should be explored
Before Zadorov put in his trade request, he was in this list. Someone who could go either direction as a part of a rebuild or netting decent returns. However, this list has dwindled to just one.
Dillon Dube
Dillon Dube’s 2023–24 has been a mess. After a career-high 45 points last season, the 25-year-old has struggled out of the gate this year with just five points in 11 games. He’s also averaging under 15 minutes a night and has found himself playing on the fourth line at times. It’s clear that it may be time for the Flames and Dube to break up. As a pending RFA, the urgency to trade Dube isn’t as high as some other players, but at this point, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to extend Dube. At the very least, moving him should be explored.
Despite his struggles, he could still command a decent return around the league, especially since he’ll still be under team control as an RFA after the season ends so he won’t be a pure rental. He’s a quick, speedy winger who put up 45 points just last year. Perhaps some other teams around the league think they can finally unlock Dube’s full potential?
The Flames have to be considering moving Dube as it just hasn’t worked in Calgary thus far outside of one season, and given his age and RFA status you’d likely be able to get some decent future assets in return. At this point extending a 25-year-old Dube doesn’t make a whole lot of sense if you’re rebuilding.
Will only be dealt in a full tear-down
How far might the Flames go in the direction of a rebuild? The easiest way to answer is to see what they do with Markstrom.
Jacob Markstrom
The Flames’ rough start to the year has distracted from the fact that Jacob Markstrom has rebounded from his disastrous 2022–23 season and has arguably been the Flames’ best player to start the season. He currently ranks sixth in the NHL for GSAx at 7.22 and at times looks like the Markstrom that was among the best goalies in the world in 2021–22.
His issue is that despite making bigger saves, he’s not closing out games as decisively as he could be, as he’s plagued by letting in some easier, low-danger goals still. That said, his value will be immense for any team that needs a goalie, and that list still includes the Calgary Flames.
If the Flames are looking to truly tear things down and start fresh with a blank slate—which is unlikely—Markstrom could be dealt. His contract would cause some obstacles, but with only two years left on his deal the Flames shouldn’t have a problem retaining some money if necessary or taking on a bad contract in return.
Markstrom could likely fetch a decent return from a contender in desperate need of a true number-one goalie. Cough Oilers Cough. If the Flames do decide to go scorched earth, there’s no reason not to explore moving Markstrom given the team wouldn’t be competitive for a couple of years anyway.
Having a game-stealing goalie on a tanking roster can hurt a team’s chances of earning high picks—just ask the Montreal Canadiens. If the Flames really want to commit to a full-on rebuild, moving Markstrom and going with a Vladar, Oskar Dansk tank tandem would make a lot of sense.
One sticking point is of course Markstrom’s full no-movement clause for the duration of his contract, however, it likely wouldn’t take much convincing if the Flames had a trade lined up to send the 33-year-old to a contending team in the mix for the Cup.
Contracts make it unlikely
The writing is on the wall with these players. Trading them would put them in a full rebuild mode too, but there’s a low chance any of the other 31 teams would want to entertain trades.
Jonathan Huberdeau
What was supposed to be a rebound season for Jonathan Huberdeau in 2023–24 has quickly turned into a disaster. Huberdeau sits with just seven points in 12 games and was benched for an entire period earlier this week. Now nearing the 100-game mark as a Flame, Huberdeau has yet to find his game. If the Flames do enter a rebuild, Huberdeau’s name will no doubt come up in discussions. In saying that however, his contract makes it nearly impossible to deal him right now.
First off his $10.5 million cap hit is among the highest in the entire league, and there are seven more years left on his deal. As long as he’s producing as a third liner, there aren’t going to be many suitors. Even if the Flames wanted to move him and if there was a team interested, it would take a ton of maneuvering to offload his contract. At that point, it’s not even worth it for the Flames as they’d have to either retain a tonne of money or take back other bad contracts. It’s more worth it to hold onto Huberdeau into a rebuild to reach the cap floor and hope he has an Erik Karlsson-esque bounce back and his value rises.
Nazem Kadri
Nazem Kadri’s case is pretty similar to Huberdeau’s in that even if the Flames wanted to move him and there were teams interested, his contract makes it incredibly difficult to create a trade that makes sense for Calgary. Kadri had a really rough start to the season and even though he’s turned it around lately, it’s still alarming how poor he played at the beginning of the year considering he has another five years left on a deal at an AAV of $7 million. He’s also already 33 years old. In other words, there aren’t going to be a lot of takers for Kadri who won’t expect to be compensated for taking on his deal.
Unlike Huberdeau, Kadri’s deal is very buyoutable and if the Flames did want to cut ties with Kadri, it could make a lot more sense to simply buy him out instead of trying to move him in a deal you’d likely have to give up other assets in. At this time it seems pretty unlikely he’ll be dealt in the near future if the Flames rebuild. He’ll either be held onto to reach the cap floor or simply bought out.
Blake Coleman
Yet another aging veteran on a long-term deal, moving Blake Coleman and his contract would be tough for the Flames. Coleman will turn 32 later this month and still has another three years left on his deal that pays him $4.9 million AAV. He’s also never been a top-of-the-lineup guy like Kadri or Huberdeau which makes moving him even more difficult as he ages.
If the Flames did want to move him, they’d likely have to retain money or include other assets which just doesn’t make sense for a rebuilding team. You’re better off holding onto him so you can get to the cap floor and riding out his contract while you rebuild the roster.
Up to the player
Lastly, there’s one player who is in full control of his own fate.
Mikael Backlund
The only player in this category for obvious reasons. Despite rumours that Mikael Backlund may look to sign elsewhere when his contract expires in order to challenge for a Stanley Cup, he decided to re-sign in Calgary and was quickly named captain. Well, now it appears the Flames may be looking at a rebuild much sooner than anticipated which will surely make Backlund question his future in Calgary.
As expected, Backlund was given a full no-movement clause on his new two-year $4.5 million AAV deal that kicks in next season. If the Flames continue on their downward spiral and commit to a rebuild, Backlund would be a piece that could certainly be moved for assets given he’s still an impact player on a relatively cheap, short-term deal. That said it will be completely up to Backlund if he wants to stick around to finish his career in Calgary despite the team being nowhere close to the playoffs, or if he wants to go to a contender for one final shot at a Cup. Whatever decision he makes will dictate his future and if he’s dealt in a rebuild.
What’s next for Calgary
Trade one or trade them all, there’s no telling what the Flames will do. Either way, they have a ticking clock and the rest of the league isn’t going to make things easy for Conroy just cause he’s the most positive guy in the room. There’s work to be done. Let’s get to it.
Photo by Aman Kurji.
