The Calgary Flames traded away Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights almost two weeks ago. Since then, Calgary has struggled mightily. The club won their first game since the trade on Saturday, January 31. The five winless outings for the Flames have cost them in the standings as well, leaving them nine points outside a playoff spot. With the writing on the wall, we wanted to know whether Flames fans think Craig Conroy will make another deal before the Olympics, afterwards, or not at all. We asked, you answered.
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Will the Flames make additional trades?
We presented this poll to our readers.
Before the break
Roughly a quarter of fans think Conroy is going to pull the trigger on a trade offer prior to the Olympic trade freeze starting Wednesday, February 4. The Flames have certainly received healthy offers for Blake Coleman, Nazem Kadri, and MacKenzie Weegar, whose name has even entered the rumour mill alongside his hometown Ottawa Senators.
Although there are certainly deals on the table, Conroy has displayed a lot of patience in the trade market, notably with his veteran players. All three of the aforementioned names will have to bring the Flames a return fit to knock the socks off Murray Edwards Swiss banker.
The standings are starting to separate further, and the schedule post-Olympic break will not get lighter. The significant crunch felt around the league with this condensed schedule will certainly make depth an even bigger consideration when looking to compete for a Stanley Cup. Craig could catch a GM on their heels this week, eager to have some roster security before the break.
After the break
The most popular response this week, roughly 70% of respondents think the Flames will hold onto their assets until after the Olympic trade freeze. The trade freeze will occur from February 4 at 3 p.m. ET to February 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Following the freeze, NHL teams will have 12 days before the trade deadline on March 6. Still a considerable amount of time for haggling as far as Conroy is concerned.
Holding onto assets until after the break is risky only if you have players headed to the games. For the Flames, no notable trade chips will be headed to Milan. The flip side is that the teams with heavy Olympic representation run a substantially higher risk of injury and overall exhaustion by playoff time. Holding on to trade chips is a really smart move right now. The likelihood that a playoff team gets desperate after a rough start post-Olympic break is high; might as well wait for the highest bidder.
Imagine Kadri’s value, rested, with a team like Carolina, or back to Colorado. Not to mention players like Blake Coleman could be the key to winning a Cup this year more than ever. I like the idea of being patient this time around; it seems like making a trade before the Olympics would take a mind-blowing offer.
They’re done trading
With that being said, it might take a mind-blowing offer altogether. Less than 5% of fans think the Flames will not trade another player before the deadline. It has been evident that Calgary does not want the franchise described using words like: rebuild/rebiggle/retool/refresh, or any words with the prefix “re.” However, management does seem to be softening with its bloodthirsty desire to win games at all costs with the oldest average lineup they can offer.
Sure, the Flames could get high lottery odds. But that all so valuable culture is still being heavily considered. Don’t want to trade away all that good ol’ fashioned veteran talent. I agree in some part, Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri would be great to have around a young superstar.
With both players under contract still, I don’t see either being moved unless they take the step to ask for a change or outright approve it. Although few fans think the Flames should hold on till the offseason to make trades, I think the majority would agree with the Flames’ front office.
Headed for the NHL Draft lottery
With the Flames’ recent slide and tough schedule headed back from the Olympic break, it seems Calgary’s fate is set for the draft lottery. If another piece leaves Calgary, there will certainly be another drastic impact. Despite Zach Whitecloud’s immediate impact and positive influence on the room and fans alike, it’s difficult to replace big pieces of your lineup midseason, no matter who they are.
If the Flames do move on from either Coleman or Kadri, the team will definitely take a hit, and I’m sure, continue to work the phones with AHL call-ups. The trend seems to have been younger and more realistic as of late. Don’t get your hopes up, Murray won’t be easy to convince.
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