2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Bingo]

I still love a good fight.

But don't want a return to the Westgarth 4th line.

[Funkhouser]

I should add that Florian looks to be an elite 4th line buzz saw that can score 10-15 goals and fight. Would be a great pick up.

MTL may also be interested in Pospisil based on his links with Slavkovsky.


Kadri (retained), Pospisil, Hanley to MTL

2026 1st, Florian Xjekaj, Arber Xjekaj & Beck

[Lewis_D]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Klapka fights more than Reaves or OBrien.

And can score, fights to protect teammates, plays physical.

[Calgary4LIfe]

What was it that Darryl Sutter said about tough guys back in the day? "You don't need one, until you do." Something like that. Or was it someone else that said it? Or maybe I am making it up? Meh.. makes good sense regardless of where it came from.


Maybe people don't remember this too well, but I do. I remember the Winter Classic up in Edmonton a couple of seasons ago. The Flames came out with some swagger to start, and then simply crumbled. They sucked on the scoreboard, and they sucked physically. The Oilers were all over them. Flames tried to fight back a little, but then in comes Evander Kane with his: "Who wants to do something about it? Yeah, just like I thought, nobody." Flames had nobody. They looked absolutely demoralized that game.


That's not what I want for the prospects. I want them to feel safe out there. I want them to feel so safe out there, that they bring their own swagger into games. I think that's important. I would be fine with a 4th line with 3 of these. I don't care. However, I find that trying to develop kids on the 4th line is not putting them in a position to succeed. They aren't being fed regular minutes, and it is hard to get into the game that way. Unless a prospect is a 4th-iine type, then I wouldn't want them starting their careers off that way, so that's why I am perfectly fine focusing a 4th line as a physical line.


Re-sign Lomberg after this season - great guy in the room, and can handle everyone else that's not one of the big guys. Klapka will police the top 6 (I think he should get top 6 time next season). You want a tough guy with skill to ride shot-gun, just like Ferland. I remember Kesler trying to instigate with Monahan during the playoffs, and Ferland immediately got in-between them and challenged Kesler, who then tried unsuccessfully to goad Ferland into a penalty. Ferland didn't bite, made Kesler look dumb, but most importantly, took all of the pressure off of Monahan there. That's what is important, and I think Klapka will do that admirably.


What the Flames won't get is Olivier. He is the creme de la creme. Mean, and the toughest guy in the league (IMO). Plus, he doesn't play on the 4th line, but on the 3rd line (last time I saw them playing anyway). Jeannot is a good player that is tough as nails, and doesn't suck even though Tampa threw way too much for him that year, but like Olivier, you won't get him without overpaying. I would be 100% fine with Rempe - he would instantly be the toughest guy in the west. But again, the Flames would have to pay to get him. I would inquire on Olivier and Jeannot, but yeah, you are not going to get them without a premium asset going the other way - why would they give these players away, right?


I would simply go the UFA route. Ross Johnston is ok, and is an upcoming UFA. Douglas won't meet the threshold to become an RFA this year, so he will become a UFA. There are always a few available every year. Flames have a lot of cap, so they can find another guy. I think that's all they need - re-sign Lomberg, add in a guy above Lomberg/Klapka, and they will be set.


Just please don't trade for one unless it is someone off the roster with not much value. I am ok with a 5tth round pick and lower as well, but that's not going to get a guy that can play a regular shift. I would really wait for the UFA period and try and grab a guy there, or maybe scour the AHL for a guy that maybe is simply waiting for his shot, but never gets called up. MacDermid used to be really tough, but he is fine. He has another year at 1.15 million, and doesn't seem to be playing much in Ottawa (or previously on the Devils either). Only one concussion in the last 5 years too. I think the Sens would be fine with giving him up for scraps, and he can play either D or F.


There will be lots of options, and I do think that Conroy will get a guy like this, while also probably re-signing Lomberg too. Just remember, this team is a rebuilding team. Wins and losses aren't the point here, but rather development. Though you lose a spot on the 4th line that could be used for development instead, I still argue that it doesn't set up a prospect for success that way. If the 4th line isn't very good, that's ok too - I promise you they won't cost you Lord Stanley in April.


As for the Kadri trade rumours - who cares if there is a center coming back or not? You don't hold onto Kadri because you worry about your center depth. Again, I promise you that it won't cost you Lord Stanely in April. Open up a spot for development. Give it to Zary, Kerins, Morton, King, Beecher. The point is to get a return for Kadri, and to actually get worse, no? So stop worrying about the center depth. Yes, you ideally want to develop your wingers with centers, but Calgary has enough centers for that job. Give Zary a top 6 spot in the middle.


This team is going to lose more games than it wins in the next 18+ months at least. Hopefully not 36 months, but that's a possibility. They should at least be climbing up by then. That's when you 'worry about center depth' and make sure that your 4th line is actually good at hockey.


Give the kids a policeman so that they can show a bit of swagger out there, and let's get into a position to have a good shot at the McKenna and Joseph combo, or something like that. In 3-4 years, you hope that from your drafting, you have a young Olivier and Jeannot that you can put into your 4th line, or have traded for them, or signed them as UFAs, or even undrafted UFAs.


Exciting couple of weeks until the deadline!

[Gugstanley]

Originally Posted by Dienasty

San Jose - Reaves
Montreal - Wifi
Utah - O'Brien

Utah gets pushed around a lot because they have no team toughness. O'Brien isn't tough, and my Grandma wins 9 out of ten against him. McBain does what he can but isn't enough.

I think the Flames need more team toughness and team speed.

[InternationalVillager]

I can confirm this Blake Coleman trade is gonna be a good one. There's way too much interest in the player. Teams are prioritizing Coleman as they feel he helps drive the bus towards a championship.

Couple notes:

1. He is 34 years old.
2. He was already traded at age 28 as a deadline move to TBL for a 1st round prospect and a first round pick.
3. His contract as a % of Cap was around 2.2%.

He's 6 years older, contract % is double of what it was.

IF the Flames manage to get a 1st round pick out of Coleman, it's a massive home run for Conroy and that is what the bar should be. I am hearing that it may be possible.

[sureLoss]

Dreger on TSN about Kadri:
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/2026/02...line-approach/

considerable interest in Kadri, believes trade offers have been made on Kadri
Conroy is wondering what Nashville is doing with ROR, is he really available?
if a team interested in ROR doesn't get the player maybe they shift interest to Kadri and sweeten the deal
even through Kadri wants to be traded to a contender or at least a playoff team can appreciate Calgary's patient approach
looking more and more likely Kadri gets traded between now and the deadline

[united]

The Flames are not spending draft capital solely on toughness. Would they take the left-shooting Struble or left-shooting Xhekaj back as part of the return in a larger trade? Definitely. Otherwise UFA it is.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

What was it that Darryl Sutter said about tough guys back in the day? "You don't need one, until you do." Something like that. Or was it someone else that said it? Or maybe I am making it up? Meh.. makes good sense regardless of where it came from.


Maybe people don't remember this too well, but I do. I remember the Winter Classic up in Edmonton a couple of seasons ago. The Flames came out with some swagger to start, and then simply crumbled. They sucked on the scoreboard, and they sucked physically. The Oilers were all over them. Flames tried to fight back a little, but then in comes Evander Kane with his: "Who wants to do something about it? Yeah, just like I thought, nobody." Flames had nobody. They looked absolutely demoralized that game.


That's not what I want for the prospects. I want them to feel safe out there. I want them to feel so safe out there, that they bring their own swagger into games. I think that's important. I would be fine with a 4th line with 3 of these. I don't care. However, I find that trying to develop kids on the 4th line is not putting them in a position to succeed. They aren't being fed regular minutes, and it is hard to get into the game that way. Unless a prospect is a 4th-iine type, then I wouldn't want them starting their careers off that way, so that's why I am perfectly fine focusing a 4th line as a physical line.


Re-sign Lomberg after this season - great guy in the room, and can handle everyone else that's not one of the big guys. Klapka will police the top 6 (I think he should get top 6 time next season). You want a tough guy with skill to ride shot-gun, just like Ferland. I remember Kesler trying to instigate with Monahan during the playoffs, and Ferland immediately got in-between them and challenged Kesler, who then tried unsuccessfully to goad Ferland into a penalty. Ferland didn't bite, made Kesler look dumb, but most importantly, took all of the pressure off of Monahan there. That's what is important, and I think Klapka will do that admirably.


What the Flames won't get is Olivier. He is the creme de la creme. Mean, and the toughest guy in the league (IMO). Plus, he doesn't play on the 4th line, but on the 3rd line (last time I saw them playing anyway). Jeannot is a good player that is tough as nails, and doesn't suck even though Tampa threw way too much for him that year, but like Olivier, you won't get him without overpaying. I would be 100% fine with Rempe - he would instantly be the toughest guy in the west. But again, the Flames would have to pay to get him. I would inquire on Olivier and Jeannot, but yeah, you are not going to get them without a premium asset going the other way - why would they give these players away, right?


I would simply go the UFA route. Ross Johnston is ok, and is an upcoming UFA. Douglas won't meet the threshold to become an RFA this year, so he will become a UFA. There are always a few available every year. Flames have a lot of cap, so they can find another guy. I think that's all they need - re-sign Lomberg, add in a guy above Lomberg/Klapka, and they will be set.


Just please don't trade for one unless it is someone off the roster with not much value. I am ok with a 5tth round pick and lower as well, but that's not going to get a guy that can play a regular shift. I would really wait for the UFA period and try and grab a guy there, or maybe scour the AHL for a guy that maybe is simply waiting for his shot, but never gets called up. MacDermid used to be really tough, but he is fine. He has another year at 1.15 million, and doesn't seem to be playing much in Ottawa (or previously on the Devils either). Only one concussion in the last 5 years too. I think the Sens would be fine with giving him up for scraps, and he can play either D or F.


There will be lots of options, and I do think that Conroy will get a guy like this, while also probably re-signing Lomberg too. Just remember, this team is a rebuilding team. Wins and losses aren't the point here, but rather development. Though you lose a spot on the 4th line that could be used for development instead, I still argue that it doesn't set up a prospect for success that way. If the 4th line isn't very good, that's ok too - I promise you they won't cost you Lord Stanley in April.


As for the Kadri trade rumours - who cares if there is a center coming back or not? You don't hold onto Kadri because you worry about your center depth. Again, I promise you that it won't cost you Lord Stanely in April. Open up a spot for development. Give it to Zary, Kerins, Morton, King, Beecher. The point is to get a return for Kadri, and to actually get worse, no? So stop worrying about the center depth. Yes, you ideally want to develop your wingers with centers, but Calgary has enough centers for that job. Give Zary a top 6 spot in the middle.


This team is going to lose more games than it wins in the next 18+ months at least. Hopefully not 36 months, but that's a possibility. They should at least be climbing up by then. That's when you 'worry about center depth' and make sure that your 4th line is actually good at hockey.


Give the kids a policeman so that they can show a bit of swagger out there, and let's get into a position to have a good shot at the McKenna and Joseph combo, or something like that. In 3-4 years, you hope that from your drafting, you have a young Olivier and Jeannot that you can put into your 4th line, or have traded for them, or signed them as UFAs, or even undrafted UFAs.


Exciting couple of weeks until the deadline!

Well said. I’m open to lots of options for a 4th line enforcer but I think it could be a valuable character for the flames to have. I think back to the 2013-2014 season. It was the flames “bottoming out season” that lead to drafting Bennett. They did not win many games but that was the season they took on that title of “hardest working team in the NHL”. They had lots of physical guys including Mcgratton that year and it was also the season of the opening faceoff brawl in Vancouver.

As you mentioned, I would like for the young guys on the team to have some swagger in their game and having a few guys that will bring heavy physicality every night I think will help with that.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

I can confirm this Blake Coleman trade is gonna be a good one. There's way too much interest in the player. Teams are prioritizing Coleman as they feel he helps drive the bus towards a championship.

Couple notes:

1. He is 34 years old.
2. He was already traded at age 28 as a deadline move to TBL for a 1st round prospect and a first round pick.
3. His contract as a % of Cap was around 2.2%.

He's 6 years older, contract % is double of what it was.

IF the Flames manage to get a 1st round pick out of Coleman, it's a massive home run for Conroy and that is what the bar should be. I am hearing that it may be possible.

FWIW Steinberg said last week that the Flames have been asking for a 1st round pick for Coleman and he believes multiple teams have met that price so it is possible they get more than what they are asking.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

FWIW Steinberg said last week that the Flames have been asking for a 1st round pick for Coleman and he believes multiple teams have met that price so it is possible they get more than what they are asking.

Or perhaps it's coming down to the year of the pick, or how much protection is being put against those picks.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

FWIW Steinberg said last week that the Flames have been asking for a 1st round pick for Coleman and he believes multiple teams have met that price so it is possible they get more than what they are asking.

Would be some fantastic work from Conroy if he managed to get a 1st round pick for Coleman. Love the player but it is really tough to get 1st round picks do wingers.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Or perhaps it's coming down to the year of the pick, or how much protection is being put against those picks.

Yeah. I wonder if teams are offering a 1st round pick with heavy conditions on it… for example, it’s a 1st round pick if the acquiring team makes the SCF but, otherwise, it’s a 2nd round pick. Conroy could be waiting to see if he can get a team to lower those conditions (eg. make it to the 2nd round instead of SCF) or remove them completely.

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Yeah. I wonder if teams are offering a 1st round pick with heavy conditions on it… for example, it’s a 1st round pick if the acquiring team makes the SCF but, otherwise, it’s a 2nd round pick. Conroy could be waiting to see if he can get a team to lower those conditions (eg. make it to the 2nd round instead of SCF) or remove them completely.

He’s not getting traded without a first round pick coming back. Coleman isn’t a typical winger. He’s a high effort, warrior player that teams need for long playoff runs. He also has a Stanley cup ring and a year left on his contract so teams acquiring him will get two playoff runs at least.

[Muta]

Coleman is also playing just as good as he did when he was 28, maybe even better. Dude is an absolute warrior and his game has aged like fine wine. Honestly going to be sad when he's gone, he loved this team and this city and was a great representative for the Flames.

[looooob]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

I can confirm this Blake Coleman trade is gonna be a good one. There's way too much interest in the player. Teams are prioritizing Coleman as they feel he helps drive the bus towards a championship.

Couple notes:

1. He is 34 years old.
2. He was already traded at age 28 as a deadline move to TBL for a 1st round prospect and a first round pick.
3. His contract as a % of Cap was around 2.2%.

He's 6 years older, contract % is double of what it was.

IF the Flames manage to get a 1st round pick out of Coleman, it's a massive home run for Conroy and that is what the bar should be. I am hearing that it may be possible.

he's 34 yes but IMO he's as good a player now as he was at 28 or maybe than he's every been (that may not hold for next year) and now he has that cupwinnerpedigree so I can see him holding value, doesn't seem unreasonable.


the amount of retention if any is worth watching

[Jiri Hrdina]

He also is a young 34.
By that I mean, he's only got 668 games (+65 playoffs) across 10 seasons.
Compared to Kadri, who is just 1 year older, but is 1000+ games across 16 seasons.

Coleman at 34, has a lot fewer miles, than most players his age.

[Matty81]

It's definitely a different era and you can't trot out guys like Parros who just clearly aren't good enough to take a shift at this level for their fighting anymore. I also get that people don't like fighting, on logical grounds I agree totally that's its not great to have guys trading their long term health for our entertainment, but it is a reality in the NHL and high level hockey still and it's looked to me like the flames have been a team where if a fighter on the other team woke up on the wrong side of the bed and decides to run around, we haven't had a true deterrent since McGrattan. It's not about fear of the fighter entirely, it's that they stop it from happening further by taking that guy out of the game.

The Gaudreau and Monahan teams absolutely cowered in those games that got wild, and then we bring in Looch to solve the problem who basically refused to fight Oilers with any degree of malice and had become more of a staged fighter, other than that one time he beat up Zadorov I never really saw him fight out of anger. With this current flames team you have guys like Foligno running around breaking Parekh up or other guys stopping Zary on a good rush by sticking out the knee. And then doing the exact same thing right after he comes back and ruining his career. No one has any fear of these flames.

Klapka is a beast and I'm impressed with how far he has come. He's a solid middleweight now, but despite his size, he doesn't have the technique or power as a fighter to take on a real true heavyweight without a real risk of ending up on the shelf for a long time which none of us want to see. He can fight the Darnell Nurse's of the league who aren't really heavyweight fighters but act like bullies, but I don't want to see him trading with Olivier or that kind of guy.

He also has some skill and isn't ideal to have on the 4th line playing sheriff all the time when I think he has 20 goal upside. Pretty big risk if a game with a couple of those guys on the other team starts to get out of hand and Klapka has to fight a guy whose career focus is fighting.

A guy like Ross Johnston who knows his trade would be fine in that role, play 40-50 games and munch some popcorn otherwise. Or like I said earlier if you want a younger guy who can grow with the team, grab a younger heavy like Curtis Douglas who isn't the toughest guy in the league now but is learning the trade against the true heavyweights in the league and will probably be a monster in a couple years and has shown at lower levels that he actually has the skill to take a shift.

Totally agree on not giving up an asset for that player but I'm all for a Lombo upgrade toughness wise on the 4th line this summer via free agency.

[Strange Brew]

If Coleman and Kadri both get traded, Flames can only retain on one of them which will impact the return. I'm guessing they are reluctant to retain on Kadri and so I think expectations on that return should be tempered.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

He also is a young 34.
By that I mean, he's only got 668 games (+65 playoffs) across 10 seasons.
Compared to Kadri, who is just 1 year older, but is 1000+ games across 16 seasons.

Coleman at 34, has a lot fewer miles, than most players his age.

First off ... agreed.

But second ... this has always been interesting to me. A guy that makes the NHL later is still playing hockey. I'd assume the wear on a player is higher at the NHL level but if he played 2 more AHL seasons than Kadri as an example it can't be as simple as total games played, right?