2024/2025 Season trade rumours and speculation thread

[Calgary4LIfe]

Seems to me that those executives really pay attention to the Flames - I didn't realize teams have 'models' for other teams and trade values. Goes to show you how competitive this league is.


I found the comments in the "What would you do if you were Craig Conroy" part to be the most interesting.

Exec One: “I’m glad I’m not in his shoes. His young guys are performing well. Some of his vets are playing well. They don’t score a lot. They don’t have a top lineup guy or two to build around. They’ve shown that they aren’t a bad team, but they aren’t a good one either. Seems like they are always like that, haha!

Exec Two: “Not sure what to say here, honestly. They have an alright team. I would continue trading guys out and rebuilding the roster, but that would piss off the veterans that stay. If they don’t do that, however, they aren’t going to be a good team, ever. That’s not a position I’d want to be in right now. There are a few organizations that seem to be stuck like that. Calgary is one of those. It’s hard for other teams to get up for games against teams like that.

For next season, vets that will most likely be gone are:
Forwards: Mantha, Kuzmenko, Duehr, Kirkland and I would say Rooney. Rooney is more of the wild card, since he is really liked in the room, and Conroy is fixated on the centre position (as he should be).

Defencemen: Hanley, Barrie. I think Hanley will just end up eating too many valuable 'development minutes' for some of the younger guys. Barrie hasn't been good.

Goaltending: Vladar. I am one of the ones that really likes Vladar and feels his stats don't reflect how good he is. However, with Cooley doing well, I would flip him for a pick if I could, as Wolf has shown he is NHL-ready, though the aim should still be to ramp him up carefully.



Everyone else has at least 1 more season on their deals.



Next season farm-graduates (full or part time):
Forwards: Stromgren, Honzek, Kerins. Not all of them play full-time, but they should all be seeing some time up in the NHL next season. I am not sure what the waiver eligibility is on Kerins and Stromgren, but I know Honzek isn't eligible. Klapka is eligible, and I bet he wouldn't make it past waivers. Zohorna is a good example as a guy who got claimed on waivers - Klapka skates as well as Zohorna for a big man, but is faster, produces at a better rate at the AHL level, and plays a much more physical brand of hockey including his willingness to stick up for teammates.

Defencemen: Solovyov is having a solid season, so I am not sure he passes waivers a second time. Poirier started out slow, but he has caught Solovyov in points now. Kuznetsov isn't a point-producer. All 3 become waiver eligible next season. On top of this, you also have Parekh who is expected to push for the team, Brzustewicz who looked good during preseason perhaps making a push, or at least maybe getting a couple of stretches of games in at the NHL level next season, and my dark-horse making a push in Morin (who I am probably higher on than most people on the board). Grushnikov was supposed to be close to 'NHL-ready" when the trade went down, and though next season is still a waiver-free season for him, getting some NHL looks should be the plan as part of his development.


I think there should be a couple more bodies jettisoned next season through trades in addition to the above UFAs. A nucleus of Backlund, Coleman, Lomberg, Huberdeau and Weegar are more than enough to help keep the culture strong. You also have a lot of young-ish players that can now help keep that high-level of expectations on and off the ice high - Zary, Pospisil, Bahl and Pachal all look more mature than their years. I think you can perhaps further reduce the number of vets in the lineup next season.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Confirmation bias

Probably the clearest example you could make of it, too.

Because they were unnamed with only vague roles given. For all we know they could be two of the biggest dunces in the league working for teams that are disasters themselves.

But because they said something somebody wants to hear, those people don’t even question the source. Never even crossed their mind to question it.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Seems to me that those executives really pay attention to the Flames - I didn't realize teams have 'models' for other teams and trade values. Goes to show you how competitive this league is.

Keep in mind that they were asked a question. People like to talk - ask a question and people will try to sound smart by answering it. So I take much of this article with a huge grain of salt. And while I have opinions on every team and GM (and would definitely have stronger and more informed opinions on them all if I were a GM, at the end of the day, that doesn't really change anything when you're negotiating trades, because it isn't one on one - there are other teams involved, so if you think you can lowball someone, you're likely to get outbid.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Bingo

And I'd argue the Flames are in a group of about 8 teams that likely feel they need to do more kiss ass with their players than the 8 teams that are desired locations.

Exactly. The 2 teams sited as being more hard-lined? VGS and TBL. Well yeah, they can be.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Confirmation bias

I was thinking drugs.

[Shazam]

“I think he’s done a good job for the most part. He could have got some better returns for some of the guys they dealt if they traded them in the summer as opposed to deadline. Hanifin in particular. I know we offered more for him in the summer than they got at the deadline. I think he’s given the players a little too much power in the decision-making. From an outside view, it sounds like they make a lot of the decisions. You have teams like Tampa or Vegas. Cup-winning teams. They can be harsh to their players in the name of winning. I’d put Calgary on the other end. Not a way I’d run an organization to win. It’s tough sledding for a first-time GM. He’s had a good start to building out their future blue line.”

lol yeah, of course you did.

[sureLoss]

Yeah that exec quote isn't as impressive as some think.

Of course they would offer more for a Hanifin they would have for the whole year than just after the deadline.

[stemit14]

Great post Calgary4Life. Really summarizes how the flames will be facing a rush of players from the AHL that hopefully have spots next year. It would be great to open up some spots this season by the TDL so the flames can start evaluating some of these guys this year.

Would love for a team to step up and pay the price for Andersson this season for 3 big reasons:
1. If Conroy trades him this season, I think it would be for his maximum return at this point. I think Andersson’s trade value starts to drop after the TDL. Maybe not by a lot but by I do think it will be less at the draft or even free agency compared to now.
2. It would likely be the biggest move that would make the flames drop into the bottom 10 in the league and they would get to keep their 1st round pick and have a decent chance of drafting a future impact player.
3. It would open up a roster spot for the flames to call up guys like Brz, Poirier or Solovyov to get extended looks in the NHL this year instead of next year. It would help for planning next season as far as who you could expect to need a roster spot on the big club. This can be really important to not losing players on waivers.

Have to also keep in mind the players coming up from Junior/college that could need spots available on the Wranglers. I would hope players like Misa or Basha (if eligible for the AHL) can earn top 6 spots in the AHL to have the best chances to succeed and develop.

Would love for at least the following players traded/not re-signed by the start of next season: Andersson, Miromanov, Hanley, Barrie, Kuzmenko and Rooney.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Shazam

I was thinking drugs.

But really it's neither.

[kyuss275]

Article can certainly be taken with a grain of salt. Nothing new about ownership not liking gm candidates that wanted to gut the team. It’s how jay fester got hired.

I do agree that flames need to make the tough decision on Anderson and trade him this deadline for max return. If remaining vets don’t like it, they can ask for trade

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

Article can certainly be taken with a grain of salt. Nothing new about ownership not liking gm candidates that wanted to gut the team. It’s how jay fester got hired.

I do agree that flames need to make the tough decision on Anderson and trade him this deadline for max return. If remaining vets don’t like it, they can ask for trade

I would think the flames are a 5-6 game losing steak away from Conroy not worrying as much about the vets being upset about an Andersson trade. If a losing steak like that happens in the next 3 weeks, it would probably drop the flames into or at least close to the bottom 10 in the league with even less runway to gain ground.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by stemit14

I would think the flames are a 5-6 game losing steak away from Conroy not worrying as much about the vets being upset about an Andersson trade. If a losing steak like that happens in the next 3 weeks, it would probably drop the flames into or at least close to the bottom 10 in the league with even less runway to gain ground.

And it effectively eliminates their chances of the playoffs. That's the tightrope that Conroy currently walks: if he makes changes while they are this close, he is effectively sabotaging them. And there would be repercussions to it. But if they slip a bit over the next few weeks, and some space opens up between them and a playoff spot, then no one can blame him for making a move.

That's why these next 10 games are critical: 8 out of 10 on the road, if they go 3 and 7 or something like that, the playoffs are done, and Conroy's hands are untied.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Probably the clearest example you could make of it, too.

Because they were unnamed with only vague roles given. For all we know they could be two of the biggest dunces in the league working for teams that are disasters themselves.

But because they said something somebody wants to hear, those people don’t even question the source. Never even crossed their mind to question it.

Jay Feaster is still technically an NHL hockey team executive. Peter Chiarelli is a VP of Hockey Ops.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Considering the dunce who wrote the article, good chance they are working for disastrous teams.

[CF84]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Agreed.

There's nothing Earth shattering in the article, but it's a fun read. Citing character issues for young players, unless there's legal issues, screams "old school hockey" to me.

Maybe a guy like Basha only nailed his Flames interview because they were the only team he wanted to play for as a Flames fan. Of course other teams would view an unenthusiastic interview as a red flag. I hope he walked into the Oilers interview and just said "nope" and then left.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Yeah that exec quote isn't as impressive as some think.

Of course they would offer more for a Hanifin they would have for the whole year than just after the deadline.

For all we know it was a team on the NT list anyway.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

For all we know it was a team on the NT list anyway.

And as others have said - every GM thinks their offer is the best, and is more than enough.

Remember Fitz whining that he had made Conroy a fantastic offer, and was pissed that Conroy hadn't pulled the trigger. Then we hear later, that the offer was likely Holtz and a 2nd

[metroneck]

I am really curious as to where the concept of a ‘meddling owner’ in sports came from.

It’s their team. They pay the bills. Be they shortsighted or visionary, they can do whatever they want.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by CF84

Maybe a guy like Basha only nailed his Flames interview because they were the only team he wanted to play for as a Flames fan. Of course other teams would view an unenthusiastic interview as a red flag. I hope he walked into the Oilers interview and just said "nope" and then left.

Paraphrasing here and I can’t remember who said it but… when Conroy drafted Parekh, I remember the first thing from one of the commenters on Sportsnet was that Parekh told teams not to draft him if they didn’t want him to play his game. That same commentator also praised his skill and ability but I couldn’t help but think that type of statement from a young player could rub lots of scouts or GMs the wrong way. It can be seen as an attitude problem or can be seen as a kid being confident in his skills.

Can anyone else remember this comment about Parekh?

[Leeman4Gilmour]

Without any knowledge whatsoever, I'm going to go ahead and trust the models Chris Snow likely developed or lead in their development over that GM's "models".