2018/2019 Trade Speculation and Rumors

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

I’ve been saying this for a while, but after his performance today vs the Jets, it’s settled for me. The Flames should go after Anders Nilsson. Cost shouldn’t be too high based on what he was traded for earlier in the season.

He’s big, tracks the puck well and has good reflexes for a big man. On a good team like the Flames he could really reach his potential. He inspires confidence that I don’t seem to get from Smith. Do it Tre!


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I think it's obvious that the Flames do need to go after someone like this.

I like Rittich, but I think the chances of Rittich faltering are much higher than the chances of Smith coming back to form.
This is pretty evident from the recent games.

The Flames having scoring depth and defensive depth.
Goaltending is by far the most dire hole at the moment.

[Jimdon]

Spending assets to upgrade a backup goalie position seems like a waste to me. We need to be worried about playoffs, not trying to scrape another few wins in the regular season. If Rittich falters in the playoffs or gets injured does anyone honestly think that upgrading the backup will carry the Flames to the cup?

Who was the last team that won a cup after their starter went down and the backup had to take over? Fleury and the penguins aren't a relevant example either.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Buck Murdock

Who's the better goalie right now...Smith or Ortio?

Not really able to compare given one is in Europe playing. Neither?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jimdon

Spending assets to upgrade a backup goalie position seems like a waste to me. We need to be worried about playoffs, not trying to scrape another few wins in the regular season. If Rittich falters in the playoffs or gets injured does anyone honestly think that upgrading the backup will carry the Flames to the cup?

Depends who the second goalie is. If we're getting Joey-Joe-Joe Shabadoo, then it probably wouldn't matter.

If you are getting someone like say Ryan Miller, who has played respectably with limited action (make roughly the same as Smith), then it could be a huge insurance.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Jimdon

Spending assets to upgrade a backup goalie position seems like a waste to me. We need to be worried about playoffs, not trying to scrape another few wins in the regular season. If Rittich falters in the playoffs or gets injured does anyone honestly think that upgrading the backup will carry the Flames to the cup?



Who was the last team that won a cup after their starter went down and the backup had to take over? Fleury and the penguins aren't a relevant example either.

The last time Chicago won the Cup, Darling had to rescue Crawford in the first game, and while Crawford eventually took over, it’s likely that without Darling, the Hawks would not have survived the first round.

But your point is correct.

A good backup is likely more important during the season.

A team will generally live or die in the playoffs based on its regular #1 goalie.




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[Calgary4LIfe]

Outside of Talbot - who would probably need a tonne of coaching and probably a longer rope than many here would be ok with - there isn't really much on the market.



Quick is a big contract and would not be 'fine' with being a backup, though his numbers aren't exactly stellar. At 33 years of age, who knows if he will really rebound or not. LA has two younger goalies that are both doing better than Quick this season - Petersen (24) with 11GP, 2.61GAA and .924SV%. Campbell (27) has 18GP, with a stellar 2.12GAA and .933SV%. I haven't followed LA enough this year to see if they are just being played against the lowest competition, but both their numbers are much stronger than Quick's (28GP, 2.99GAA, .902SV%). FYI, Quick's contract is a terrible 5.8 million cap hit for 4 more years after this one (he will be 37), but the one minor saving grace is that his his actual dollars go down to 3.5, 3.0 and 2.5 in the last 3 years of the deal, making him slightly more attractive to a budget team having trouble reaching the cap. According to cap friendly, he doesn't have a NMC that you need to worry about for the upcoming expansion draft, nor even a NTC. Tough pill to swallow, IMO, but he is a playoff performer (unlike Bobrovsky).


McElhinney (according to a poster - sorry, forgot which one you were) hated playing in Calgary, so I can't imagine his head will be on straight if he returned.



Bobrovsky is a bit of a headcase, and his track record in the playoffs is far from what you would want, plus he is going to be expensive to acquire.



Howard is rumoured to be on the market, but Detroit has also stated that they are planning on re-signing him. They want a first round pick for Howard, and because they like him enough to re-sign him, it is probable that they will just hold firm and keep him if they don't get their asking price.


Craig Anderson - 36 games played, 3.55GAA, .904SV%. That's not much of an upgrade on Smith, so I would rather just keep Smith.


Anders Nilsson is doing well, but he has had wild swings in his numbers throughout his career. Should be on the radar given his results, and especially since Ottawa doesn't seem to know how to play defence.



Carter Hart seems to have claimed the net in Philadelphia, but the only other goalie with respectable numbers this year is Brian Elliott. No thank you. I honestly trust Smith more.


Linus Ullmark is the future for Buffalo, so POSSIBLY you can wriggle Carter Hutton out of the Sabres if they decide to be sellers again, but he won't be cheap, as he seems to be the starter. His numbers aren't fantastic, but acceptable (33GP, 2.86GAA, .909SV%). Not sure Buffalo would trade him as he is signed for two more years at 2.75 million.


Crawford is on the IR. No idea when he is back (or even how long he has been out), but he may not be ready to go for some time. His numbers are right around Smith's this year anyway, and Cam Ward's numbers are even worse. Doubt that they would be willing to trade Delia who is posting good numbers and is only 24.



Chad Johnson's numbers are putrid this year - 9GP, 3.75GAA, .872SV%). Yeah, no thanks. Ryan Miller has been respectable for Anaheim though - 10GP, 2.71GAA, .922SV%. Wasn't there a rumour not long ago that Calgary has asked about him? His numbers surprise me this year, as I thought he was washed-up, especially given that team's record.


That's all the goalies I can think of that are currently in the NHL on poor teams. I doubt that Lundqvist is available, so I didn't include him (and that contract makes me shiver). It looks like goaltending is going to be difficult to shore-up before the playoffs, especially without mortgaging a substantial part of the future. Not sure the Flames should be focused so much on that given the likely costs and names available, not to mention that often goalies seem to take some time to get used to the team in front of them.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Crawford is on the IR. No idea when he is back (or even how long he has been out), but he may not be ready to go for some time. His numbers are right around Smith's this year anyway, and Cam Ward's numbers are even worse. Doubt that they would be willing to trade Delia who is posting good numbers and is only 24.

The fear is Crawfords career is in jeopardy with post concussion syndrome that manifests itself as vertigo.

Really unfortunate.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Why? What's wrong with Rittich? Don't you have to see how he performs in the playoffs before deciding he needs to be replaced?

It ain't Rittich, it's Smith that concerns me. You need a strong tandem, and this is a one goaltender tandem. Smith is a disaster waiting to happen, and if he gets the chance the team will suffer as the fans run in the other direction when failure is certain to happen. They need a guy to share the load and pick it up if the unproven Rittich succumbs to the pressure of the playoff grind.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by New Era

It ain't Rittich, it's Smith that concerns me. You need a strong tandem, and this is a one goaltender tandem. Smith is a disaster waiting to happen, and if he gets the chance the team will suffer as the fans run in the other direction when failure is certain to happen. They need a guy to share the load and pick it up if the unproven Rittich succumbs to the pressure of the playoff grind.

Well IMO it makes zero sense to use assets on a back up goalie this time of year...at least the assets this club has to offer.

Smith is here til the end of the year regardless imo and then BT will have way more understanding of Rittich by then as well and then addresses it at the draft or in FA.

Its much more pragmatic than blowing your wad on a guy that might play 8 more times, starting now, all year.

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Outside of Talbot - who would probably need a tonne of coaching and probably a longer rope than many here would be ok with - there isn't really much on the market.



Quick is a big contract and would not be 'fine' with being a backup, though his numbers aren't exactly stellar. At 33 years of age, who knows if he will really rebound or not. LA has two younger goalies that are both doing better than Quick this season - Petersen (24) with 11GP, 2.61GAA and .924SV%. Campbell (27) has 18GP, with a stellar 2.12GAA and .933SV%. I haven't followed LA enough this year to see if they are just being played against the lowest competition, but both their numbers are much stronger than Quick's (28GP, 2.99GAA, .902SV%). FYI, Quick's contract is a terrible 5.8 million cap hit for 4 more years after this one (he will be 37), but the one minor saving grace is that his his actual dollars go down to 3.5, 3.0 and 2.5 in the last 3 years of the deal, making him slightly more attractive to a budget team having trouble reaching the cap. According to cap friendly, he doesn't have a NMC that you need to worry about for the upcoming expansion draft, nor even a NTC. Tough pill to swallow, IMO, but he is a playoff performer (unlike Bobrovsky).


McElhinney (according to a poster - sorry, forgot which one you were) hated playing in Calgary, so I can't imagine his head will be on straight if he returned.



Bobrovsky is a bit of a headcase, and his track record in the playoffs is far from what you would want, plus he is going to be expensive to acquire.



Howard is rumoured to be on the market, but Detroit has also stated that they are planning on re-signing him. They want a first round pick for Howard, and because they like him enough to re-sign him, it is probable that they will just hold firm and keep him if they don't get their asking price.


Craig Anderson - 36 games played, 3.55GAA, .904SV%. That's not much of an upgrade on Smith, so I would rather just keep Smith.


Anders Nilsson is doing well, but he has had wild swings in his numbers throughout his career. Should be on the radar given his results, and especially since Ottawa doesn't seem to know how to play defence.



Carter Hart seems to have claimed the net in Philadelphia, but the only other goalie with respectable numbers this year is Brian Elliott. No thank you. I honestly trust Smith more.


Linus Ullmark is the future for Buffalo, so POSSIBLY you can wriggle Carter Hutton out of the Sabres if they decide to be sellers again, but he won't be cheap, as he seems to be the starter. His numbers aren't fantastic, but acceptable (33GP, 2.86GAA, .909SV%). Not sure Buffalo would trade him as he is signed for two more years at 2.75 million.


Crawford is on the IR. No idea when he is back (or even how long he has been out), but he may not be ready to go for some time. His numbers are right around Smith's this year anyway, and Cam Ward's numbers are even worse. Doubt that they would be willing to trade Delia who is posting good numbers and is only 24.



Chad Johnson's numbers are putrid this year - 9GP, 3.75GAA, .872SV%). Yeah, no thanks. Ryan Miller has been respectable for Anaheim though - 10GP, 2.71GAA, .922SV%. Wasn't there a rumour not long ago that Calgary has asked about him? His numbers surprise me this year, as I thought he was washed-up, especially given that team's record.


That's all the goalies I can think of that are currently in the NHL on poor teams. I doubt that Lundqvist is available, so I didn't include him (and that contract makes me shiver). It looks like goaltending is going to be difficult to shore-up before the playoffs, especially without mortgaging a substantial part of the future. Not sure the Flames should be focused so much on that given the likely costs and names available, not to mention that often goalies seem to take some time to get used to the team in front of them.

Another poster proposed Anton Forsberg a while back... perfect insurance solution imo. Passed through waivers earlier this year so you could assign him to Stockton and bring him up only if needed. Track record of being excellent in the AHL, was OK for the Hawks last year as their backup. Seems to me to be in a really similar place career wise to Kipper when he came over (not saying he will ever approach Kipper status, just that he could be a solid NHLer).

I don't think they're going to replace Smith but this is the next best thing, grab a guy like this who will improve the AHL team and be there if Rittich or Smith get injured providing passable, maybe even good NHL goaltending. If that happens and the Flames have to rely on Gillies, I think it would be disastrous.

You'd think acquisition cost would be low there as well and he is an RFA who could tandem with Rittich or Parsons next year depending on what happens with Smith/free agency.

[ricosuave]

^ but if Crawford's having issues, why would Chicago do that?

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

^ but if Crawford's having issues, why would Chicago do that?

Because ahead of Forsberg they have Delia, Cam Ward and Crawford and they have this young finnish guy in Rockford a few years younger than Forsberg that they really like. He's expendable to them for the right price.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Well IMO it makes zero sense to use assets on a back up goalie this time of year...at least the assets this club has to offer.

This. It makes a lot of sense for this team to look to upgrade goaltending, but given the lack of prospects and picks, it’s just not something we can afford to do. We should know by this summer whether it is a necessity or not.

[sureLoss]

HNIC:

Sens will let teams know if Duchene, Stone, and Dzingel are available 10 days before the deadline
Duchene really loves it in Ottawa and maybe would consider signing there after being traded
Many feel that Ottawa's offer of $8x8 might be the best cash offer Duchene will get.


top prospects Jet's Sami Niku and Pred's Eli Tolvanen are being mentioned a lot in trade discussions
mention Stone to Winnipeg and Panarin to Nashville where a 1st and top prospect would be involved
last time this year Eli Tolvanen was an untouchable, but now appears Preds might move him in the right deal

Leafs linked to Ferland
but have made it clear they are not trading their top D prospects Sandin or Liljgren or another 1st round pick for a rental

Hudon was scratched today.
Believed he might be moved out by Habs so they can get Dale Weise on roster
Habs have asked for a mid round draft pick for Hudon in the past

Ducks struggles may have reached a tipping point where they have to make a coaching change and bring in Eakins

if Kovalchuk is to be traded many believe Kings will need to retain 20-25%
Kings haven't asked Kovalchuk to waive his NMC but not anticipated to be a problem if it allows Kovalchuk to go after a cup
some believe Kovalchuk will be better on a better team and Boston was the runner up for Kovalchuk this summer

[Love]

Originally Posted by sureloss

hnic:
Ducks struggles may have reached a tipping point where they have to make a coaching change and bring in eakins

Lmaoooooooo

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Another poster proposed Anton Forsberg a while back... perfect insurance solution imo. Passed through waivers earlier this year so you could assign him to Stockton and bring him up only if needed. Track record of being excellent in the AHL, was OK for the Hawks last year as their backup. Seems to me to be in a really similar place career wise to Kipper when he came over (not saying he will ever approach Kipper status, just that he could be a solid NHLer).

I don't think they're going to replace Smith but this is the next best thing, grab a guy like this who will improve the AHL team and be there if Rittich or Smith get injured providing passable, maybe even good NHL goaltending. If that happens and the Flames have to rely on Gillies, I think it would be disastrous.

You'd think acquisition cost would be low there as well and he is an RFA who could tandem with Rittich or Parsons next year depending on what happens with Smith/free agency.

That was me. And your right on the nose about the Hawks Goalie depth too. Forsbergs 4th on their depth chart where he'd be an instant #2 or 3 here depending on how they're gonna ride out Smiths contract.

IMO, It'd be like having two Rittich's and see who wins the battle between the two over the next season or two. And allows Parsons or whoever to really season and marinate in the minors for as long as needed.

[dammage79]

And still today I think the two trades the Flames should make are for Forsberg and Marcus Johansson. Two low risk trades that have both long term and playoff implications. I swear adding a player like Johansson just makes the middle six forward grouping rock solid at a decent acquisition cost (Eatbread or similar). Kind of playmaker that can get Neal rolling too.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by dammage79

And still today I think the two trades the Flames should make are for Forsberg and Marcus Johansson. Two low risk trades that have both long term and playoff implications. I swear adding a player like Johansson just makes the middle six forward grouping rock solid at a decent acquisition cost (Eatbread or similar). Kind of playmaker that can get Neal rolling too.

Forsberg is terrible.

He couldn’t beat out Ward, who is also terrible.

Delia has had a not horrible streak, but a Chicago has been winning because of their skill players getting hot.

Crawford might win us a Cup IF he was healthy, but that’s unlikely to happen.

Chicago has poor d-men and goaltending (without Crawford), I’d stay far away from a goalie who passed through waivers and can’t beat out some terrible guys. I’d trust Chicago in this case in how they have structured the pecking order.

I do expect Forsberg could be easily obtained.


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[dammage79]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Forsberg is terrible.

He couldn’t beat out Ward, who is also terrible.

Delia has had a not horrible streak, but a Chicago has been winning because of their skill players getting hot.

Crawford might win us a Cup IF he was healthy, but that’s unlikely to happen.

Chicago has poor d-men and goaltending (without Crawford), I’d stay far away from a goalie who passed through waivers and can’t beat out some terrible guys. I’d trust Chicago in this case in how they have structured the pecking order.

I do expect Forsberg could be easily obtained.


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Well, I said Forsberg would instantly become the 2nd or 3rd goalie in this organization. Not why he ranks 4th in Chicagos. Looking at how "Terrible" he is with a nice old .921 save percentage in the AHL this year. That makes all of the Flames goalies in the AHL the Mike Smiths of the AHL.

Your take on Forsberg looks to be misguided.

Either way, low risk, low cost mid to high reward.

[Shazam]

Swarm defense in Anaheim. Delicious.