2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Toonage

I've yet to receive any serious offers on my car. Haven't put an ad up for it yet though.

Lmao.

"My car is not for sale". Why haven't I gotten any offers for it yet?!

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Not sure how you're supposed to complete a rebuild if you consider the first step back into prominence as a flop.

Life is a dimmer switch man, don't get caught up int he off/on only debacle!

Having a hard line drawn makes it really easy for everyone (players, coaches and management) to gauge personal and team success. Wishy washy performance targets and undeserved praise are to no one’s benefit.

In a scenario like yours it’s easy enough to say “It was a good effort this year even if the result wasn’t there. Get ready to be even better next year, here’s what you need to work on…”

Maybe you and others are A-OK with simply making the playoffs, that’s fine if that’s the result you’ve deemed acceptable. It is interesting though, given the tendency for this team to be average and some posters constantly coming to the defence of any flames related criticism (not you specifically). People still buy seasons tickets despite this team being bland, so there must be a market for mediocrity.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Lmao.

"My car is not for sale". Why haven't I gotten any offers for it yet?!

It's funny, but not really a comparable scenario. You don't really expect someone to be selling their car if they aren't advertising. The NHL is basically a business of trading an acquiring assets, so if you want something, it's appropriate and expected to make an offer regardless of whether the asset was advertised. Essentially, every player is available and you don't need an invitation.

[Roof-Daddy]

Yeah, that's a terrible analogy.

[dino7c]

If there was a policy where people weren't allowed to buy Cars after March 6th your car would be more valueble closer to that date.

[Monahammer]

This all reeks of "smartest guys in the room" related stuff.

Frankly, our management group at large is beginning to develop Lowe level stink. Except they don't even have 4 rings to lean back on so it is more aggravating and dumb.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

This all reeks of "smartest guys in the room" related stuff.

Frankly, our management group at large is beginning to develop Lowe level stink. Except they don't even have 4 rings to lean back on so it is more aggravating and dumb.

Lol, you can't be serious

[Roof-Daddy]

The Flames have been selling and accumulating draft picks and prospects for 2.5 years now. As long as they keep doing that the rest is all just noise.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Having a hard line drawn makes it really easy for everyone (players, coaches and management) to gauge personal and team success. Wishy washy performance targets and undeserved praise are to no one’s benefit.

In a scenario like yours it’s easy enough to say “It was a good effort this year even if the result wasn’t there. Get ready to be even better next year, here’s what you need to work on…”

Maybe you and others are A-OK with simply making the playoffs, that’s fine if that’s the result you’ve deemed acceptable. It is interesting though, given the tendency for this team to be average and some posters constantly coming to the defence of any flames related criticism (not you specifically). People still buy seasons tickets despite this team being bland, so there must be a market for mediocrity.

I said I was ok with the specific example I gave you.

Not yours to then just take that and paint me with "Maybe you and others are A-OK with simply making the playoffs, that’s fine if that’s the result you’ve deemed acceptable."

Not even close to what I said.

There is an evolution in team building and often the first season back in the playoffs doesn't result in a cup win or a long run, but an experience gathering session with a first round loss.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Maybe you and others are A-OK with simply making the playoffs, that’s fine if that’s the result you’ve deemed acceptable. It is interesting though, given the tendency for this team to be average and some posters constantly coming to the defence of any flames related criticism (not you specifically). People still buy seasons tickets despite this team being bland, so there must be a market for mediocrity.

There are valid metrics for pro sports success besides championships. To a lot of people involved, what matters is whether Bob from Sales can take a client to a game on a Thursday night in January and there’s a good enough chance of the team winning that Bob will renew his tickets and he and his clients keep spending money on food and booze at the arena next season.

That seems to be the outlook of the Flames braintrust. I don’t share that outlook (regular-season games rarely capture my interest), but then I’m not Murray Edwards or a a regular paying customer.

The alternative is Edwards has convinced himself that the Flames can build an elite team without multiple top-5 picks. It defies reason, but then it’s hard to understand the minds of the extreme personality types who become billionaires.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Lmao.

"My car is not for sale". Why haven't I gotten any offers for it yet?!

It's actually not a great analogy ...

Buddy down the street doesn't have a car that he will lose by March 8th if he doesn't sell it, or a car that won't be driveable when buddy has a cross North America trip planned in three years.

Those are signs to approach him about selling the car. You don't need him necessarily putting it on Kijiji.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

This all reeks of "smartest guys in the room" related stuff.

Frankly, our management group at large is beginning to develop Lowe level stink. Except they don't even have 4 rings to lean back on so it is more aggravating and dumb.

It's not a smartest guys in the room thing if the whole thing is a messaging ruse to keep people buying tickets while you actually do the thing that the loud fans want.

It's the most insecure guy in the room or the most cowardly guys in the room, but not smartest.

[Rhett44]

Even if it wasn't the perfect analogy, I laughed at it so credit to Toonage. That gave me a good laugh in an otherwise mostly negative thread.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Even if it wasn't the perfect analogy, I laughed at it so credit to Toonage. That gave me a good laugh in an otherwise mostly negative thread.

lol I wonder why

[The EBUG's EBUG]

Not that previous success is the be all/end all of management but it's surprising to me how there seems to be a ton of cooks in the kitchen and yet none of them have really won anything at the NHL level.

Maloney - WCF appearance, 2010 GM of the year
Conroy - Rookie GM, some AGM experience
Nonis - Traded for Luongo in Vancouver, got the Leafs into the playoffs in 2013?
Pascall - Lots of Hockey Canada success, nothing in the NHL
Hanlon - Lots of communications success, nothing in hockey ops
Iginla - No track record

Is this really the best mix of experience that understands how to build a winner and/or a winning culture?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by The EBUG's EBUG

Not that previous success is the be all/end all of management but it's surprising to me how there seems to be a ton of cooks in the kitchen and yet none of them have really won anything at the NHL level.

Maloney - WCF appearance, 2010 GM of the year
Conroy - Rookie GM, some AGM experience
Nonis - Traded for Luongo in Vancouver, got the Leafs into the playoffs in 2013?
Pascall - Lots of Hockey Canada success, nothing in the NHL
Hanlon - Lots of communications success, nothing in hockey ops
Iginla - No track record

Is this really the best mix of experience that understands how to build a winner and/or a winning culture?

Who would you have hired as GM?

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by The EBUG's EBUG

Not that previous success is the be all/end all of management but it's surprising to me how there seems to be a ton of cooks in the kitchen and yet none of them have really won anything at the NHL level.

Maloney - WCF appearance, 2010 GM of the year
Conroy - Rookie GM, some AGM experience
Nonis - Traded for Luongo in Vancouver, got the Leafs into the playoffs in 2013?
Pascall - Lots of Hockey Canada success, nothing in the NHL
Hanlon - Lots of communications success, nothing in hockey ops
Iginla - No track record

Is this really the best mix of experience that understands how to build a winner and/or a winning culture?

The only two i trust to get this right are the 2 with almost no track record, Conroy and Iggy.

Sometimes a lot of experience isn't necessarily good experience. And sometimes people can get stuck in old ways of thinking where I think Conroy gives a fresh view point. And for someone who talks to fans as much as he does, he knows what the fans want more than the dinosaurs in the group.

[The EBUG's EBUG]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Who would you have hired as GM?

For the record I'm completely fine with Conroy as GM, hope to god he gets extended and has the autonomy needed to do what he wants to do.

I'm just saying, is there a tremendous value add of having hockey lifers with no rings like Maloney or Nonis in that room? Do we know what Hanlon is doing in his new role as AGM? Maybe they're great guys and doing good work, genuinely don't mean this as personal attacks.

That being said, plenty of guys with a wealth of experience losing in that mix.

[Bingo]

Guessing the best Calgary model is to promote talent from within and surround them with external guys that have done the job.

Hopefully you get a rising star internally (Conroy) because you're not going to attract one.

And hope the external guys with experience let the rising star do the job.

[FlamesAddiction]

I would love to know what some of those guys do on a day-to-day basis. I'm sure that they are probably busy, but I wonder what exactly occupies Nonis's time for example. Does he even live in Calgary?