I find these threads fascinating. People are obviously clamouring for a rebuild, but some seem to miss that the Flames have been doing nothing else since Conroy took over. Sure, you can find Maloney's words concerning, and you might worry about the Flames missing the right time to trade the likes of Kadri and Coleman. But all you really have to do is look at Craig Conroy's trade history as Flames GM.
Quote:
Jun 27, 2023
To CGY: F Yegor Sharangovich, 2023 3rd
To NJ: F Tyler Toffoli
Nov 30, 2023
To CGY: 2024 5th, 2026 3rd
To VAN: D Nikita Zadorov
Jan 31, 2024
To CGY: F Andrei Kuzmenko, D Hunter Brzustewicz, D Joni Jurmo, 2024 1st, 2024 cond. 4th
Feb 28, 2024
To CGY: D Artem Grushnikov, 2024 2nd, 2026 cond. 3rd
To DAL: D Chris Tanev
Mar 6, 2024
To CGY: D Daniil Miromanov, 2026 1st, 2025 3rd
To VGK: D Noah Hanifin
Jun 19, 2024
To CGY: D Kevin Bahl, 2025 1st
To NJ: G Jacob Markstrom
Jun 27, 2024
To CGY: 2025 2nd
To WSH: F Andrew Mangiapane
Jan 31, 2025
To CGY: F Joel Farabee, F Morgan Frost
To PHI: F Andrei Kuzmenko, F Jakob Pelletier, 2025 2nd, 2028 7th
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I've left off a couple of minor moves (flipping late round picks with the Flyers during the draft, trading Emilio Pettersen and burning a 5th for Nikita Okhotyuk), but those were the major moves. Please, point me to the moves that are not those of a franchise in the middle of a rebuild. The Flames might not use the dreaded R word, but the trades speak for themselves. They've shipped out numerous cornerstone players while adding a number of young roster players that fit the time line (like Frost and Bahl), a heap of draft picks (including 3 firsts) and prospects like Brzustewicz. They've pretty much burned it to the ground under Conroy, but overperformed last season. You can argue that the likes of Lindholm and Hanifin forced their hands, but they didn't have to trade them for picks and prospects. Treliving proved that very point when he didn't trade Tkachuk for futures, but tried to keep the "win now" window open (and failed miserably).
Again, I get the concerns. I won't pretend like I didn't care about Maloney's interviews and worried about the direction going forward. But at the end of the day, we should focus on the actual moves that are made and judge the front office by them instead of words. I have no doubt that they'll move Andersson at some point (and probably for a good haul, given his recent play) and add even more futures. We'll see about Kadri and Coleman, but even if they aren't moved: every major move Conroy has made suggests we are rebuilding.