Gaudreau, Lindholm, Mangiapane are forwards I would try to keep in an Eichel deal. Those three plus Eichel, Coleman and one of Monahan or Tkachuk would be a really good top six that blends skill, two-way play, and grit. I wouldn’t call Mangiapane untouchable (no one is) but I think he’s going to be an important player for where the Flames want their team culture to be, plus his story is very similar to Gio’s. This season, him and Coleman are going to do a lot of the dirty work and will keep their linemates honest when it comes to work ethic and being hard to play against. I doubt wanting to keep Mangiapane would be a deal-breaker anyways, I think Buffalo will look at the numbers Tkachuk and Monahan have put up and covet them more as flippable assets. They also need to reach the cap floor and these two have much higher cap hits than Mangiapane.
Even without Eichel and one of Monahan or Tkachuk, I think the Flames can hold their own for a few months and stay in playoff contention with a weak Pacific division, a healthy Markstrom, and a fully-prepared Sutter. And based off what Eichel’s doctor has said, there’s no way Eichel misses an entire season, I’d be shocked if that happened.
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