2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Sylvanfan]

It's funny if a GM knows a good player is available and tries to get that player or see what the cost to acquire would be he's doing a terrible job and creating a disaster.

If that's the only way sport...why even bother investing your time in it?

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1950655753884418220

https://twitter.com/user/status/1950656349903454312

[Tbull8]

Unless things fall apart I doubt he’s being shopped then. I’m happy about that. Let’s see this young core continue to grow together

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Really wish we could judge on actual things not speculated things where we don't know the full story.

The full story (what has actually happened) shows definitively that the Flames are in a rebuild and have done more to initiate a rebuild over 12 months than almost any team under the cap era. When the facts don’t align with your theory of what is happening you must resort to what may have happened.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Unless things fall apart I doubt he’s being shopped then. I’m happy about that. Let’s see this young core continue to grow together

Me too. I think Zary has tons of untapped potential - especially as a centre. Really hoping he signs a deal with some term and the flames give him a long look at centre this year with some good wingers (Coronato and Posposil would be my first choice).

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Chicago acquired Seth Jones long term (albeit they backed off on that one).. Signed Ryan Donato 4 years. Signed Bertuzzi for 4 years. Teravainen for 3. Signed McCabe and Purphy for 4 years. Traded for Sam Lafferty. Acquired Burakovsky. All during this "teardown period".

BTW, tell me what the term was that was offered to Lindholm (Hanifin is plenty youn g enough for an 8 year deal on a rebuilding team).

Well this is awkward. Those indisputable facts seem to contradict what some posters said Chicago did.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

The full story (what has actually happened) shows definitively that the Flames are in a rebuild and have done more to initiate a rebuild over 12 months than almost any team under the cap era. When the facts don’t align with your theory of what is happening you must resort to what may have happened.

What have we done to initiate a rebuild? Maybe that will change my opinion on it.

To me alot of the decisions have seemed reactive, rather than being initiated by us and making a decision to rebuild. But I'm genuinely curious.

[kehatch]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Conroy has not been rebuilding slowly, he has been tearing it down faster than almost any GM in the last 15 years of any NHL team. The fact that there is even an offshoot of Flames fandom who thinks he is not tearing it down is baffling to me. Conroy has made zero moves to make this team competitive in his time as GM so you probably don’t have to worry about that happening anytime soon. It has been full blown rebuild almost from day one and will likely continue to be.

Team rebuild, tank, tear it down, whatever the name is should be happy because that is what the Flames have done more efficiently than almost any NHL team in the cap era.

I wasn't being critical of Conroy. I said he started in a tough spot and had to replenish the prospects and youth before trading away all of the veterans.

But the above isnt true. The Flames still have an established group of veterans at their top end, and a majority of the players Conroy traded were pending UFAs that he wasn't able to retain. The Flames themselves refuse to label it a rebuild. The GM himself admitted he wanted to make a splash this summer to improve the team. A lot of the moves that were made brought on resources that help now.

I understand why Conroy didn't do a full tear down, and we are definitely rebuilding. But Conroy has taken his time doing it, and he hasn't abandoned trying to keep the team competitive.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

What have we done to initiate a rebuild? Maybe that will change my opinion on it.

To me alot of the decisions have seemed reactive, rather than being initiated by us and making a decision to rebuild. But I'm genuinely curious.

Well I would say you are not genuinely curious but I would have a hard time even seeing what decisions were reactive. Certainly not Markstrom, Mangiapane, Toffoli, Tanev. Not really Zadorov either, give him a low ball offer and then trade him. So not really sure if they have made any reactive decisions.

Are there any decisions that were reactive?

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Well this is awkward. Those indisputable facts seem to contradict what some posters said Chicago did.

When Seth Jones was signed they were certainly not rebuilding, it was their last gasp effort.

Those other players were signed to generally low AAV for years in which they would be rebuilding. So they would have some veteran presence. Nothing longer than 4 years you note.

And these were generally UFA signings. They didn't give up the chance to trade for 1st round picks to resign these players. They were "free" and didn't cost cap space they might need while contending down the road. PLus they didn't make Chicago all that better.

There is a huge difference signing Bertuzzi off the UFA heap than potentially walking away from 3 1st round picks + in signing Lindholm, Hanifin and Andersson to long extensions.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

What have we done to initiate a rebuild? Maybe that will change my opinion on it.

To me alot of the decisions have seemed reactive, rather than being initiated by us and making a decision to rebuild. But I'm genuinely curious.

I think you also have to consider that contract negotiations are also used as a ploy to make sure you aren't getting low balled by the other 31 GMs. I think Lindholm is a perfect example of that. Conroy said he knew in September that Elias would be traded. Through out the season we heard a number of media rumours about contract negotiations being ongoing until he was traded. The guise of continued contract negotiations is more keeping the other GMs honest.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Robbob

I think you also have to consider that contract negotiations are also used as a ploy to make sure you aren't getting low balled by the other 31 GMs. I think Lindholm is a perfect example of that. Conroy said he knew in September that Elias would be traded. Through out the season we heard a number of media rumours about contract negotiations being ongoing until he was traded. The guise of continued contract negotiations is more keeping the other GMs honest.

Exactly. You don't want other GMs coming to the table with the notion that you are desperate to trade the player because the alternative is them walking away and you get nothing. You also want to give them the impression that if they don't bring their best offer, the player could be off the table. There is gamesmanship going on for sure and you have to take some things reported with a grain of salt.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

What have we done to initiate a rebuild? Maybe that will change my opinion on it.

To me alot of the decisions have seemed reactive, rather than being initiated by us and making a decision to rebuild. But I'm genuinely curious.

Trading their starting goalie and a top 6 forward last summer for picks and a young player. Flames did nothing to get better over the last 2 years. Just because they did not trade every vet with a pulse doesn’t mean they haven’t focused on rebuilding the roster.

You have a very narrow view which makes it frustrating to try and reason with you.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by kehatch

I wasn't being critical of Conroy. I said he started in a tough spot and had to replenish the prospects and youth before trading away all of the veterans.

But the above isnt true. The Flames still have an established group of veterans at their top end, and a majority of the players Conroy traded were pending UFAs that he wasn't able to retain. The Flames themselves refuse to label it a rebuild. The GM himself admitted he wanted to make a splash this summer to improve the team. A lot of the moves that were made brought on resources that help now.

I understand why Conroy didn't do a full tear down, and we are definitely rebuilding. But Conroy has taken his time doing it, and he hasn't abandoned trying to keep the team competitive.

Andersson is the only vet that he has held onto a bit too long to imo. The rest could just be blocking trades.

[traptor]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Trading their starting goalie and a top 6 forward last summer for picks and a young player. Flames did nothing to get better over the last 2 years. Just because they did not trade every vet with a pulse doesn’t mean they haven’t focused on rebuilding the roster.

You have a very narrow view which makes it frustrating to try and reason with you.

That's not entirely true that they did nothing to improve the team.

They brought in Frost and Farabee in a deal that they included a 2nd in.

They brought in Bahl in the Markstrom deal.


These are young but established pieces with a focus on improving the Flames.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Unless things fall apart I doubt he’s being shopped then. I’m happy about that. Let’s see this young core continue to grow together

Guess the only question left is what can we get for Andersson?

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by traptor

That's not entirely true that they did nothing to improve the team.

They brought in Frost and Farabee in a deal that they included a 2nd in.

They brought in Bahl in the Markstrom deal.


These are young but established pieces with a focus on improving the Flames.

I’d argue Sharangovich as well if he didn’t have such a crappy year last season

[Sec214]

I just got the craziest text from a European scout. I need to double check maybe even triple check this thing.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by traptor

That's not entirely true that they did nothing to improve the team.

They brought in Frost and Farabee in a deal that they included a 2nd in.

They brought in Bahl in the Markstrom deal.


These are young but established pieces with a focus on improving the Flames.

They brought in Frost and Farabee in exchange for Pelletier and Kuzmenko, with the 2nd to equalize the trade. The team got younger on that deal, and balanced out the roster by filling a huge hole at centre.

Bahl, as a piece for the present, doesn't even begin to compare to a starting goalie. The NHL roster was unquestionably worse with Wolf and Vladar in goal than with Markstrom and Wolf. They also got a 1st-round pick out of the deal.

Neither one of those were remotely ‘win now’ deals.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Goriders

I’d argue Sharangovich as well if he didn’t have such a crappy year last season

Getting 25-year-old Sharangovich (plus a 3rd) for 31-year-old Toffoli wasn't a win-now move, either.