The common theme in today’s Calgary Flames Armchair GM proposals is Alberta-born players. With the NHL on a roster freeze through the Olympics, this gives teams plenty of time to stew over potential moves or the itch to make one. As each day passes, we are one day closer to that March 6th deadline.
All of the trades below are real trades people have submitted on Puckpedia.com.
Joel Hanley goes to Buffalo
Kicking things off, we have Joel Hanley heading to the Buffalo Sabres for Calgary-born Peyton Krebs. Krebs is a 25-year-old centre who will be an RFA at the end of the season. The Flames are looking to get younger, but with an overcrowded forward group, does it make sense? Krebs has never scored more than 10 goals in a season. Do the Flames really need another struggling forward?
Verdict: Doesn’t make sense. You’re adding a player with team control, but is he just a Morgan Frost 2.0?
Welcome to the Shark Tank
The Flames acquired Zach Whitecloud in the Rasmus Andersson trade. Whitecloud is an RHD that could be of great use to a team with a gap. The Flames are not that team.
Could they help out the San Jose Sharks by acquiring Timothy Liljegren? The Flames would be acquiring two young prospects and another second-round pick in exchange for Liljegren’s cap hit. I’m not against this. Max Heise is a Calgarian, currently playing in the WHL. The 19-year-old centre has 24 goals in 49 games.
Verdict: Yes. Liljegren is on an expiring contract, and you really don’t have any need to re-sign him. Who knows what either prospect could turn into!
Mackenzie Weegar to a Cup Favourite?
Mackenzie Weegar’s name has floated around trade speculation leading up to the break. In the past, we’ve heard Weegar say he is committed to Calgary. Recently, we haven’t heard one way or another. It’s not that he is dodging the question; it just hasn’t been directly brought up with the front-facing media. Should the Flames consider trading Weegar, I don’t think they are taking a 27 LHD, Sam Girard, but those two first-round picks would be a fantastic addition for the rebuilding team.But is this enough for Weegar, who is beloved in the room and by the fanbase?
Verdict: Reconsider it. Colorado, or any team for that matter, would need to consider a higher-end prospect and at least a second-round pick before I started looking at things a little more seriously.
Right where Philly wants ’em
The Flames acquired John Beecher off waivers earlier this season. The move never made much sense, and he has missed a bulk of time due to injury. Calgary is in the perfect spot where it can take on aging or bad contracts. Sean Coutrier is 33 years old with three seasons remaining on his current $7.75m deal. The Flyers would need to throw in something else to sweeten the deal. A cap dump can happen, but it needs to be incentivized. The Flames shouldn’t be giving up Beecher and a pick for a cap dump.
Verdict: Please send back a more attractive offer.
A duo off to Detroit?
Similar to what we saw earlier this season with packaging Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri together, I’m a hard stop on packaging Kadri and Mackenzie Weegar. You would likely get more if you traded them separately. While this futures-heavy package is enticing, especially Nate Danielson, it’s not enough to move both to Detroit.
Verdict: It’s one or the other.
Which of these Calgary Flames armchair GM trades makes the most sense? Let us know in the comments or on social media
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