Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames shocked the hockey world Thursday, dealing veteran defenceman MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth. The move came out of nowhere, with many shocked that the Flames would trade a man who seemed destined to become their next captain.
So who are the immediate winners and losers of the blockbuster deal? Let’s break it down.
Winners
The Calgary Flames lottery odds
The Flames have been in the NHL basement basically all season, with only the dreadful Canucks out of reach in 32nd. Even if they didn’t make a single trade at the deadline, they would’ve been in a prime position for their first top-five draft pick since 2014. Now though? The Flames are surely one of the favourites to land a top-three pick in June.
Weegar was a massive part of the Flames’ blueline, averaging over 23 minutes a game. No offence to Olli Maatta, but no one is filling the massive hole Weegar has left on an already weak blueline. The Flames are now in a prime position to lose a ton of games to close out the season and cement themselves in the Gavin McKenna lottery.
Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz
Flames fans have been begging for expanded roles for two of the team’s top young defenders, Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz. Well, with Weegar on his way to Utah and no right-shot defender coming back in the deal, we should expect to see a ton of Parekh and Brzustewicz to close out the season.
The only top-four right-shot defender on the Flames roster is now Zach Whitecloud, with a massive gap behind him. This should leave the door open for Parekh and Brzustewicz to play a ton down the stretch. It also ensures there’s a good chance we see both players start in the NHL next season. The future is now.
Flames fans
The biggest thing to come from this trade isn’t the return, it’s the message it sends throughout the Flames organization. For the first time in over a decade, the Flames are committing to a rebuild, and doing it the right way. No more “hybuild”. No more just trying to sneak in. This is officially a full-on tear-it-down rebuild.
The fact that the Flames were willing to trade a veteran with multiple years left on his deal means the winds have shifted in Calgary. They absolutely didn’t have to trade Weegar, but they did. For the first time in ages, the team has finally picked a concrete direction. After years of asking for a real rebuild, we finally have one. The future has never looked brighter in Calgary. Flames fans finally have something to look forward to.
Losers
Flames other veterans
Imagine how the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Blake Coleman, and Mikael Backlund are feeling right now? By trading Weegar and eventually Kadri, the Flames have moved two pillars of their locker room and team. This will send shockwaves through that locker room. They’ve signalled they are waving the white flag on this season and likely the next one too.
If you’re a veteran player signed in Calgary, your chances of winning here have gone from very low to essentially zero over the next couple of seasons. There’s no doubt that players like Coleman are more motivated than ever to move on from the Flames now, as this team isn’t going to win many games over the next 12 months.
Flames fans
How can Flames fans be winners and losers in the same trade? We’ve touched on how this signals a rebuild is finally here in Calgary, which is a big win for fans. However, that also means the Flames are about to be even worse than they already are. We’re going to witness some truly putrid hockey over the next few weeks and potentially next season, too.
If the Flames were already unwatchable before, they’ve now doubled down on that by trading Weegar. There’s going to be some painful hockey in Calgary. Weegar was also a fan favourite and someone many fans had picked for the captaincy once Backlund moved on.
While fans can celebrate the team finally picking a direction, it’s also worth acknowledging how unfortunate it is to lose such a great person and player like Weegar.
