Zadorov just requested a trade. 😢

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by butterfly

Nylander will click with anyone. Can't see any way Toronto would trade Nylander when they probably won't get another shot with these four.

I guess the thinking would be that their current mix's shot isn't going to be enough to win a cup so they need to change the team's pieces around. I think that trade is probably a non-starter but if Treliving felt a big splash was needed, that trade is about as big as it gets.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Poe969

Zadorov isn't worth a first. If that offer is on the table, take it and laugh. Trade away Zadorov, Hanifin, and Tanev, and put Kleinburg in a position to thrive. If be excels, he might be worth flipping or just let him walk.

That would be a steal for the Flames.

Klingberg is awful, possibly the worst defensive dman in all of hockey. There is no way you could ever trade him for something of any sort of value. He is universally hated in Toronto though so he may want out.

[dino7c]

This Nylander story is gonna be wild...he has earned the big money so they have to give it to him...but then what? And when?

Surely Brad won't just let him get to UFA

Guy is gonna have a monster season

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Surely Brad won't just let him get to UFA

Dude has a history

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by dino7c

This Nylander story is gonna be wild...he has earned the big money so they have to give it to him...but then what? And when?

Surely Brad won't just let him get to UFA

Guy is gonna have a monster season

They need someone to take the last year of Tavares, but at $11M good luck with that. His contract is bonus heavy so they can’t buy him out. He’s also still productive so you’re creating a hole at center. Nylander is easily earning $11.5+.

[Flames_Gimp]

i don't want people here who don't want to be here so cya zad.

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

They need someone to take the last year of Tavares, but at $11M good luck with that. His contract is bonus heavy so they can’t buy him out. He’s also still productive so you’re creating a hole at center. Nylander is easily earning $11.5+.

They complain about it a lot, but Tavares isn’t far off from earning that $11M. Top 20 scorer, PPG the entire contract, and plays C.

[dino7c]

FWIW Leaf fans on social media think including a first would be a MASSIVE overpay...even with Klinberg

they are probably right but still, make it happen

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

i don't want people here who don't want to be here so cya zad.

Why would anyone want to be here?

Is there a hockey player who dreams of playing in a decrepit arena in a small Canadian market with brutal travel and bad weather, in front of fans who are dead silent during games and constantly complaining about the entire organization in between?

If it were me, I'd rather play in Edmonton. At least the fans up there are dumb enough to cheer when they're not tossing jerseys.

If ‘wants to play for the Calgary Flames’ is something you expect from players, you might as well pull the plug on the franchise.

[blender]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Why would anyone want to be here?

Is there a hockey player who dreams of playing in a decrepit arena in a small Canadian market with brutal travel and bad weather, in front of fans who are dead silent during games and constantly complaining about the entire organization in between?

If it were me, I'd rather play in Edmonton. At least the fans up there are dumb enough to cheer when they're not tossing jerseys.

If ‘wants to play for the Calgary Flames’ is something you expect from players, you might as well pull the plug on the franchise.

Bah!
I get the point you are making, but there is another side.
I'm a WHL season ticket holder, and the majority of those kids won't make the show, and every one would dream of an opportunity with the Calgary Flames. Like Connor Zary for example.

Now, veteran free agents or established star RFAs, I hear you, but its a competitive league nowadays. The show is the show.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by blender

Bah!
I get the point you are making, but there is another side.
I'm a WHL season ticket holder, and the majority of those kids won't make the show, and every one would dream of an opportunity with the Calgary Flames. Like Conner Zary for example.

Now, veteran free agents or established star RFAs, I hear you, but its a competitive league nowadays. The show is the show.

I mean you just proved the opposite point you were trying to make. The NHL, like every major sports league is star driven if you want to win it all. JayRandom's point was unfortunately very true.

[dino7c]

I don't know how many times this has to be said but Zadorov wanted to stay in Calgary

Flames don't want to give him term and a raise

[blender]

Originally Posted by jayswin

I mean you just proved the opposite point you were trying to make. The NHL, like every major sports league is star driven if you want to win it all. JayRandom's point was unfortunately very true.

You're talking about winning and you are not wrong.
But JR was talking about what players want, and that can be different. The Flames suck and the future is cloudy, but there are only so many NHL jobs.

ETA: There is a new arena coming and the vibe can change quickly around a team. The UFAs will be gone soon.

[dino7c]

and so much cap space

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by blender

You're talking about winning and you are not wrong.
But JR was talking about what players want, and that can be different. The Flames suck and the future is cloudy, but there are only so many NHL jobs.

No, I was specifically speaking to your comment that made the opposite point that you desired. Yes, there's a million NHL hopefuls that would play anywhere just to play in the show, that is not disputed.

But unfortunately contrary to the point you think you're making it's the second bolded sentence that really matters. The stars, the vets, the star young RFA are how you build contenders in this league. So by dismissively casting them aside as "well, if you ignore those players then Calgary has players that will want to play here only because they want to play anywhere for their dream of making the NHL" you're proving the point that Calgary is massively behind in trying to build a team based on player preference.

I'm a WHL season ticket holder, and the majority of those kids won't make the show, and every one would dream of an opportunity with the Calgary Flames. Like Connor Zary for example.

Now, veteran free agents or established star RFAs, I hear you, but its a competitive league nowadays. The show is the show.

[jayswin]

The show is the show if you're a tweener/hopeful. Once you're a young star or impactful UFA, the show is not the show. It's a 32 team league with a bunch of major cities, historic franchises and amazing warm climates without negative attention when things aren't going well.

That's when Calgary falls way down the list....when players matter and have a choice in their future.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by blender

Now, veteran free agents or established star RFAs, I hear you, but its a competitive league nowadays. The show is the show.

As other posters have said, those are the players you need most if you want to win.

Some of the things I mentioned are at least partly within the Flames organization's power to fix: the arena and the quiet fans, particularly. (I expect the new barn will seem a lot louder even if it isn't. The loudest fans are often up in the nosebleeds at present, where nobody can see them and the shape of the roof reflects the sound away from the ice. It's almost like anyone who wants to cheer gets banished to a leper colony.) The atmosphere surrounding the team, as you've pointed out, can change in a hurry – but meanwhile, you have to ice a roster. The show must go on.

Travel is always going to be a pain for Western Canadian markets; there's no fixing that. There's no fixing the weather, either, though the city could probably do a few things to make our winters easier to take. (‘Wait for a chinook’ is not a good snow-removal plan.)

Calgary will always be a smaller city than the large NHL markets, although it does punch well above its weight in terms of amenities. Being a zillion miles from anywhere actually helps in this respect. If you live in a U.S. city of 1.5 million people, and want nightlife, museums, opera, festivals, or whatever floats your boat, chances are you can find it in some other city a couple of hours' drive away. Calgary and Edmonton have to home-brew it or do without, and Alberta has a long tradition of entrepreneurs and sponsors who refuse to do without. That's part of why Calgary is currently listed as a ‘beta-minus’ city on the GaWC index, whereas many similar-sized metro areas in the U.S are ‘gamma’ cities and some (Hartford, Indianapolis, San Antonio, for instance) are merely ‘high sufficiency’.

All of which is to say that we've got enough going for us as a market to keep us out of the bottom tier if we work our advantages and fix our fixable problems. A non-crumbling arena with a proper training facility will be a good start. A coherent strategy for team-building would be even better. But we still won't be a top-10 desirable market for players who have a choice where to go, and that's why players who positively want to be here will always be hard to come by.

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by blender

Bah!
I get the point you are making, but there is another side.
I'm a WHL season ticket holder, and the majority of those kids won't make the show, and every one would dream of an opportunity with the Calgary Flames. Like Connor Zary for example.

Now, veteran free agents or established star RFAs, I hear you, but its a competitive league nowadays. The show is the show.

Veteran free agents can sign a 1-2 year deal or begone with them. Established star RFAs always re-sign.

The top scorers in the league are Pettersson, Panarin, Kucherov, Miller, Q. Hughes, Nylander, Reinhart, Pastrnak, J. Hughes, Bratt, Rantanen, Matthews.

Defenders? Doughty, Carlson, Jones, Sanheim, Josi, Rielly, Q. Hughes, Hedman, Heiskanen, Makar, Dobson, Morrissey, Dahlin, Sanderson, etc. etc.

You'll find some trades in those lists, but it's clear to build via the draft. Foolish teams give veteran free agents big money. UFA is not the place to seek value. Steer clear and let someone else do it. Their Stanley Cup parade is on July 1. On December 1, they're panicking.

[Fischy13]

Zadorov is easily a 2nd rounder. No question. Treliving paid a 1st to dump 6.75 million. Taking on Klingberg easily upgrades that 2nd for Z, to a 1st.

Trading a few of these guys now, also allows us to take on cap dumps at the deadline to make deals work. Any of them expiring this year. There will be so much cap space to sign Willy on July 1st. Draft a ton. Profit.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Fischy13

Zadorov is easily a 2nd rounder. No question. Treliving paid a 1st to dump 6.75 million. Taking on Klingberg easily upgrades that 2nd for Z, to a 1st.

Trading a few of these guys now, also allows us to take on cap dumps at the deadline to make deals work. Any of them expiring this year. There will be so much cap space to sign Willy on July 1st. Draft a ton. Profit.

Agreed, but I doubt Brad is willing to give his old team his new team's first, to correct is own off-season mistake (Klingberg), this early into his tenure. That will be sitting over his head with fans for some time.


Anyway, some have posted Treliving has to deal Nylander or Tavares? He doesn't have to deal either. If the Leafs are killing it, they'll lose Nylander for nothing as they have to keep him going into the playoffs. Tavares has a NMC, and won't play for anyone else, so he has to be kept. Truth be told, he's been very good for them. The problem with their big four is they don't fight for one another or show any true grit emotion. That's mostly on Tavares for not moving outside his comfort zone by not scrapping a bit in the playoffs (even if it's not his game). Every other team can do it but Matthews, Tavares, Marner, and Nylander never get into scrums or retaliate when anyone is leaning on them. They're total pushovers. If they correct that internal behaviour I really think they take the next step, but so far that hasn't changed whatsoever. Signing Reeves was a total waste of a roster spot. Just another useless self promoter.