Analyzing fan-created Calgary Flames trade proposals

The Calgary Flames are only a few points out of a Wild Card spot, which is pretty miraculous considering they were hanging out at the bottom of the league not too long ago. Regardless of what the standings say, there is a lot that has to happen to be a true playoff contender.

The Flames should take a long, hard look at their roster and compare it to recent Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers or maybe a team coming out of a rebuild, like the San Jose Sharks. There is plenty of inspiration around the league. It’s up to the Flames to put in the real work and build a contending team.

Let’s take a look at some fan-created Calgary Flames trades and see if any make sense:

Zadorov back to Calgary?

Nikita Zadorov would probably chain himself to TD Garden in protest. While he enjoyed being a Flame, Zadorov was a little burnt when the Flames weren’t interested in extending him. The Flames are a forward-heavy group. They don’t need to add another bottom-six forward, especially if they are not moving on from veterans like Ryan Lomberg or Blake Coleman. Dean Letourneau is currently in his sophomore season at Boston College. He is a 6’4 centre who was drafted 25th overall in the 2024 NHL draft. I don’t think the Flames are the right fit.

Verdict: Just send the first round pick.

Another former Flame comes home?

Would the Flames be willing to help out their neighbour to the north? Andrew Mangiapane has struggled a lot this season and is one of the many names floating around. Do I love it for the sake of nostalgia? Yes, of course. Is most of the group he played with gone? Also, yes. The Flames don’t need another forward. They need to remove pieces and adjust what is in-house before bringing in more or less of what they already have.

Verdict: Sorry, Breadman, it’s a no from me.

Could desperate times call for desperate measures?

We all know the Flames could get a lot more by trading Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri separately. I don’t think the Flames even consider trading Kadri unless it’s initiated by the player. However, let’s suspend reality here for a moment or two and pretend this is something that’s cooking. Number one, is Buffalo on either of their no-trade lists? Probably. Okay, again, let’s use our imaginations here. Josh Norris is a 26-year-old centre who has 5 goals and 12 points in 13 games. Before being traded from Ottawa, Norris had had one 20-goal season. He is consistently on the score sheet. By moving on from Kadri, you do have room to adjust the lineup. Norris would be a solid addition to this Flames lineup.

Verdict: I’m on the fence about this. It doesn’t feel like enough for Calgary, but no one is trading their true stars for either Andersson or Kadri.

TorontNO way

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my standard, “Toronto has nothing of value for the Flames,” trade. I’m also going to scream from the mountaintops that Craig Conroy would probably lose his job if he tried to trade Mikael Backlund unprovoked.

Verdict: No. Please stop trying to make it happen.

What will the Calgary Flames do?

While the team has been surging of late, the reality is that this core is just not strong enough to hang with the best teams in the league. It’s more likely that this run of form fizzles out and the team finds itself back among the basement dwellers of the league. When that happens, expect a move or two around the Trade Deadline, but hopefully a better move than any of these suggestions.