Calgary Flames Trade Rumors Heat Up After Cold Streak

The Calgary Flames were, pun intended, red hot to begin the season. After dropping three of their last four, the team finds itself back in the middle of the pack despite briefly leading the Pacific Division.

The one thing the Flames’ organization has taken from their first 15 games is that the team is a run or two away from seriously contending. And meeting their greatest needs is at the top of the front office’s to do list.

Jim Biringer from Bookmaker ratings spoke with Flames general manager Craig Conroy recently about the potential to make a trade. After all, Calgary has been named as a team to watch in the trade market since the beginning of the season. Conroy shared that the team is open to a deal, but there are certain conditions the GM wants to meet.

He brought up the team’s draft pick as potentially in play. The team has two first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, despite not having their own due to a trade back in 2022 that sent Sean Monahan to the Montreal Canadiens.

“It makes it difficult because if we wanted to make a trade that involves a first-round pick,” he said. “I guess we could use the Devils’ first-round pick, but with Florida’s first-round pick and our pick in play with the Sean Monahan deal, it makes things a little more difficult right now, to be honest.”

But for the right player, the Flames are ready to make a deal. Conroy said so himself when he spoke to Biringer.

“If it was a younger player we could grow with,” he said. “It would make more sense to use a first-round pick. I wouldn’t trade for a 31- or 32-year-old, but I’d certainly be willing to move picks for a younger player.”

The Flames are currently floating with salary cap space. Combine that with the team’s willingness to make a deal for an impact player, and there could be a blockbuster trade brewing in Calgary. That need is only exacerbated with the recent season-ending injury to winger Anthony Mantha.

The team has been vocal since the season began that there is a void in their lineup. The Flames lack another top-six center, and their overall depth at the position leaves a lot to be desired. The group is led by veteran and former champion Nazem Kadri, who deserves much more credit for improving his offensive output as his career progressed. Coming off a 75-point season, the 34-year-old center is still a worthy second-line center, but putting the first line burden on him is too heavy a weight to lift.

Behind Kadri is their captain Mikael Backlund, another well-respected veteran but currently miscast as a top-six center in Calgary. Also on the team is tall Czech forward Martin Pospisil, who has huge upside and has yet to take the next step. That leaves opposing defenses with an easier task, as the only real center to hit on is Kadri. But if the Flames acquired another 25-goal or 60-point center, things would change in a heartbeat.

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