[Rumour] Friedman: Flames aggressive in trade market. Getting calls on Hudler.

[Caged Great]

I don't think anyone is clamoring for Hudler to get dealt. It's just one of those difficult calls based off term, cap hit, and how the team's budget will all come together in relation to the players and whether one views Hudler as an integral part of the team or a high end support piece.

The only reason why this is coming up now is that this is the easiest time to find a suitable replacement through either trade or the free agent market, both of which are less likely to occur during the season.

[bluejays]

I'm just pushing this out there just because, but what if LA came back with Backlund and Hudler for Toffoli and Williams? You get some leadership (which a lot seem to overvalue) and some extra toughness with some finish as well, while LA retools as well.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by fleury

I'm just pushing this out there just because, but what if LA came back with Backlund and Hudler for Toffoli and Williams? You get some leadership (which a lot seem to overvalue) and some extra toughness with some finish as well, while LA retools as well.

Send our division rivals our best defensive forward and our top scorer? No way, #### that.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by fleury

I'm just pushing this out there just because, but what if LA came back with Backlund and Hudler for Toffoli and Williams? You get some leadership (which a lot seem to overvalue) and some extra toughness with some finish as well, while LA retools as well.

Williams is UFA and I doubt there is a more untouchable guy in their forward ranks than Toffoli.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Williams is UFA and I doubt there is a more untouchable guy in their forward ranks than Toffoli.

I get the sense there a cap trouble team will not want to give a scoring forward with RFA low cap hit without significant return. They need Toffoli more than we do

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I don't think anyone is clamoring for Hudler to get dealt. It's just one of those difficult calls based off term, cap hit, and how the team's budget will all come together in relation to the players and whether one views Hudler as an integral part of the team or a high end support piece.

The only reason why this is coming up now is that this is the easiest time to find a suitable replacement through either trade or the free agent market, both of which are less likely to occur during the season.

Or as Tinordi aptly pointed out; Trading Hudler would put Brad Treliving firmly in the wheat category in the old wheat/chaff separation game.

While holding onto him would unfortunately reduce him to chaff, and that would be disappointing. No one likes to see their GM reduced to chaff so early in their career.

[Dr. Doom]

... this is one of those good problems to have...

As they say, "sell high."

If you can get a killer return for guys like Hudler and Wideman, I think it forces the hand of Treliving only because of timing. I mean these guys have delightful looking contracts coming off awesome season's... we could use a step back to take two steps forward when the timing is right for the youngsters.

If it make sense Treliving will pull the trigger... as he should!

PS I can't recall where but in a recent interview he said he wanted to stock the cupboards again... this would be a way of speeding that up.

PSS He could also use this opportunity to get a little bigger size wise.

[indes]

Could we pry a defenseman and a pick out of Nashville? As much as I like Hudler I would be all for bolstering our blue line. Its much easier to come by a scoring winger than a young #3 Dman.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by indes

Could we pry a defenseman and a pick out of Nashville? As much as I like Hudler I would be all for bolstering our blue line. Its much easier to come by a scoring winger than a young #3 Dman.

Yeah this is true. I wonder if Nashville is looking for that sort of thing.

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by indes

Could we pry a defenseman and a pick out of Nashville? As much as I like Hudler I would be all for bolstering our blue line. Its much easier to come by a scoring winger than a young #3 Dman.

I've gotta think Jones and Josi are totally untouchable and Weber is really close.

That leaves Ellis? I don't think anybody else represents an upgrade. Seems like we already have a bunch of small puck moving dmen in that mold. Could replace Wideman as he is a right shot long term I guess but seems like a lateral move or worse for the team to move Hudler. they also have no 1st rounder this year and their prospect depth is just so so. I'd look for a better trading partner who have young forwards/dmen with size.

Looking at teams that were in the playoff picture who need scoring in the east, Montreal, Boston and Florida, maybe Pittsburgh and Philly. I don't know what their RW pictures are like. Pittsburgh has been spending prospects and picks like a drunken sailor for years, seem unlikely to do it again.

I don't see a perfect fit with Boston or Montreal (although as a starting point Subban is a nice goalie prospect who is close and McCarron would meet a need and seems like Burke/Treliving guy). Philly - don't know much about their prospect/young player base, Morin looks like a beast but he's not going anywhere in a deal like this imo.

Florida makes a ton of sense - they need vets to play with Barkov, Huberdeau etc and have an overabundance of very good, big bodied young defencemen. Also they have no 2nd rounder and are rumored to be willing to drop a couple spots in the 1st round, just so happen to be 4 slots over the flames. Something like Hudler, 1st, late 2nd for Florida 1st, Petrovic/Matheson/Gudbranson and one other piece would be my NHL 15™ proposal. Would allow the Flames to move up and pick one of the two big bodied RW prospects Rantanen or Meier in the draft. Who knows maybe even one of Barzal, Crouse or Werenski slip to 11th.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Matty81

I've gotta think Jones and Josi are totally untouchable and Weber is really close.

That leaves Ellis? I don't think anybody else represents an upgrade. Seems like we already have a bunch of small puck moving dmen in that mold. Could replace Wideman as he is a right shot long term I guess but seems like a lateral move or worse for the team to move Hudler. they also have no 1st rounder this year and their prospect depth is just so so. I'd look for a better trading partner who have young forwards/dmen with size.

Looking at teams that were in the playoff picture who need scoring in the east, Montreal, Boston and Florida, maybe Pittsburgh and Philly. I don't know what their RW pictures are like. Pittsburgh has been spending prospects and picks like a drunken sailor for years, seem unlikely to do it again.

I don't see a perfect fit with Boston or Montreal (although as a starting point Subban is a nice goalie prospect who is close and McCarron would meet a need and seems like Burke/Treliving guy). Philly - don't know much about their prospect/young player base, Morin looks like a beast but he's not going anywhere in a deal like this imo.

Florida makes a ton of sense - they need vets to play with Barkov, Huberdeau etc and have an overabundance of very good, big bodied young defencemen. Also they have no 2nd rounder and are rumored to be willing to drop a couple spots in the 1st round, just so happen to be 4 slots over the flames. Something like Hudler, 1st, late 2nd for Florida 1st, Petrovic/Matheson/Gudbranson and one other piece would be my NHL 15™ proposal. Would allow the Flames to move up and pick one of the two big bodied RW prospects Rantanen or Meier in the draft. Who knows maybe even one of Barzal, Crouse or Werenski slip to 11th.

IIRC the Panthers finished the season with more forwards over the age of 30 thaan those under that age....including Jagr who is 43 and guys like Kopecky and Boyes.

Maybe their would be interest in the Czech angle of having Hudler with JJ...but that team desperately needs to get younger up front.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Williams is UFA and I doubt there is a more untouchable guy in their forward ranks than Toffoli.

Have you heard of a guy named Kopitar?

[azzarish]

Originally Posted by FlameZilla

Everyone loves Hudler. I would rather keep him around, however there are two hard questions which make it a difficult situation:

1) What sort of contract will he get next summer on the open market?

2) If the Flames can't afford to re-sign him (cap-wise) then what sort of return via trade can they get to maximise the asset?

Hudler would cash in on the UFA market. He deserves it. His production has been superb and, at his age, he'll want long term and a big salary. Treliving has to decide whether or not he wants to commit term and money to Hudler or cash in and get some good complimentary players for the young core.

That's it really.

He's 31 and on $4m in the last year of his contact. Someone is going to pay him more than that on the free agent market. If we extend him he's still going to want more than that citing his point production while here, and it won't just be 2 or 3 years term. Can we committ that much money to him going forward?

There are pros to keeping him and trading him. Firstly, it depends on how important he is going forward and how much of a catalyst he is for the younger guys. We pretty much know the answer to that so it really boils down to what the return is, and it would have to be huge for Treliving to even consider it. There would have to be a first in this year's draft in the conversation, along with other pieces (picks) on either side. One side of the argument is that if we're going to do it we may as well do it now while his stock his so high.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Have you heard of a guy named Kopitar?

No I haven't.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by azzarish

That's it really.

He's 31 and on $4m in the last year of his contact. Someone is going to pay him more than that on the free agent market. If we extend him he's still going to want more than that citing his point production while here, and it won't just be 2 or 3 years term. Can we committ that much money to him going forward?

There are pros to keeping him and trading him. Firstly, it depends on how important he is going forward and how much of a catalyst he is for the younger guys. We pretty much know the answer to that so it really boils down to what the return is, and it would have to be huge for Treliving to even consider it. There would have to be a first in this year's draft in the conversation, along with other pieces (picks) on either side. One side of the argument is that if we're going to do it we may as well do it now while his stock his so high.

Have the Flames ever traded someone while their stock was high? It seems like historically, the Flames get very attached to the players who have good seasons.

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by transplant99

IIRC the Panthers finished the season with more forwards over the age of 30 thaan those under that age....including Jagr who is 43 and guys like Kopecky and Boyes.

Maybe their would be interest in the Czech angle of having Hudler with JJ...but that team desperately needs to get younger up front.

No vets with top 2 line talent though (which we need too it's worth noting). Outside of Jagr who I keep expecting to decline but never does.... Jokinen, Boyes, Upshall.... and the rest are even worse. Jokinen is the only half decent one.

[tvp2003]

Maybe a better question to ask: who is willing to trade big assets (if not overpay) for Hudler at $4 million AAV with one year left on his deal?

Also, what are the odds that Hudler would take lesser salary and/or term to stay in Calgary after this season? Say, 4 years at 5 million AAV? If it's all about the cash there is no way he'll be a Flame in 2016/17 (see Cammalleri, Mike), but Hudler seems to be a bit of a different cat so maybe he wants to stay and play (i) in a great hockey city like Calgary and (ii) with emerging stars like Monahan and Gaudreau?

[azzarish]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Have the Flames ever traded someone while their stock was high? It seems like historically, the Flames get very attached to the players who have good seasons.

They do get attached. But I'm just saying if we wait till the trade deadline and decide then that we're not re-signing him the return could be considerably less.

I actually don't mind him staying but there are definitely pros to both trading him and keeping him.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Have the Flames ever traded someone while their stock was high? It seems like historically, the Flames get very attached to the players who have good seasons.

Besides Kent Nilsson, Dan Quinn, Brett Hull, Mike Bullard, Joe Mullen, Doug Gilmour, Gary Suter, Mike Vernon, Al MacInnis, Joe Niewendyk, Phil Housley, Steve Chiasson, Robert Reichel, Gary Roberts, Theo Fleury, Cory Stillman, Derek Morris, Chris Drury, Alex Tanguay, Dion Phaneuf, and Jay Bouwmeester?

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by fleury

I'm just pushing this out there just because, but what if LA came back with Backlund and Hudler for Toffoli and Williams? You get some leadership (which a lot seem to overvalue) and some extra toughness with some finish as well, while LA retools as well.

If Williams was guaranteed to sign a contract I would do that deal in a second. Williams is a decent forward who really shows up in the playoffs but Toffoli will be the best player in that deal and would give us a 1st line RW for many years to come.