Which Flames actually have trade value?

[TheScorpion]

The Calgary Flames are bad. Real bad. So bad, in fact, that they're chronically losing to teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers.

Flames fans' saviours from the Cinderella run of the 2014-15 season are having nightmare years, especially the likes of Dennis Wideman, Jiri Hudler, and Kris Russell. The coaching systems look jumbled and flawed, the players look confused and disinterested, and the fans are growing increasingly angry.

This has led me to wonder: who on this team has any real trade value?

For the purposes of this post, we're excluding the following players:

Johnny Gaudreau
Sam Bennett
Sean Monahan
T.J. Brodie
Dougie Hamilton
Micheal Ferland

These players are seen to be the team's long-term "core". Nearly everyone else is easily expendable.

Let's rank these remaining players in terms of their value.

1. Mark Giordano
Why didn't I include him in the "core"? Well, he's older, and he's the only star on the team who I could see traded in the future for legitimate top-line wing talent - a guy like a Phil Kessel, but cheaper/easier to obtain/more physical. Those players are a dime a dozen, however, and I think there's more chance that the Flames draft that player than they trade Gio to obtain one. There's a chance, however, so here he stays.

2. Michael Frolik
Fro is having a good season, despite injury - he's put up 18 points in 35 games, typical of his stat-line. He won't be traded unless a steal comes up.

3. Jiri Hudler
What an awful year he's having. Despite this, he's still a consistent 50-point player who should be able to command a good return, if not of the calibre he would've brought back at last season's end.

4. Mikael Backlund
Backs is a good 3C, who really shouldn't be traded. In fact, the Flames should trade for another 2C to allow Backlund to play where he should, or let Bennett play 2C.

5. Joe Colborne
Colborne has a better stat-sheet than his play would suggest, so he'd likely command a mid-to-high second-rounder if traded. This would be a very good trade for Calgary, to put it lightly.

6. Kris Russell
Rusty is having a great defensive season this year, but he turns into a total liability in the offensive zone. He seemingly never shoots the puck, and when he does, it always seems to go wide.

7. Matt Stajan
Stajan at 50% retained would be a great trade for a cup contender with a hole on their 4th line. The Flames would be able to get a low second or a third from any team like this. Staj has been a clutch playoff performer for the Flames, which will attract buyers at the TDL.

8. Markus Granlund
The Flames won't trade Ferland, but Granlund could surely go soon. He hasn't been able to solidify a spot in the lineup despite his heaping talent. Even so, teams will see an asset that they can use, diminishing or not, and Granlund, still only 22, could command a good return.

9. David Jones
Jonesy started off hot, but hasn't scored a goal in nine games. He'll attract interest from buyers at the TDL, though. Expect a Glencross-lite return.

10. Josh Jooris
Jooris had a great year last year. This year, he's getting little-to-no playing time and is often a healthy scratch. A fourth would be a best-case return.

11. Ladislav Smid
His contract isn't fantastic, but Smid is a serviceable defenseman who, with salary retained, could bring back a mid-round pick.

-- NEGATIVE VALUE --

12. Deryk Engelland
That contract looks really, really bad, and it goes on for one more year after this one.

13. Mason Raymond
He's scored the occasional goal, but his contract goes on until 16-17 and he's not great defensively. He'll be bought out in the offseason.

14. Brandon Bollig
He's part of a dying breed, and he has one solitary goal this year. Maybe a sixth-rounder? Not likely, but maybe?

15. Dennis Wideman
$5.25 million for a powerplay specialist who's 33 in March wouldn't be great to begin with, but when said powerplay specialist is completely useless, offense-wise, outside of the powerplay (ZERO goals), yikes. Wideman only has 2 goals this year(!) and he's looking slower than ever. What happened?

-- I CAN'T ASSESS --

Lance Bouma
Nightmare year, with all those injuries.

So, there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

[Vinny01]

Don't see a point in including Gio as trade bait. I get the contract takes him to 39 which is scary but I don't see any way the Flames move him before his new deal kicks in

[HarryH93]

I don't know if I would agree with Ferland being part of the untouchable group. I do think that if the right offer was made, it wouldn't be particularly hard parting ways with him.

[flamesfan1297]

Agreed that we shouldn't trade Gio, not yet anyways. And also although Frolik does have value, I don't want him traded.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Don't see a point in including Gio as trade bait. I get the contract takes him to 39 which is scary but I don't see any way the Flames move him before his new deal kicks in

There's a 1% chance he's traded, methinks. It could happen, but it really probably won't, as I said.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by flamesfan1297

Agreed that we shouldn't trade Gio, not yet anyways. And also although Frolik does have value, I don't want him traded.

Me neither, as I said.

[Slava]

I just want to chime and say that I don't think the fans are 'increasingly angry'. I think most of us know we're in a rebuild and that means some difficult stretches with the team.

[Split98]

Originally Posted by HarryH93

I don't know if I would agree with Ferland being part of the untouchable group. I do think that if the right offer was made, it wouldn't be particularly hard parting ways with him.

He's a talent that will be very difficult to replace

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Slava

I just want to chime and say that I don't think the fans are 'increasingly angry'. I think most of us know we're in a rebuild and that means some difficult stretches with the team.

I'm not just on CalgaryPuck, and I'm growing increasingly angry. Don't I have a right to after last year?

It's irrational, sure, but it's anger.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Slava

I just want to chime and say that I don't think the fans are 'increasingly angry'. I think most of us know we're in a rebuild and that means some difficult stretches with the team.

This exactly. The only fans that I've encountered that are annoyed are ones that thought that the Flames were going to be fighting for the cup this year.

If you had realistic expectations, the fact that things aren't going their way isn't a shock or terrible surprise. All the good bounces they received last year, are not going their way this year. It happens with young teams. If development was a linear process, Edmonton would be near the top of the Pacific right now.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

This exactly. The only fans that I've encountered that are annoyed are ones that thought that the Flames were going to be fighting for the cup this year.

If you had realistic expectations, the fact that things aren't going their way isn't a shock or terrible surprise. All the good bounces they received last year, are not going their way this year. It happens with young teams. If development was a linear process, Edmonton would be near the top of the Pacific right now.

Sure, but my anger is disappointment-fueled and largely irrational.

RE: Edmonton; 10-year rebuilds are typically atypical, not the norm.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I'm not just on CalgaryPuck, and I'm growing increasingly angry. Don't I have a right to after last year?

It's irrational, sure, but it's anger.

I'm also on HFBoards and Reddit and there isn't a huge amount of anger on their sites either. Most people on there are the same as the ones here. Realistic expectations pervade most fans of the Flames. It sucks but it isn't a big deal. A blip in an otherwise good rebuilding effort.

Actually, some adversity is a good thing for this team. It makes them learn how to be successful over the long term. The good players for the long term are having mostly successful seasons (except maybe Monahan). Not much to complain about.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

There's a 1% chance he's traded, methinks. It could happen, but it really probably won't, as I said.

Yet you have him listed but have Ferland as untouchable when he is a 3rd/4th liner? You want to start a discussion which is great but the guy at the top of your list is going to dominate this thread IMO.

Based on the rest of the list the Flames have a pretty bad roster outside their 6 core (I swap Gio and Ferland in my version of the core).

I think once the Flames move Bennett to the middle permanently they should try and trade Backlund as Stajan is pretty much unmovable. The team doesn't need 2 bottom 6 centres making over $3M especially with Monahan poised to make $6M next year

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Yet you have him listed but have Ferland as untouchable when he is a 3rd/4th liner? You want to start a discussion which is great but the guy at the top of your list is going to dominate this thread IMO.

Based on the rest of the list the Flames have a pretty bad roster outside their 6 core (I swap Gio and Ferland in my version of the core).

I think once the Flames move Bennett to the middle permanently they should try and trade Backlund as Stajan is pretty much unmovable. The team doesn't need 2 bottom 6 centres making over $3M especially with Monahan poised to make $6M next year

I was really confused about where to put Ferk, but he's 23, and he has lots of untapped potential.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I'm also on HFBoards and Reddit and there isn't a huge amount of anger on their sites either. Most people on there are the same as the ones here. Realistic expectations pervade most fans of the Flames. It sucks but it isn't a big deal. A blip in an otherwise good rebuilding effort.

Actually, some adversity is a good thing for this team. It makes them learn how to be successful over the long term. The good players for the long term are having mostly successful seasons (except maybe Monahan). Not much to complain about.

I'm mostly talking about myself, you see - I am (or, should I say, I was) on HF too.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I was really confused about where to put Ferk, but he's 23, and he has lots of untapped potential.

That playoff series put him on the map NHL has shown flashes but I am not sold enough to have him on a list of untouchables. Especially with the injury history.

I am not sure the trade value of our players but there is some serious challenges for Treliving this summer. I am disappointed/pissed the season has gone the way it has but I am not shocked. So like most Flames fans who expected playoffs I also know it is a rebuild and we have a very solid core.

This team is lacking 2-3 top 6 forwards. Hudler likely will be moved so Trelivng needs to find a replacement for him. Frolik could stay on the second line so perhaps the only spots that need to be filled are top line RW and second line LW (I say this hoping that Bennett is moved to centre next year).

The team also needs to shake up the blueline and IMO get a second pair LHD to play with Dougie. Put me in the group that wants Russell traded. I hope Trelivng can do something to dump Smid and Wideman as well. I am okay keeping Engellend as a bottom poring guy but want to give a kid (Wotherspoon/Kulak/Culkin/Andersen/Hickey/Kylington) a shot or at least Nakladal.

Bottom 6 needs some change as well. I would like to keep Ferland, Bouma, Stajan or Backlund (not both). I would move on from Jooris, Colborne, Granlund, Jones etc and would love to be able to get out from the Raymond and Bollig contracts.

Goaltending we need a new duo next year. If Ramo wants to sign for cheap as backup then okay but not at starter money and no way at any money for Hiller.

Really tough job for Treliving this summer

[Hackey]

Don't think its possible to get all that done but I agree with the majority of it and hopefully he can check a few of those off before next season. If not there are some expiring contracts the following year which will help as well. 2 years from now hopefully most of that is done and we have way less dead weight on the team. Patience.

[MarkGio]

The Flames can retain salary on 3 contracts. Chances are it would be Raymond, Stajan, and Wideman or Smid.

[dieHARDflameZ]

The Flames aren't chronically losing to the Oilers by the way. If you go over the past 30 games, the record is heavily favoured in the Flames direction. Just an FYI.

[Lanny_McDonald]