2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Groot]

With the rising cap and the potential upside, anything between $5 and $6M AAV long term would be fantastic. 6 years so his contract isn't up at the same time as Coronato's. Even if he stays a 40-point middle 6 winger, thats still not much of an overpay.

6 x $5.75M and call it a day.

8 x $6.5M if we can lock up even longer.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Edit, i was replying to this:

If he wanted to go 6-8 years I would be in the $4.5-5.2M range. I think it makes sense to do a 2 year $3.25M deal to prove it or go long term at a much lower risk number for the flames.

The problem is I don't think Zary would lock himself up for that long at that rate.

[Vinny01]

Coronato signed for 7 years at 6.5M and had a 24 goal 47pt season along with being a younger player picked higher in the first round. I don’t think Zary should be getting the same deal.

[Tbull8]

6x5.25 or 7x5.75 is what I’d be willing to do

[GioforPM]

I'd try to lock him up, and I'm sure a longer offer has been made, justr not at a price high enough to attract Zary.

But it's not cut and dried - we had this same discussion over Mangiapane. Flames signed him to a 3 year deal at a pretty good salary (5.8) after a 55 point season and he slid backwards ever since, to the point he now has to take a $3.6 M contract from the Oilers and hope he gets put on a line with a point machine. Flames did well not to be locked in at $5Mx8 for him.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I also can imagine the Flames feel a longer-term deal has more risk now after two knee injuries in the same year. And we haven't seen him back in game action since the 2nd one.

At some point though Zary should sign. He can't afford to miss any time in camp. That puts him way too far behind.

Figure out what a 2 year deal looks like and bet on yourself kid.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I'd try to lock him up, and I'm sure a longer offer has been made, justr not at a price high enough to attract Zary.

But it's not cut and dried - we had this same discussion over Mangiapane. Flames signed him to a 3 year deal at a pretty good salary (5.8) after a 55 point season and he slid backwards ever since, to the point he now has to take a $3.6 M contract from the Oilers and hope he gets put on a line with a point machine. Flames did well not to be locked in at $5Mx8 for him.

TBH it would have been more like signing Mangiapane to a long term deal after the 19-20 season.

He signed for 2 x $2.45M at that time coming off 45 points in the 112 games the two seasons before that (33 point per 82 game pace).

Had they signed him for 6 x $4.0M at that time they would have him for one more season locked up at that rate.

Personally I still think that would have actually been the better path than doing the 2 x $2.45 and the 3 x $5.8M.

The Flames are at the point of this retool where betting longer term on contracts that cost more now but will be cheaper in the future as the cap goes up makes more sense. They have lots of cap room now, but having that extra cap room 3 years from now is even more valuable.

So if you believe in the player then you should bet on him...I feel like this organization believes in Zary...so make that bet.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

I understand Zary asking for more. If Coronato is making 6.5, I can understand Zary wanting at least 4.

Coronato has the better projection, and better points per game, but I do not believe Coronato is twice the player Zary is.

Agreed, but the salary scale is logarithmic.

[NegativeSpace]

I suspect that Zary wants the dollar figure from Coronato but not the term. While everyone says that the Flames should lock him up, it seems to me that Zary is probably the one wanting less term.

[kehatch]

Originally Posted by dammage79

No he didn't. He got injured. He was tracking better than Bison before that first injury. In fact, on more than few nights he was the best player in the those games.

Ppl are sleeping way too hard on Zary. I wouldn't move him at all. He'd be Bennet 2.0 and that's without the performance struggles.

Yes he did. His offensive output dropped from 0.54 ppg to 0.5 ppg. That is a small drop, but you would expect progress no regression from year 1 to 2.

I am not "sleeping on" Zary. In the same post i said i would personally be okay with him getting the same contract as Coronato. A few posts up i said that i am very high on Zary. I also agree the production was largely due to injuries plus finding a consistent place in the lineup.

But regardless of the reason, I understand why both sides want a bridge deal over a long term contract. The Flames want to see him stay healthy and show progress. Zary wants to prove what he can do before being limited to a number.

[HighLifeMan]

Originally Posted by NegativeSpace

I suspect that Zary wants the dollar figure from Coronato but not the term. While everyone says that the Flames should lock him up, it seems to me that Zary is probably the one wanting less term.

If he does in fact want that then he and his agent have no clue how things work.

If Zary wants less term that's fine - but a guy like Jack Quinn just signed a 2 year deal at 3.35M with better pedigree and more production.

[FlamesAddiction]

Personally, I see Coronato as top 6 winger, likely settling in on the 2nd line, but with the potential to play on the 1st line.

Zary, I see more as a middle 6 winger (don't really see the upside for him as a center), likely settling in on a 2nd line but playing down the line up at times (especially if he does play center). That combined with his injury history, I wouldn't give him term or a salary similar to Coronato's.

With players like Zary that have injury histories, you go short term at market value or long term with an AAV discount. I know guys like to bet on themselves, but if I was Zary, I would probably consider the latter option just get guaranteed money in case those injuries catch up.

[Vinny01]

I wonder if Craig is fixated on the potential of something around Andersson and Robertson as that would be a very significant move that would possibly change some folks projection of the team. With that said I see no way a one for one swap happens so the question would be what are the Flames adding? Coleman?(retained?), Pospisil? VGK 1st? A combination of those pieces?

Adding a young star like Robertson would show the players that he is serious about making the team better. If it somehow ended up being Robertson and Parekh in for Andersson and Coleman it would be a fairly solid summer for Craig.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

If he does in fact want that then he and his agent have no clue how things work.

If Zary wants less term that's fine - but a guy like Jack Quinn just signed a 2 year deal at 3.35M with better pedigree and more production.

That is a good comparable.

From the Flames perspective I would probably go for a cheap 2-3 year deal (as long as he is still an RFA at the end) or a discounted 8 year deal around ~6M. We hope Zary is good but he really lost his chance to prove it out through those injuries and the risk is there.

From Zary's perspective, he should either want a 1 year deal to prove himself quickly and get right back to bigger contract negotiations or have the team give him the Coronato deal.... but he really did not get a good chance to prove he earned the $6.5M deal.

Maybe for 8 years that would be worth the gamble of $6-6.5M because the team gets that extra year of UFA in exchange for the gamble.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

TBH it would have been more like signing Mangiapane to a long term deal after the 19-20 season.

He signed for 2 x $2.45M at that time coming off 45 points in the 112 games the two seasons before that (33 point per 82 game pace).

Had they signed him for 6 x $4.0M at that time they would have him for one more season locked up at that rate.

I suppose, given he was 26 on the last Flames signing. But in August 2022 - he's just come off of his 55 point season and the assumption of many here was he'd continue that way for a while and he should be signed for 8x whatever. Then, one more year under your scenario, saw him slide back to 43 points.

[dino7c]

All this "Zary was the Flames best forward early" talk is kinda nonsense IMO

He was noticable and flashy which is good but he never put up much as far as actual numbers go and then had two pretty major injuries. Coronato earned his contract, Zary hasn't earned anything similar yet.

[Sylvanfan]

Can anyone explain to someone dumb like me how the Flames got 4 seasons out of Zary's ELC? He played 53 games in Stockton in 21-22, than 72 with the Wrangers in 22-23, than 69 between the Flames and Wrangers in 23-24 and 54 with the Flames last year. Yet if you look on Puckpedia the only contract he's ever had is the ELC, and they have it as having slid in 20-21 as he played 9 games with the Stockton that season which makes sense. But it also slid the following season. My guess is because Zary was still 19 on September 15th of that year and didn't play in the NHL that might have something to do with it.

I can't quite figure out how a player who should have 4 accrued pro seasons after Junior still has 4 more years to UFA (2029) instead of 3 and has only had his one ELC so far.

https://www.puckpedia.com/player/connor-zary

The fact that he's played games in parts of 5 seasons make me wonder if people overlook his age a bit and think he needs to earn a longer term deal. I'm not adverse to going a bit longer term with him. I'm not sure exactly who else the Flames will be burning their cap space on over the next 5 years given where they are. Zary would still seem the second best NHL forward the team has under the age of 27.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by dino7c

All this "Zary was the Flames best forward early" talk is kinda nonsense IMO

He was noticable and flashy which is good but he never put up much as far as actual numbers go and then had two pretty major injuries. Coronato earned his contract, Zary hasn't earned anything similar yet.

Zary had the best xGF60 of any forward on the team.

But pucks didn't go in.

The previous season he had more pucks go in than he was generating.

Will be interesting to see where that goes this season.

The only player with a similar lack of puck luck was Farabee.

[Pickle Juice]

Anyone hear or see this one yet?

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl...da756e3a&ei=97

David Pagnotta saying he expects Kadri to be traded soon.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Pickle Juice

Anyone hear or see this one yet?

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl...da756e3a&ei=97

David Pagnotta saying he expects Kadri to be traded soon.

What’s the last time he broke anything?