Welcome back to another edition of CapFriendly Friday! If you are unfamiliar with CapFriendly Friday, it involves looking at trade proposals submitted on CapFriendly.com‘s Armchair GM feature. These are not my proposals. The Armchair GM feature lets users like you and me become the GM of their team and make whatever moves they see fit. Before you read on, check out Q&A with CapFriendly to get insights on the inner workings of the site and some fun stories all about NHL contracts.
The Calgary Flames find themselves in the position many fans have wanted for years: a proper rebuild. Right now, they have over 21M in cap space, which is the most in the NHL! We wanted to take a look at what fans were proposing the Flames do next. So, let’s take a look and evaluate some of these proposals!
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 the most intriguing one I found, which involves the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks exchanging overpaid players:
Flames and Sharks trade bad contracts
This is a super fun start. Neither Jonathan Huberdeau nor Logan Couture‘s contracts are looked at very favourably. However, Couture’s (8M x 3 years) ends a lot sooner than Huberdeau’s (10.5M x 7). It’s also worth mentioning that Huberdeau has a full No-Move Clause, and Couture has a 3 Team Trade Clause, so both would have to waive to make this deal happen.
I think the Flames would be all over this deal just to have the contract that ends sooner. However, if the Sharks are looking for a younger player who can play wing next to Macklin Celebrini or Will Smith, could Huberdeau fit that bill? Ultimately I think the Flames would have to add significant assets to make this deal go through, considering how much longer Huberdeau’s contract goes for. But this is an interesting proposal to get our minds working.
Kuzmenko dealt to Buffalo
Andrei Kuzmenko seems like the next guy the Flames deal. He had a massive impact after coming over from Vancouver, but I don’t think he fits with the Flames’ plans going forward. They have a plethora of wingers already. So, in this proposal, he is sent to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Jordan Greenway and Isak Rosen.
On the surface, this is way too much in exchange for Kuzmenko. But who knows? If he continues to rip it up like he did last year, maybe there will be a bidding war for his services. In this deal, though, I think it’s too much from Buffalo’s perspective. Greenway is a good middle-six option, while Rosen is a recent high draft pick (14th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft) who scored 50 points in 67 games in the AHL this past year.
Hurricanes load up with Andersson and Coleman
Rasmus Andersson and Blake Coleman do strike you as two trade candidates if the rebuild really goes scorched earth. Coleman signed here with the assumption they were going to be competitive. Andersson has been here for his entire career but might want greener pastures elsewhere. This feels like more of a deadline deal than something that would occur this summer.
As for the value from the Carolina Hurricanes, Blake is the main piece and a pretty good one. He lit up the NCAA last year with 60 points in 40 games. But I don’t think this is nearly enough from the Hurricanes’ perspective. I also don’t really see the need for the Hurricanes to go out and get Andersson, given their defence is pretty well set with Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker, Dmitry Orlov, Brent Burns, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Jalen Chatfield. Unless they see Andersson as the long-term replacement for Burns, who is in the last year of his deal?
The Flames get assets for taking on Trouba’s contract
A contract that has been talked about extensively for the last month or so is Jacob Trouba. He’s the New York Rangers’ captain, but his play has slipped, and he did not look good in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has two years remaining at an 8M cap hit. The speculation around him has continued to swirl as his full No-Move Clause transferred to a 15 Team No-Trade List on July 1. That gives the Rangers a little bit of flexibility to explore moving him. I would bet the Flames are on that list, but who knows. Trouba might be strategically placing teams on that list in an attempt to stay in New York.
As for the suggested deal, that’s a lot to give up, but Trouba’s contract is also *a lot*. Kaapo Kakko would be a perfect candidate for the Flames to buy on and see if he can reach his potential. Drafted second overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Kakko seemed to find his step with 40 points in 82 games in 2022–23 but regressed with 19 points in 61 games in 2023–24. He might be a guy who pops if given a bigger opportunity. Brett Berard is a good but undersized prospect. I love that this user put “tickets to the stampede” instead of future considerations. Maybe Chris Drury is a big rodeo guy?
Flames take on Ceci’s cap hit for a high future
The Edmonton Oilers have negative cap space at the moment, so they might have to make a move. Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway are still RFAs. Evander Kane‘s status remains up in the air, so if he isn’t healthy, that gives the Oilers a cop-out. They could place Kane on LTIR and use his 5.125M salary to sign the two RFAs and become compliant. But if Kane is healthy, they’ll need to make other moves. The obvious one is Cody Ceci, whom they were experimenting with trading at last year’s trade deadline. He’s well-liked in the Oilers locker room, but he was definitely a sore spot in the playoffs.
To become compliant, this user has the Oilers shipping off Ceci and his 3.25M cap hit, as well as their 2026 first, for Brayden Pachal. On the surface, this makes sense. The Flames use their cap space to gain a high future and will attempt to pry up Ceci’s game to flip him at the deadline. They lose Pachal, who was a waiver claim this past year and fit in really well. He would be a solid six/seven option for the Oilers. I think a first is a little high to attach to one year of Ceci’s deal. It would likely be closer to a second or a third. That’s definitely something that makes sense for both clubs.
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