2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I get where you're coming from, at a glance it doesn't sound good but to play Devils advocate/

Do you know of an owner who's come out in the media and said the opposite?

"I hate my core, I want to trade them all and redo"

Originally Posted by dino7c

no kidding, some of you guys are just lol

"we are desperate to trade all these players asap...please give us your absolute best offers right now"

You guys do know there is an option for them to not say anything at all right?

Not saying this doesn't mean you have to come out and say you're going to trade everyone.

To me this was way too direct, and attributed to Murray in a very blunt way, to send a different signal.

Dreger coming out and very clearly wording it this way is Conroy and Nonis (who we know feeds Dreger info) trying to pass the blame on why they aren't trading Kadri to the owner, even though the rest of the rumour mill has been talking about the potential offers for Kadri trade return being very attractive. It's the management team sending the message that their hands might be tied.

I'd be less worried about it if I felt like Edwards hasn't meddled in preventing this team from rebuilding properly in the past, but I've heard from different places that he still is very against a true rebuild and doesn't want to trade the veterans.

[dino7c]

not really, its just a hockey market with fans that are easy to bait.

I'm sure an owner saying he loves a player that chose to play for him and just played his 1000th game is pretty normal. Reporters are going to ask him for his thoughts and he is going to give him. Ras wont be lost as a UFA...Kadri isn't a UFA anytime soon. Ras will be traded and if the offer is right so will Kadri.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

You guys do know there is an option for them to not say anything at all right?

Not saying this doesn't mean you have to come out and say you're going to trade everyone.

To me this was way too direct, and attributed to Murray in a very blunt way, to send a different signal.

Dreger coming out and very clearly wording it this way is Conroy and Nonis (who we know feeds Dreger info) trying to pass the blame on why they aren't trading Kadri to the owner, even though the rest of the rumour mill has been talking about the potential offers for Kadri trade return being very attractive. It's the management team sending the message that their hands might be tied.

I'd be less worried about it if I felt like Edwards hasn't meddled in preventing this team from rebuilding properly in the past, but I've heard from different places that he still is very against a true rebuild and doesn't want to trade the veterans.

You guys can freak out...to me it says the offer will have to be substantial, as it should be.

Honestly you guys are too easy, Flames are probably the clickbait capital of the NHL right now.

[Ashasx]

Who is freaking out? Why do we always need to ridicule the opposing side of a discussion?

[Beninho]

Murray Edwards could be owner for potentially the next 25 years. Feels like we are doomed with this troglodyte meddling in everything from across the pond. Makes sense why Treliving had to write into his contract that he had full authority to make hockey decisions. Not a fan of BT obviously but that always struck me as very odd at the time

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I'd be less worried about it if I felt like Edwards hasn't meddled in preventing this team from rebuilding properly in the past, but I've heard from different places that he still is very against a true rebuild and doesn't want to trade the veterans.

Agree with everything except for this statement a bit:
We don't need to hear from different places. We can believe everyone who works for the team who has publicly said over the last 3 years that they aren't allowed to execute a rebuild.

Bean famously said it was a bad word.

Conroy keeps reiterating that they aren't rebuilding.

The media around the team largely keeps saying they aren't rebuilding.

Mouthpieces like Francis have urged them to consider rebuilding, which means they aren't doing it yet. Etc.

We just need to take what they're saying at face value.

[Monahammer]

It is a mistake not to rebuild, but that is the path they will choose every time. We have to accept that.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

I don’t for a second doubt that they would trade him for the right return. But what’s being said sure isn’t posturing. It’s real, they mean all of it, and it’s a good thing.

I still think he ultimately gets traded anyway.

I agree that they would trade Kadri for the right return but if the owner truly doesn’t want to trade him, that “right return” is probably an overpay that it is unlikely any team will commit to. For example, if the flames told everyone they really want to keep Kadri so the price to acquire him is 2 first round picks + your top 2 prospects, I don’t think anyone is going to do that - at least any team that has decent top prospects. So if the asking price is crazy high, it’s essentially the same as not being willing to trade him.

I sometimes wonder if Edward’s simply looks at the signings/trades as investments. Conroy comes to him and says we should consider trading Kadri for picks and prospects. Edward’s looks at it as he spent $25 million (what Kadri has earned so far) to ultimately get a late first round pick and a prospect that may or may not work out. Additionally, the team will get worse after he is traded which will lead to fewer people attending games which leads to less revenue. He’s already seeing a drop in the attendance - if the team gets worse, he probably assumes the attendance will get worse. So ultimately, he probably thinks keeping Kadri until the final year of his deal is the best move for his investment.

But I think trading Kadri will pay off in the long run if it leads to a prospect like McKenna (I know, long shot) or some other high end skilled player at the top of the draft. If the flames ended up trading Kadri, Andersson and Coleman… remained near the bottom of the league this year and end up drafting McKenna, I would not be surprised if attendance went up next year with more young players on the team in prominent roles including a dynamic young forward.

[Burning Beard]

I get the apprehension but the fact is they are still in last place. They finally have strung together two wins in a row and it's November 6th! I feel like it's pretty early to be proclaiming this a mushy middle team given the facts of their current position. There is always that danger with Wolf, but what are ya gunna do, bench the kid? They didn't bring anybody in at the deadline, in the summer or so far this season to help win now, so I don't see a management team pushing for playoffs. The deadline is months away and trades rarely happen this time of year. I'll save my doom and gloom for later in the season but it's too early for me to feel this way now. Enjoy the odd win and hope Conroy can come out of the season with some more draft capital.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

We just need to take what they're saying at face value.

Or we could judge them by the actions they actually take.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Who is freaking out? Why do we always need to ridicule the opposing side of a discussion?

I mean some people are getting pretty hot over something a reporter said that the owner said. They already had Ras traded in the summer but he wouldn't sign an extension with LA. Flames haven't lost any UFAs or signed/extended any older players under this management. They haven't spent their cap space.

I look at what is actually happening not what is reported in the media.

I think Dreger, barnburner, ect. are well aware of how comments like this will stir things up on social media. Like does anyone actually think Ras is going to walk as a UFA and that Kadri will finish this contract in Calgary?

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Or we could judge them by the actions they actually take.

wow imagine that!
last season...no significant UFAs, league high cap space, in a playoff spot, no additions.

"playoffs at all costs is Murray's mandate strikes again!"

and here we go again...after a summer of not adding anything despite having mountains of cap space. "Murray wants playoffs at all costs!"

[Red Potato Standing By]

Maybe Edward’s reads the forums and thinks messing with certain fan types is entertaining

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Fair, but we honestly don't know if he even said it or used Dredger to push the agenda.
Remember, Dredger gets his information from Dave Nonis, so there's probably some truth but probably some sell job in it as well.

Does he? I know they are cousins but, for that reason, I’d be more inclined to say very little to Dredger. That’s about as easily traceable line of communication if anything sensitive ever got out.

[InternationalVillager]

The best decision ownership can do a this point is "no comment".

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

The best decision ownership can do a this point is "no comment".

people will read into that too...

do you like your players "no comment"

lol

[PaperBagger'14]

Make sure when evaluating roster moves you look at all of the moves made or not made. Yes they have sold off some lesser pieces, but the players who could have returned the most in a trade were botched.

-Gaudreau turned into nothing.

-Tkachuk was a trade attempting to stay competitive / save face.

-We’re still holding the bag on Andersson as his play keeps dropping, all for a non existent playoff run.

So yes we have started a rebuild, but we missed out on capitalizing on our most valuable assets.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Make sure when evaluating roster moves you look at all of the moves made or not made. Yes they have sold off some lesser pieces, but the players who could have returned the most in a trade were botched.

-Gaudreau turned into nothing.

-Tkachuk was a trade attempting to stay competitive / save face.

-We’re still holding the bag on Andersson as his play keeps dropping, all for a non existent playoff run.

So yes we have started a rebuild, but we missed out on capitalizing on our most valuable assets.

I mean really? Tre moves are irrelevant...in fact Conroy has said they won't lose a significant UFA for nothing and he hasn't. Like are you going to blame the current management for St. Louis and JS Giguere?

Andersson's value is not dropping and they aren't holding on to him for a playoff run this year...the deal was done, he wouldn't sign with LA. Best deal now is likely closer to the deadline, maybe the Lindholm timeline.

This is exactly the kinda nonsense I am talking about, make something up to be mad about

[GioforPM]

Honestly. "I love this core" and "I would like to keep Kadri" are just sentiments. It's called not trashing your players publicly.

As for "no comment", do you even know what the question was? Imagine this:

Q: "Do you like the players on your team?" A: "No comment". What an a-hole thing to say.

Q: "If you could would you keep Kadri"? A: "No comment". Ditto above.

If he gets into the weeds and says more than platitudes THEN he's interfering. For now, he's just saying he likes the guys on the team. Dreger runs with it an people freak out (the intended effect).

[the-rasta-masta]

I don't think Andersson's value has dropped... He's a +2 and nearly on pace for 40 points on a last place team. His contract has the ability to fit onto a contender especially with rentention.