2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Yanda]

Originally Posted by Niemo

Thanks Royle. Ras (50%) + Coleman + Grushnikov package to Dallas would be fun.

Lian Bischel + Future 1st unprotected + 2nd + 2nd

Probably too much from Dallas?

Lian Bischel is a 2022 Draft pick, value is probably a late 2nd/early 3rd. Them taking Grushnikov basically offsets the value of the retention. Coleman would be worth a late 2nd/early 3rd at the deadline.

So basically Ras for an unprotected 1st and 2x 2nds.

Ras Retention ~ Grushnikov
Coleman ~ Bischel
Ras ~ Unprotected 1st and 2x 2nds

[Niemo]

It would be such a disappointment to hold onto Ras all season then to sign and trade him and get a 3rd liner in return if that's what Conroy is saying.

[Rhett44]

Conroy admitting they aren't going to get a good return now? Jesus lol.

[Yanda]

edit

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Was just reading the Avs are in on Ehlers and if they get Ehlers they're going to move Necas. IMO, keeping some assets to acquire Mecas would be saavy. Necas would be a good fit on RW and C.

To COL
Andersson (50%)
Pospisil

To CGY
Necas
2027 1st

Both take risk with the two main pieces not wanting to sign, Calgary gets a bump in the pick back from Pospisil from taking on more salary.

[Niemo]

Just trade Ras, Connie. Ship him out for the Kings or Blues unprotected 1st if that's all we can get. We won't blame you. Get our own pick higher.

[MikePatton]

I think Salim is pulling focus to the perspective of leverage to create a story here. Dude loves editorializing, and I hate it.

Like... Is Conroy owning up to gifting players some honour-bound leverage in addition to what's already in contracts? Or is he talking about dealing with the inopportune eventuality of having to trade away players that are negatively affecting his trading position? I'm reading the latter, but Salim is implying the former.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Sofa GM

To COL
Andersson (50%)
Pospisil

To CGY
Necas
2027 1st

Both take risk with the two main pieces not wanting to sign, Calgary gets a bump in the pick back from Pospisil from taking on more salary.

I feel like this has to be continued overvaluing of Ras.

If something like that was on the market, I’d imagine a trade would already be completed.

[dissentowner]

My God this place gets toxic a lot. Conroy gives vague answers and the sky is falling, he is failing at his job! Jesus Christ....

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I feel like this has to be continued overvaluing of Ras.

If something like that was on the market, I’d imagine a trade would already be completed.

Avs are in a holding pattern in regards to signing Ehlers. They're not moving Necas without getting Ehlers inked. That was the tweet.

[Paulie Walnuts]

The talk of you can ask him in September seems like they might be resigned to keeping him if he doesn’t change his mind.

I’d shop him hard to every team and just take the best package. They cornered themselves into this situation.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Salim thread:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1940167608785150097

https://twitter.com/user/status/1940168063963611588

https://twitter.com/user/status/1940168490994081825

https://twitter.com/user/status/1940169065273888816

https://twitter.com/user/status/1940169898380144850

https://twitter.com/user/status/1940170294075027890

Kind of does shine a light on the fact that players have held all the power under Conroy’s time here, and the organization has benefitted very little from it thus far.

If Ras really is here in September, it’ll be hard not to look at Conroy and just say “well, he’s not developing as a GM because he’s making the same mistakes over and over”

So bizzare how we insist on drawing conclusions that simply don't need to be made.

The only thing this pattern reflects is the situation Craig Conroy inherited as a GM (and I don't even mean that in a way of throwing shade at the previous GM either). A number of players, with contracts coming up on big pay days, who's age ranges post signing new deals don't exactly fit Calgary's circumstance for either player or team. We find ourselves in that situation year over year, because that's the situation we are in based on our contract situation, not because of anything Conny is or isn't doing as a GM.

Players like Anderson, seem to have all the control, because they do when it comes to signing another contract. Sign and trades are relatively new to the NHL, but Anderson is simply exercising his UFA status early, IF the Flames are wanting to try and leverage that to ENHANCE the value of the asset. Now it might be disappointing if Anderson's list is small, and essentially takes away or degrades the incremental value of the sign and trade market, but that is what it is, it has nothing to do with Conroy. Conroy can still do what he wants, outside of Anderson's NTC, and make a the highest value trade for a player that might just be a 1 year rental, or to a team willing to roll the dice on him changing his mind on extending.

I also guess, that when we hear Anderson is only willing to extend with Vegas, that it likely means only willing to extend with Vegas, among the the teams who expressed interest in him at this point in time via trade. That point may be irrelevant to the Flames, but I'd guess Anderson wouldn't only consider one location if he actually makes it to UFA.

Anyway, I'm not sure I get this players have the power under Conroy. The players do have the power, always, on whether they want to sign new contracts (except for RFA). We should judge Conroy on how he navigates the situations he's been given, not for some un-real expectation that he can wave a magic wand and change them. For what it's worth, I've been happy with his body of work the past year with some poor situations to deal with and feel he's done well maximizing value of the assets he's had to deal with.

I also think, if you want to critique the Anderson handling, likely the only thing one can point too at this moment in time, would be if maybe they should have moved him earlier, for the multi year value contract. But again, not sure what we want him to do re: Anderson's decisions on where or where he won't lock in for what is likely his last NHL contract.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Niemo

Just trade Ras, Connie. Ship him out for the Kings or Blues unprotected 1st if that's all we can get. We won't blame you. Get our own pick higher.

It won’t be unprotected.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

So bizzare how we insist on drawing conclusions that simply don't need to be made.

The only thing this pattern reflects is the situation Craig Conroy inherited as a GM (and I don't even mean that in a way of throwing shade at the previous GM either). A number of players, with contracts coming up on big pay days, who's age ranges post signing new deals don't exactly fit Calgary's circumstance for either player or team. We find ourselves in that situation year over year, because that's the situation we are in based on our contract situation, not because of anything Conny is or isn't doing as a GM.

Players like Anderson, seem to have all the control, because they do when it comes to signing another contract. Sign and trades are relatively new to the NHL, but Anderson is simply exercising his UFA status early, IF the Flames are wanting to try and leverage that to ENHANCE the value of the asset. Now it might be disappointing if Anderson's list is small, and essentially takes away or degrades the incremental value of the sign and trade market, but that is what it is, it has nothing to do with Conroy. Conroy can still do what he wants, outside of Anderson's NTC, and make a the highest value trade for a player that might just be a 1 year rental, or to a team willing to roll the dice on him changing his mind on extending.

I also guess, that when we hear Anderson is only willing to extend with Vegas, that it likely means only willing to extend with Vegas, among the the teams who expressed interest in him at this point in time via trade. That point may be irrelevant to the Flames, but I'd guess Anderson wouldn't only consider one location if he actually makes it to UFA.

Anyway, I'm not sure I get this players have the power under Conroy. The players do have the power, always, on whether they want to sign new contracts (except for RFA). We should judge Conroy on how he navigates the situations he's been given, not for some un-real expectation that he can wave a magic wand and change them. For what it's worth, I've been happy with his body of work the past year with some poor situations to deal with and feel he's done well maximizing value of the assets he's had to deal with.

I also think, if you want to critique the Anderson handling, likely the only thing one can point too at this moment in time, would be if maybe they should have moved him earlier, for the multi year value contract. But again, not sure what we want him to do re: Anderson's decisions on where or where he won't lock in for what is likely his last NHL contract.

Or they had a deal at the deadline that was cancelled by ownership.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

The talk of you can ask him in September seems like they might be resigned to keeping him if he doesn’t change his mind.

I’d shop him hard to every team and just take the best package. They cornered themselves into this situation.

Yep, we should have traded him at the deadline along with some of the other vets. It was a sellers market and we did not take advantage.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

My God this place gets toxic a lot. Conroy gives vague answers and the sky is falling, he is failing at his job! Jesus Christ....

What is toxic about any of this?

Conroy was a rookie GM, who dealt with a rather difficult first year on the job.

He’s now entering his 3rd year, and just like with players we’re talking about his development as a GM. Everyone likes the guy, we all want to see him get better because we all want the Flames to build a championship team.

No one has pitchfork and torches out.

It’s fair to criticize the Andersson situation, because it is eerily similar to how the Hanifin situation was handled so far (albeit we seem to have clarity on the contract status sooner).

If we were take a step back from Conroy, we also see what is an organizational strategy that is not conducive to building a Championship team (“rebuild on the fly without top picks” seems to be the strategy at hand)…it’s also fair to criticize that, because it’s a strategy that goes against the odds.

[memphusk]

Valji makes it sound worse than it is. This organization hasn't won anything in a long time and is now in a youth movement. I would also be looking my options if I was 28 and heading into a contract year. I would want to win, and I don't blame him for wanting to be on a contender.

[Royle9]

I think Salim is pointing out the fact that stories don’t line up.
Someone either agent or Flames/VGK leaked the Rasmus drama with Craig and now he has to try and save face within said media before it spirals out of control.

Yea, he’s a flame right now (everyone knows that)
Yea , Calgary can afford to keep him this season
Yea, Rasmus knows he’s a flame

This is what Craig keeps repeating, over and over again

Yea Craig needs to say that
Yea, Calgary “could” start the season with Rasmus
Yea, both sides are talking (would have to with NTC’s)

But I don’t buy for a second that these leaks via LA and VGK are made up.
It’s advantageous for Rasmus to leak this more than Craig and by Rasmus I’m referring to agent.
There’s no way you start this season or camp for that matter with this cloud over the team, it just doesn’t make sense for either side.

How fast this went from amicable 2-way chatter to what now can only be described as dumpster fire is absolutely crazy. I just hope it ends sooner rather than later and I think Craig should have been more aggressive at the draft. Playing hardball to try and squeeze the absolute best and teams seem to be calling his bluff.

This is why they need to take any trade chatter for aging players seriously.
2 years left on Coleman, if Dallas wants him sell now and it’s win/win/win for all parties.

[BrownDrake]

Conroy was very well spoken at the press conference and stated facts.
To get a higher return in a sign and trade you need the player willing to sign with the team - fact. We may have to settle for a lower return and trade him as a rental - that is a fact, returns are lower in that scenario. This is also good gamesmanship, "LV we are ok trading him as a rental to get some pieces we want, up your offer or we trade him to one of the other 20 odd teams in the league".

[flamesgod]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

What is toxic about any of this?

Conroy was a rookie GM, who dealt with a rather difficult first year on the job.

He’s now entering his 3rd year, and just like with players we’re talking about his development as a GM. Everyone likes the guy, we all want to see him get better because we all want the Flames to build a championship team.

No one has pitchfork and torches out.

It’s fair to criticize the Andersson situation, because it is eerily similar to how the Hanifin situation was handled so far (albeit we seem to have clarity on the contract status sooner).

If we were take a step back from Conroy, we also see what is an organizational strategy that is not conducive to building a Championship team (“rebuild on the fly without top picks” seems to be the strategy at hand)…it’s also fair to criticize that, because it’s a strategy that goes against the odds.

I get the frustration, trust me I do. But it’s pretty unfair to vocalize it until we actually see how this transpires first. I have the same concerns as many, but until I see the result, there’s not much point in going on about it. That’s just my opinion on it.