After winning seven of their last nine games, the Calgary Flames are once again firmly in the mushy middle of the NHL standings. Sitting 21st in the league and within striking distance of a wild card spot, the Flames are staring down some tough decisions as we near the trade deadline on March 8.
One name that hasn’t been discussed in trade rumours much but would garner a ton of attention on the trade market is Blake Coleman. Coleman is currently in the midst of the best season of his career at age 32 and has come out of nowhere to lead the Flames in scoring. With the Flames’ future uncertain, it could make a lot of sense to explore the trade market for Coleman while his value is higher than it’s ever been.
So why should the Flames at least explore the idea of trading Coleman? Let’s take a deeper look.
Coleman’s producing like a first line forward
As mentioned, Coleman is having an incredible year for the Flames. So much so that he’s on track to shatter his previous career-highs from last season. Here are his current totals as well as his current pace. His team rank on the Flames is in brackets.
| Stat | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Coleman | 20 (1st) | 18 (T-3rd) | 38 (1st) |
| 82 game pace | 37 | 34 | 71 |
As it stands he’s currently first on the Flames for goals and points, and third for assists behind only Nazem Kadri and Elias Lindholm. He’s just three goals shy of passing his career high goal total of 22 and has already tied his career-high point total of 38. A reminder that we’re only 44 games into the season.
I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted that a 32-year-old Coleman who has historically been a middle-six winger his entire career would be posting first line winger numbers for the Flames and on pace for nearly 40 goals and over 70 points. He’s seemingly gone from a complementary piece to a serious offensive weapon and a key player for the Flames.
Here’s how his totals rank compared to all forwards league-wide.
| Goals | Assists | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Coleman | 20 | 18 | 38 |
| League rank among forwards | 22nd | 88th | 47th |
There’s a reason Coleman was drawing some attention for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game the past couple of weeks. He hasn’t just been one of the Flames’ best forwards this season, he’s been one of the best forwards in the entire NHL, period. In particular, his 20 goals rank 22nd in the NHL among forwards. That’s tied with the likes of J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider and ahead of superstars like Steven Stamkos, Clayton Keller, Mitch Marner, and Jake Guentzel to name a few.
In terms of points, he ranks inside the top 50 league-wide among forwards and ahead of established top line forwards like Evgeni Malkin, John Tavares, and Kevin Fiala among others. He’s been that good this season offensively, which typically isn’t his primary strength.
Coleman has always been known as more of a third line, defence-first player with limited offence; however, this season he’s shown he can produce like a first line winger and be a key offensive player. That’s bound to gain some attention around the league.
Coleman contributes at both ends of the ice
If there’s one thing playoff contenders love, it’s acquiring forwards who can play at both ends of the ice and contribute defensively. Coleman is the perfect example of that. As shown above, he’s been producing like a first line winger this season, but despite that, he hasn’t given up anything defensively. He’s still playing like a really strong two-way winger, a beautiful sight for any contender looking to bolster their forward group.
Below are Coleman’s numbers in some key defensive metrics and his team rank among Flames forwards.
| Stat | Blake Coleman | Rank among Flames forwards |
|---|---|---|
| CA/60 | 57.07 | 3rd |
| xGA/60 | 2.53 | 7th |
| HDCA/60 | 10.56 | 3rd |
Not only is Coleman leading the Flames in scoring, he’s also been one of their most effective players at the other end as well. It’s worth noting that he’s put up these kinds of numbers while starting 141 shifts in the defensive zone this year—the second most on the team. That represents just a 32.86% offensive zone start percentage. In other words, Coleman has been deployed in tough minutes in a shutdown role and is coming out on top most nights, while also playing at a 70-point pace.
Below is the chart of his isolated impact so far this season at both ends of the ice courtesy of HockeyViz.com. Not only is he driving offensive impact, he’s also preventing chances at the other end. Add in the fact that he’s been a key part of Calgary’s dominant penalty kill and it’s just another box checked off for any contender looking for some depth in the playoffs.
Why trading Coleman makes sense
Based on the above, you may be asking why the Flames would even want to trade Coleman given how good he’s been this year. There are a few reasons why trading him now makes a lot of sense for the Flames.
The Flames aren’t a playoff team right now
First off, the Flames are currently not a playoff team. Despite their recent run, they’re still two points back of a wild card spot and playing at a .534 point percentage. They’d have to play .650 hockey in the remaining 38 games just to hit the 95-point mark. Even then they still might miss the playoffs.
It’s easy to forget just a couple of months ago we were talking about tearing this roster down and committing to a full rebuild. A hot stretch of a couple of weeks shouldn’t erase the past year and a half of results from this roster and it certainly shouldn’t alter the direction of the organization.
I get the argument that trading one of your key players during a playoff push doesn’t make much sense, but the fact is the Flames are hanging onto their playoff hopes for dear life right now. If they were leading their division or firmly in a playoff spot I would get the sentiment, but this is a team that is very likely to miss the playoffs or get bounced in the first round. If a team offers up a big return for Coleman, it just doesn’t make much sense to turn it down given where this team is in the standings right now.
Coleman’s contract status and age
Secondly, Coleman is 32 years old and still has another three years left on his deal with an AAV of $4.9 million. Before this season started, Coleman was almost in unmovable territory due to his contract status and age. You likely would’ve needed to include an asset to move out his current contract. However given his incredibly strong first half of the season, it’s pretty much a guarantee you’d be able to move his deal and get a decent return.
There’s no reason the Flames should be ignoring the situation from just a couple of months ago. Also, 44 games is an incredibly small sample size and it’s highly unlikely Coleman will maintain this pace all season, especially not into next year. It’s easy to forget he had never hit the 40-point mark in his seven seasons prior to this one. If you’re able to get a solid return for a 32-year-old on a big contract that once seemed unmovable, you absolutely have to listen to and entertain all offers.
Coleman’s trade value has never been higher
Lastly, the most obvious argument for moving Coleman is the fact that his trade value has never been higher, and will likely never be higher than it is right now. We’re witnessing a career third liner play at a 70-point pace right now. That was unthinkable just a couple of months ago. As we enter the stretch drive and teams begin to stack up for the playoffs, Coleman would undoubtedly be one of the top forwards on the market if he were made available.
He’s a proven winner with two Stanley Cups under his belt, he’s a contributor at both ends of the ice and on the penalty kill, and he’s a veteran presence with more experience than most players in the league. That is the recipe for a giant return for the Flames.
Just four years ago Coleman was acquired by the Lightning at the trade deadline for the below package:
- To Tampa Bay: Blake Coleman
- To New Jersey: 2020 1st round pick, Nolan Foote
Yes, Coleman was only 28 at the time of this deal and on a bargain deal, but he was also in the midst of a season in which he was on pace for 45 points at the time of the deal. This year he’s on pace for over 70 points and has the winning pedigree to bolster his value now. There’s no reason to believe the Flames wouldn’t be able to at least get a late first-round pick for Coleman at the deadline if he keeps this up.
Taking advantage of a red-hot situation
For a team in the Flames’ current situation and when we consider Coleman’s value just a few months ago, getting a first-round pick in return for him would be a massive win for a team in desperate need of more young talent in the organization.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
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