The Calgary Flames trade deadline approach could be an interesting predicament. With 64 points on the year so far, the team sits fourth in the Pacific Division, one point up on the Vancouver Canucks.
However, despite that, they are just five points up from 23rd overall, which is the 10th-worst spot in the league. Dropping down would put them in the wild card going into the draft, which would be good for the long-term future of this team.
This poses a unique problem for Craig Conroy and company going into next week’s NHL Trade Deadline. Do the Flames buy, sell, or hold going towards the end of the season?
No matter what they do, the Flames will have to look at their existing team and other assets to assess what they want to do. Here’s who the Flames have to play with going into the deadline and the likelihood of a trade.
Untouchable players
Dustin Wolf
This one is a no-brainer. Wolf is the best young netminder in the league, on the shortlist for the Calder Trophy, and could even break Mike Vernon’s rookie goalie wins record. Despite the few good years of Jacob Markstrom, this franchise hasn’t had consistent goaltending since Miikka Kiprusoff. They are not trading Wolf.
Connor Zary
Connor Zary has emerged as an exceptional young centreman for this organization, and despite his injury, has been one of the brightest spots on the team this season. The team will be looking at Zary as a key part of their rebuild and an anchor down the middle. At this point, the Flames aren’t trading him.
Zayne Parekh
Another no-brainer. Parekh is on pace for his second 90+ point season in the OHL, which would make him the first defenceman since Bruce Cassidy to do so in the OHL in his D+0 and D+1 seasons, and would be the first defenceman in any league to have back-to-back 30 goal seasons in their D+0 and D+1 years. His numbers are unbelievable and he’s not getting traded.
Matt Coronato
Coronato has blossomed this season in Calgary, forming an excellent partnership with Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund for much of the year. However, it’s clear that Coronato has even more offence to give, as he showed with a wicked goal against the Washington Capitals the other night. Coronato could be a top line winger in a year or two and this team that is prioritizing youth isn’t going to trade that away.
Players nobody is trading for
Jonathan Huberdeau
Despite his resurgence, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to trade for Jonathan Huberdeau. With his contract value, contract structure, and full no-movement clause, it makes it nearly impossible for the Flames to get rid of Huberdeau, especially at the deadline.
Kevin Rooney
This one goes without saying. Most teams have their own Kevin Rooney equivalent on the roster and for those that don’t, players like him come onto the waiver wire all the time. Given the Oilers could put Derek Ryan through waivers and retain him, it seems unlikely that any team will spend assets on Rooney.
Adam Klapka
Ditto above, every team has an Adam Klapka-type player in their lineup, and players like him are dime-a-dozen on waivers. While he is very large, teams are not going to pay assets for someone they can get for free.
Want to see what tradeline hot takes from The Win Column and our friends up north at The Oil Rig had about the Flames and Oilers heading into the trade deadline? Check out the latest episode of our Fuel and Fire Podcast here:
Highly unlikely to be moved
MacKenzie Weegar
It could make a lot of sense for the Flames to look to move Weegar, but given how long he is signed for, his play of late, and the way he speaks about the team and the city, the Flames are highly unlikely to trade him at the Deadline. Weegar should have been on Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and while he will likely have teams calling about him, it doesn’t seem like a move the Flames will want to make.
Yegor Sharangovich
Yegor Sharangovich has not been good this season at all, which makes it hard to move him to start. Add in his newly signed contract, it seems very unlikely that teams will be interested in him anyway. This is unfortunate, as the Flames could have really used his cap room elsewhere.
Kevin Bahl
What a revelation Kevin Bahl has been this season. Bahl has quietly been one of the team’s best blueliners, and has established himself firmly on the team’s top pairing. The defensive defenceman has been so good, it’s hard to think that this team misses Chris Tanev at all. It’s unlikely they move him.
Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost
The Flames have just acquired both players from the Philadelphia Flyers, and both have fit in extremely well in Calgary to this point. Both also fit the age range that the Flames are trying to go for right now. While the right offer may change things, it seems unlikely that the Flames will move on from either at the deadline.
Reasonably unlikely to be moved
Mikael Backlund
Despite Backlund’s struggles this season, the Flames’ longest tenured player is still a very effective shutdown centreman against other team’s top lines. On top of that, being the team’s captain makes it even less likely that Conroy and company will look to move him midseason.
Ryan Lomberg
Ryan Lomberg is a fine hockey player on his best day, but he’s a chemistry guy who chose to play in Calgary. The Flames know they need a player like that in their room—moving him seems unlikely. On top of that, he’s probably not worth much.
Trades may arise
Martin Pospisil
This has not been a great year for Pospisil in Calgary. After a stellar rookie year last year, the forward has not only not been as strong offensively, but has also not been as effective of a pest as he was last season. However, given his cap hit and history, teams may inquire after his services going into the playoffs. If they feel he can go back to his previous production, there may be an offer for him. However, the Flames will be selling low on him, which may decrease his value.
Blake Coleman
The Texas Tiger has been exceptionally effective in his time in Calgary, but with two seasons left on his contract at 33-years-old, it may be time for Coleman to join a contender. A Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Coleman will be in demand for sure by teams looking for a reliable two-way winger who can play both sides, but the Flames will need a really strong offer to get rid of him.
Any of the Flames’ depth blueliners
The Flames have a lot of depth defencemen in the lineup, and any one of them could be a potential trade target. Between Joel Hanley, Brayden Pachal, Daniil Miromanov, Ilya Solovyov, Jake Bean, and Tyson Barrie, teams will likely be asking about any one of them. For the Flames, this feels like the most natural trade chip.
GM Brad Treliving was famous for spending a mid-round pick for a depth defenceman at the deadline, and this low-risk, low-return more is very common for GMs at the deadline. Of this lot, Hanley will likely be the one that they move on from, given Pachal’s new contract, Miromanov’s struggles, Bean’s close ties to Calgary, Solovyov’s age, and Barrie’s performance.
Top of the list to be traded
Here’s where things get interesting. If the Flames do make any trades, these names are the candidates. It doesn’t mean it will happen, but it would be tidy work from the team to prioritize their future contention window.
Rasmus Andersson
Despite the Flames being public about their desire to keep Andersson, there will likely be a lot of interest in the Swedish international. While this hasn’t been his best season, Andersson is a personality on and off the ice, and his very reasonable salary cap hit makes him a player that teams will inquire about for sure this deadline.
Andersson has just one more season under contract after this one, and the Flames will have to think carefully about whether they want to extend him or not. He has been a Flame his entire career, but now as he approaches 30, the blueliner will be looking for a sizable increase and a long-term deal. This may not make sense with where the team is currently, but good defencemen don’t come around too often.
There are a lot of teams across the league that could use Andersson in their lineup, especially going into the playoffs. And while Conroy has been clear that he wants to keep Andersson, that may change if the right offer comes along.
Dan Vladar
This was supposed to be a tandem year for Vladar and Wolf, but it has become abundantly clear who the starting goalie should be and unfortunately for Vladar, it’s not him. For the Flames, moving the Czech netminder would make a lot of sense in exchange for a draft pick. While he will likely not fetch more than a third-round pick, it’s better than losing him for nothing when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The challenge right now is that there doesn’t appear to be much of a market for goaltenders despite there being a number of teams in need of one. Hopefully this forms in the next week and the Flames are able to recoup value for Vladar. Even if the Flames make it into the playoffs, their success or failure will come with Wolf and not Vladar.
Nazem Kadri
Kadri has been the Flames’ best player this season, and is likely at the top of his value given both his age and production. As a centreman with a Stanley Cup ring and a name as a playoff performer, he seems like exactly what teams will inquire about.
While it will be hard to move him given his remaining contract, if there is an offer on the table, the Flames should look to move and could potentially retain to make it happen.
What to expect this deadline?
What the Flames do at the deadline is anyone’s guess, but the smart thing for Conroy to do is to be a moderate seller. The Flames should try to move two or three pieces in exchange for young NHL-ready roster pieces that fit the needs of this team. For the Flames, this means parting with some of Andersson, Coleman, Kadri, and Vladar, and instead trying to acquire a young centreman or winger in exchange.
The New York Rangers moved Kappo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken earlier in the year, and that would be the type of player the Flames should target. If Marco Rossi or Quinton Byfield are available, and rumours would suggest they might be, the Flames should be all over both of them. Both Minnesota and the Los Angeles Kings are right in the thick of the playoffs, but both could use an additional piece or two to really take them over the edge.
Adding a player like this would make the Flames younger and sleeker, and while it may not pay dividends right off the hop this season, it will strongly benefit them in the years to come. The Flames have had a tendency to give their players a lot of leverage in contract negotiations under Craig Conroy, but it’s now time for him to make the moves that will benefit this team long-term.
