The 2025 NHL trade deadline is less than a month away, and there have already been significant trades all around the league. The Calgary Flames were one of the teams that made a splash, acquiring Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Philadelphia Flyers two weeks ago.
The Flames are in an intriguing spot with the trade deadline fast approaching. They’re currently on the outside looking in, as they stand three points back of a wildcard spot heading into the break. GM Craig Conroy has stated that the team intends to make the playoffs this season, so will that affect his deadline plans? What should fans expect from the Flames as March 7th approaches, and does it make sense to add at this time?
The next few weeks will dictate everything
When the Flames return from the break, they’ll be in for a tough ride. Four out of the next five games are against playoff teams, with some of them being top contenders in the league such as Florida, Carolina, and Washington, and it doesn’t get any easier from there. The remaining schedule could change the Flames’ plans for this season depending on how they perform. It’ll be an important stretch of hockey indeed.
Ever since the Flames made their trade with the Flyers, they’ve posted a record of 1-3-1. The team simply hasn’t looked very good, as their weaknesses are getting heavily exposed. If the team underperforms, could it steer management towards changing their minds on the status of the team’s veterans? The Flames have come out and said that they wouldn’t be entertaining trade offers for players such as MacKenzie Weegar, Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson, but could that change following a rocky road trip or two? We shall see.
The Flames may be quiet buyers
Let’s flip the script now. What if the Flames end up finding success and get back into a wildcard spot? Assuming they get a couple of winning streaks going and win some important games, things could fall right back into favour quickly.
If that’s the case then I believe the Flames could be in the market for some players. Looking at their trade with the Flyers, the Flames made it happen because the players they acquired fit their timeline and made sense for the team to add. Frost is a center and Farabee is a young winger with term.
The Flames will likely get Kevin Bahl and Connor Zary back by the time the break is over, which is surely going to help. However, if the team gets into a playoff spot by the time the deadline rolls around, then I believe Conroy may look for some additional depth for the team. Whether he trades for another depth defender or forward for cheap, the Flames aren’t going to let opportunities of making the playoffs slip by.
Don’t expect any big additions or splashes
Given the position the Flames are in, making a big addition makes little to no sense. The team shouldn’t be in the market for rentals or big names for obvious reasons, but maybe that changes in the offseason.
I also expect the Flames to be a team that other GMs contact regarding salary retention. Given how much cap space Calgary has, acting as the third team in a trade to retain salary for some assets makes all the sense in the world. Be a broker in a deal and get a draft pick or two out of it.
As March 7th approaches, the Flames still have time to determine what they’ll want to do. If they decide to be passive buyers, then don’t expect any big names coming the team’s way. If they struggle with the remainder of their schedule, plans could change with the team potentially being open for business.
