Craig Conroy officially traded Nikita Zadorov to the Vancouver Canucks this week, after a very public trade request was made by him and his agent. Conroy made it clear that the Flames would move him only on their terms, however, he made the deal a lot sooner than some may have anticipated. The Flames GM has shown that he isn’t shy of pulling the trigger if he believes it is a fair deal, and does not want to wait until the trade deadline. With this in mind, and with the names of Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, and Noah Hanifin in the trade rumors as well, when does Conroy make his next move? We asked, you answered.
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Predicting the next trade
We presented the below poll to our readers.
Before Christmas
27% of readers believe that Conroy makes a trade before Christmas. If this were to occur, I believe it would be a trade revolving around some of the smaller names on the trade board, like a Dan Vladar or Tanev trade. I’m sure the Flames management are just itching to get Wolf up on the roster, and they must not want him to spend another full season in the AHL. I think if anything, a Vladar trade by Christmas sounds pretty promising. What a great Christmas gift that would be for Dustin Wolf.
Early New Year
Most votes went toward the early new year as the time for the next trade. Conroy has continuously said that he has a plan for this team. However, does this plan involve a wait and see approach for this roster? Maybe Conroy has decided to give the team until the end of 2023 to show what they can do, before he decides how many players he needs to trade this year. Though he traded Zadorov, his trade request was very public, and it had started to impact the room. Additionally, Zadorov was not playing well for the Flames as soon as the request was made. I think if Conroy could have had it his way, he may have waited longer to see what value he could’ve got for Zadorov.
Close to All Star Break
Only 16% of readers believe Conroy’s next move comes close to the All Star break. I’m not too sure if it would make sense for Conroy to make a trade around this time unless it is a minor one. At this point, it would be more worth it for the GM to hold on to his assets and start a bidding war that carries over towards the trade deadline. If Conroy is looking at selling his players at this point of the season, the direction for the team has already been set. May as well maximize the value that the franchise can get back through the trade.
Trade Deadline
This time is crucial for some of the names that Conroy may need to trade this year. Zadorov, Vladar, and maybe even Tanev can be trades that occur before the trade deadline. But, if Lindholm and Hanifin are going to be traded, it is vital that Conroy waits to trade them near the trade deadline. These are two of the top players available this year, and there will no doubt be a bidding war for them. All Conroy should do is sit back, and collect all the offers that teams are giving him. Once the trade deadline comes, teams might be willing to offer a premium package to Conroy to secure one of these players. The value they bring is too large to trade them too early.
Open for business
This season is going to be a very interesting one for the franchise. Is now the time that the teams fully commits to a direction? Are we beginning to see a new age for the franchise? If one thing is certain, it’s that the Flames are open for business, and teams should not be shy to give them a call.
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