I will preface this by saying that I also hope that the Flames don't trade Ryan. I think he has been great - outside of the first couple of months when he was first signed and playing in Calgary.
However, who knows what falls into Treliving's lap this off-season - both in the UFA market and through trades. I am not opposed to trading any single player on this roster if it means an upgrade, though I would be sad to see some go as well.
Brodie may not be re-signing in Calgary, Hamonic looks like he won't be returning (which is a detriment to the room and the community for sure, but probably a good on-ice decision IMO). Flames need to address the blue-line and hopefully acquire another impact player up front.
Flames may need to clear up some cap room to get everything done that they need. It is easy to say that Lucic should go, but the Flames may need to trade a good player on a good (or at least fair) cap hit to get a taker in order to clear enough salary.
This could be an off-season with 'tough decisions' - more so than in the last few seasons. Replacing Brodie might cost more in dollars than Brodie is currently making, for instance. We don't know what Gustafsson or even Forbort will be demanding (or even if they prefer to stay in Calgary).
There is the Taylor Hall rumours of interest. There may be an opportunity given the issues with this pandemic and the economic outlook as a consequence, and I am sure there are some teams and some owners that have been more affected by it than others, and maybe they want to cut salary.
This is assuredly going to be the most interesting off-season for the whole league. A guy like Ryan - a useful and versatile 2-way centre on a very fair cap hit - might end up being a casualty on the Flames. I hope not, but I also hope that the Flames do make good moves this off-season to improve, especially if they would like to keep Gaudreau while they are at it.
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