2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Lindholm was traded a month before the deadline. With the Olympics this year, maybe there is a potential for bigger deals before the break.

Maybe, certainly not November or bust though was the point

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

So ownership flew him to Buffalo to get on an intermission and speak platitudes for 3 minutes?

You have to really want to take a certain position in this to believe that. If they wanted to present a narrative, then prepare something and present it, with enough time to make your points, and enough clarity to make your points obvious.

It is not unusual for him to to travel with the team, I have seen it a few times.

I haven't seen the Flames do regular state of the organization pressers the way some teams do, but it's not at all unusual to see the GM or someone else appear on the broadcast. You're making it out to be a bigger deal than it is if the Flames thought it would be a good idea for Maloney or Conroy to appear at intermission and answer a few softball questions. If he appeared, it's because that is what the the club wanted.

[Jiggy]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Lindholm was traded a month before the deadline. With the Olympics this year, maybe there is a potential for bigger deals before the break.

To be fair, Alvin and Rutherford did us a real solid in that deal. Like, all around solid.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

A large portion of the fan base wants a 5 year rebuild. And they are going to voice their displeasure if we are not rebuilding.

It is as simple as that, people have very different view points.

Evidence of this?


Don't think so. Maybe a large percentage of a group of selected posters on CP do...but I think the average fan doesn't give a flying F. Most will put up with one crap year...and maybe two. But VERY few other than deeply committed fans would say they want a 5-year rebuild...and WANT (more importantly to owenrship) to pay for STs during that period.


That it happens is one thing...but that they WANT it? Highly doubtful.

[Tbull8]

Ya I would think the Olympic break is going to be a huge deadline. Get players and allow them to move their family, etc while they have a break

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by MrMike

Yeah, and some GM literally replaced our top line with that and expected us to still be god.

Hindsight

Agree. The "tank/rebuild" crowd isn't a monolith. Some of us wondered why Gaudreau wasn't traded at the deadline when an extension wasn't reached. With hindsight, and watching Treiliving do it again with Marner...well...there was a different issue a muck.

After Gaudreau left and Tkachuk followed, the rebuild should have started...after missing the playoffs that season the rebuild should have started...after being just outside the playoffs again the next season the rebuild should have started. Prioritising the result last year over a rebuild was ridiculous.

Because of the delay, we're now in the long rebuild scenario...denial is part of that. So yeah get ready to hear about the Flames being out of the playoffs 7-8yrs when we finally start to move upwards.

For the longer in the tooth rebuild folks this is worst case right now, that we're looking at a 4th straight year out of the playoffs and still haven't take the first step.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

It is not unusual for him to to travel with the team, I have seen it a few times.

I haven't seen the Flames do regular state of the organization pressers the way some teams do, but it's not at all unusual to see the GM or someone else appear on the broadcast. You're making it out to be a bigger deal than it is if the Flames thought it would be a good idea for Maloney or Conroy to appear at intermission and answer a few softball questions. If he appeared, it's because that is what the the club wanted.

None of that post makes sense.

First, yes, he travels with the team regularly, which does not back your assertion that they 'sent him out'.

You say you haven't seen the Flames do state of the org pressers, but you claim this was one. so they finally decide to do one, and that is what they do? I doubt that very much.

'If he appeared, that is what the club wanted'. Well, maybe it required their approval, maybe it didn't, but that isn't the same thing as 'sending him out there'

[mile]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

Evidence of this?

Don't think so. Maybe a large percentage of a group of selected posters on CP do...but I think the average fan doesn't give a flying F. Most will put up with one crap year...and maybe two. But VERY few other than deeply committed fans would say they want a 5-year rebuild...and WANT (more importantly to owenrship) to pay for STs during that period.

That it happens is one thing...but that they WANT it? Highly doubtful.

Yeah I agree


If I had to make an analogy

Flames = WWE
CP and Flames Twitter = Internet Smark Fans. Both passionate diehard fans that (unfortunately) make up a very small % of the fanbase

I'd say 99% of the fans I talk to IRL have zero interest in talking about the state of the team 5 years from now, rebuilding, or the draft whenever I bring those things up - they're just not as online as we are. Most people who go to the games just want to have a good time and see their team win

[Calgary4LIfe]

I am absolutely loving how the Flames are doing this rebuild.


They are making outright moves in the open. We can all see them in last place. We can all see that Andersson is on the trade market. We can all see that the Flames have sold vets for picks + prospects. We can all see that they are a bad team with a lot of cap room. We can all see exactly every single move that has been made, and NOT been made (i.e. no moves to try and push this team into the playoffs, even at last season's deadline).


Yet, there are still media members convinced that the Flames are not rebuilding. I wonder if they think that Conroy is so inept? I am just finding this hilarious.


At this point, I would believe that Maloney spoke just to further troll everyone. I love it!

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Friends, remember:

Nothing Matters. Nobody Cares. We're all going to die.

Yes but goal is to die as outraged about hockey as possible.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Rutuu

Agree. The "tank/rebuild" crowd isn't a monolith. Some of us wondered why Gaudreau wasn't traded at the deadline when an extension wasn't reached. With hindsight, and watching Treiliving do it again with Marner...well...there was a different issue a muck.

After Gaudreau left and Tkachuk followed, the rebuild should have started...after missing the playoffs that season the rebuild should have started...after being just outside the playoffs again the next season the rebuild should have started. Prioritising the result last year over a rebuild was ridiculous.

Because of the delay, we're now in the long rebuild scenario...denial is part of that. So yeah get ready to hear about the Flames being out of the playoffs 7-8yrs when we finally start to move upwards.

For the longer in the tooth rebuild folks this is worst case right now, that we're looking at a 4th straight year out of the playoffs and still haven't take the first step.

Major disagree...they have a top end goalie, top end D, really good goal scorer, and some nice looking prospects like Gridin and Rechney(sp) They also still have some really good vets to move (the top guys available) and 2 firsts already in the draft. Not to mention near league high cap. If Conroy is competent this can turn around faster than that. Not everyone has to suck for years and years to turn it around. All those teams made mistake after mistake and finally got lucky.

[indes]

I was so pumped to flip 115pt Huberdeau and #1D Weegar for multiple assets to kickstart a rebuild. But life as a Flames fan has a way of keeping you grounded.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Rutuu

Agree. The "tank/rebuild" crowd isn't a monolith. Some of us wondered why Gaudreau wasn't traded at the deadline when an extension wasn't reached. With hindsight, and watching Treiliving do it again with Marner...well...there was a different issue a muck.

After Gaudreau left and Tkachuk followed, the rebuild should have started...after missing the playoffs that season the rebuild should have started...after being just outside the playoffs again the next season the rebuild should have started. Prioritising the result last year over a rebuild was ridiculous.

Because of the delay, we're now in the long rebuild scenario...denial is part of that. So yeah get ready to hear about the Flames being out of the playoffs 7-8yrs when we finally start to move upwards.

For the longer in the tooth rebuild folks this is worst case right now, that we're looking at a 4th straight year out of the playoffs and still haven't take the first step.

Not sure I'd agree with that.

Teams need 3-4 elite players.

The Flames found Wolf (luck involved there) and drafted Parekh. They might have two of the four already.

Plus they've drafted extremely well in the past few seasons.

You're other point ... imagine if they made the playoffs last year, and got a reset on the number of years out?

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Not sure I'd agree with that.

Teams need 3-4 elite players.

The Flames found Wolf (luck involved there) and drafted Parekh. They might have two of the four already.

Plus they've drafted extremely well in the past few seasons.

You're other point ... imagine if they made the playoffs last year, and got a reset on the number of years out?

I mean they really should have...96 points is a playoff team. Montreal gets all the flowers for their 93 point season.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by indes

I was so pumped to flip 115pt Huberdeau and #1D Weegar for multiple assets to kickstart a rebuild. But life as a Flames fan has a way of keeping you grounded.

Ugh. We would've shaved 1-2 years off the rebuild timeline.

1sts from each player, probably a mix of 2nds and 3rds, and some prospects/young talents.

Plus the team would have been bad sooner and our picks since would have been higher.

Instead we took the slow and excruciating route.

And it sounds some people upstairs arent even cognitively aware of what path we're on yet despite being dead last.

This f-n team.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by dino7c

The Flames aren't planning a 5 year rebuild, they also aren't trying to win at all costs. They have lost ZERO significant UFAs and have been way below the cap and the 6th youngest team in the NHL and will almost certainly be younger by years end. Like what is the concern exactly?

I would argue we are in year 3 of the rebuild already and likely 2-3 years away from pushing their way out. They will miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year this season and started their tear down in the 23/24 season. Last season don’t have the results of a rebuilding year but it was intended.

This team is probably on another 6-7 year playoff droughts like they went through in the early and late Iginla days.

[Enoch Root]

How is getting to the bottom of the standings not part of the rebuild? You can only draft high once you finish low. It takes a while to get to the bottom, but here we are. But somehow, trading vets and not spending to the cap doesn't count as steps? Why? Because it hasn't been done exactly the way you wanted?

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by indes

I was so pumped to flip 115pt Huberdeau and #1D Weegar for multiple assets to kickstart a rebuild. But life as a Flames fan has a way of keeping you grounded.

Tre was absolutely never going to do that after taking that package from FLA.

[Bonded]

Finally a real rumour. Canucks will move Hughes this year if he won’t re-sign

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

How is getting to the bottom of the standings not part of the rebuild? You can only draft high once you finish low. It takes a while to get to the bottom, but here we are. But somehow, trading vets and not spending to the cap doesn't count as steps? Why? Because it hasn't been done exactly the way you wanted?

You just have to accept that unless every member of Flames management individually holds every questioning fan’s hand and admits they’re rebuilding and would like to pick high then people are just going to pretend nothing is happening and everything that is happening even though it isn’t is an accident against their will.