2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Yeah the bridge was a mistake but I dont think that it became impossible to re-sign him once it was signed. Calgary didn't offer to back up the truck for him and didn't capitulate to his room/leadership demands. We wanted to keep our club culture.

If I recall correctly, we signed Frolik, and his added 2nd line wing contract ($4.3?), (vs Bennett there), squeezed out the needed $2-3m for a 6-8 yr term.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

The other thing that I think heavily impacted our ability to keep tkachuk and all Americans was the pandemic and lockdowns. Totally out of our control and spooked American players.

I think a big factor for Johnny as well
For a family so tight and with his dad having a health scare I can see them not wanting to chance being separated like that againn

[cam_wmh]

Revisionist here, as I (did anyone?) didn't consider it at the time, but if they would've traded Frolik that summer that Tkachuk was re-signed (long term vs bridge), Bennett and Tkachuk may have both stuck around -- as Bennett would've realized 2nd line minutes.

Johnny's family though, and the pandemic --- I think it was unavoidable. Johnny and his agent, just didn't identify their new landing spot well enough during the courting and then July 1st courting period. Causing that unnecessary strife, drama.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Eklund is on the Islanders now. But I 100% would give up Kadri for him. No question.

Kadri is about to be 35. Eklund has the potential to be a first line winger.

Kadri is more valuble than a mid first round pick in a poor draft..he is playing better now than in his younger years. He is also a guy you want in the playoffs. If he is a deadline deal at some point you will see.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Yeah the bridge was a mistake but I dont think that it became impossible to re-sign him once it was signed. Calgary didn't offer to back up the truck for him and didn't capitulate to his room/leadership demands. We wanted to keep our club culture.

It wasn't impossible to re-sign him after the bridge, it was just significantly harder to do so because he had all of the leverage. Setting a player up to be an RFA with 1 year until UFA means he can go to arbitration and get a 1 year contract and walk himself to free agency.

This is exactly what he said he would do and how he forced his trade.

Had Brad not backed himself into a corner by giving Tkachuk a bridge contract then he would have signed an 8 year deal in 2019 that would have ended in 2027-28. Who knows how many other decisions would have changed with him committed to that term.

This brings me back to the current Zary situation. Give him a 1 year deal to get back on track but do not give him a 3 year deal that gets him to that "1 year RFA (Arb)" status and hand him that same leverage to take a 1 year deal and become a UFA. We should only need 1 season of him being healthy to validate he is worth the 7-8 year extension.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Wolven

It wasn't impossible to re-sign him after the bridge, it was just significantly harder to do so because he had all of the leverage. Setting a player up to be an RFA with 1 year until UFA means he can go to arbitration and get a 1 year contract and walk himself to free agency.

This is exactly what he said he would do and how he forced his trade.

Had Brad not backed himself into a corner by giving Tkachuk a bridge contract then he would have signed an 8 year deal in 2019 that would have ended in 2027-28. Who knows how many other decisions would have changed with him committed to that term.

This brings me back to the current Zary situation. Give him a 1 year deal to get back on track but do not give him a 3 year deal that gets him to that "1 year RFA (Arb)" status and hand him that same leverage to take a 1 year deal and become a UFA. We should only need 1 season of him being healthy to validate he is worth the 7-8 year extension.

Tkachuk would not have signed an 8 year contract in 2019. He mentioned once (after the fact) he would have signed an “long term contract”, but then he said something like “like 5 years”). He wasn’t going to give up more than a couple UFA years. He wanted to play in the US, he had his dad’s mercenary outlook, and he was savvy about PR (and he was and is still not shy about putting a knife in through the press later on).

[Toast_Man]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

Revisionist here, as I (did anyone?) didn't consider it at the time, but if they would've traded Frolik that summer that Tkachuk was re-signed (long term vs bridge), Bennett and Tkachuk may have both stuck around -- as Bennett would've realized 2nd line minutes.

Johnny's family though, and the pandemic --- I think it was unavoidable. Johnny and his agent, just didn't identify their new landing spot well enough during the courting and then July 1st courting period. Causing that unnecessary strife, drama.

You also have to take into consideration Tre trying to sign Johnny at a discount the summer before. I think that's where Tre really fumbled the bag.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Toast_Man

You also have to take into consideration Tre trying to sign Johnny at a discount the summer before. I think that's where Tre really fumbled the bag.

At a discount or at market?

Gaudreau had just finished two seasons with a .85 point per game average.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Bingo

At a discount or at market?

Gaudreau had just finished two seasons with a .85 point per game average.

Should’ve offered 8 year deal and went over the “Gio ceiling”.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Should’ve offered 8 year deal and went over the “Gio ceiling”.

I think the offer was 8 x 7 or 7.5 that summer from what I heard.

It was over the Giordano ceiling, and not a bad offer for a .85 ppg player.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Tkachuk would not have signed an 8 year contract in 2019. He mentioned once (after the fact) he would have signed an “long term contract”, but then he said something like “like 5 years”). He wasn’t going to give up more than a couple UFA years. He wanted to play in the US, he had his dad’s mercenary outlook, and he was savvy about PR (and he was and is still not shy about putting a knife in through the press later on).

Maybe. Brady has 3 years left on his 7 year contract that he signed after his ELC. They got that longer commitment out of a Tkachuk and now have built a team around him.

It will be interesting to see if Brady re-signs in that 2027-28 season or walks to UFA and leaves for the US. He has a full NMC for the last 3 seasons of this contract, which means the team won't be able to trade him in the last year unless he agrees to it. The only leverage the Sens will have is the 7 year extension over a 6 year UFA deal.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Kadri is more valuble than a mid first round pick in a poor draft..he is playing better now than in his younger years. He is also a guy you want in the playoffs. If he is a deadline deal at some point you will see.

If you got offered Eklund for Kadri, you take the offer and run. Kadri is getting older fast, and his play will likely drop significantly.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

If you got offered Eklund for Kadri, you take the offer and run. Kadri is getting older fast, and his play will likely drop significantly.

I think Dino is specifically saying no to that because you are settling on too little of a return.

If Kadri were being traded by a team other than the Flames then the return would not be a mid-round 1st and nothing else. So why would the Flames settle for less?

[Toast_Man]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think the offer was 8 x 7 or 7.5 that summer from what I heard.

It was over the Giordano ceiling, and not a bad offer for a .85 ppg player.

7 or 7.5 feels like a discount considering they gave Coleman 4.9 for .52 ppg. Obviously completely different style of players, but if just looking at the previous 2 seasons point totals, Johnny should be getting 8. Or 9.25 if you look 4 years back.

It can be hard to remove bias looking back in hindsight especially when the outcome was Johnny walking away in free agency. That definitely scarred me as a fan.

[Monahammer]

We can moan and complain about contracts all we want, definitely played a part in it. But, IMO, the bigger component, and it was reported at the time, was that Flames management/ownership/other players (indeterminate exactly who pushed against most) didn't want to give Tkachuk more control over the culture of the room, didn't like the way he played on the ice, and didn't want to make him the face of the franchise. IMO if we had done those things, even on the bridge, we likely could have kept him. Also apparently we would have seen a better Bennett too.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Wolven

I think Dino is specifically saying no to that because you are settling on too little of a return.

If Kadri were being traded by a team other than the Flames then the return would not be a mid-round 1st and nothing else. So why would the Flames settle for less?

And I do not believe Kadri is worth more than a 1st. How often do aging 2nd line players get traded for a 1st plus?

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Toast_Man

7 or 7.5 feels like a discount considering they gave Coleman 4.9 for .52 ppg. Obviously completely different style of players, but if just looking at the previous 2 seasons point totals, Johnny should be getting 8. Or 9.25 if you look 4 years back.

It can be hard to remove bias looking back in hindsight especially when the outcome was Johnny walking away in free agency. That definitely scarred me as a fan.

Coleman was coming in as a cup-winning-UFA (no RFA years).

Gaudreau was signing as an RFA fresh off of his ELC where the contract spanned 5 RFA years and 1 UFA year. If he had signed an 8 year deal that included 2 more UFA years then the argument could have been made to give him a bigger AAV.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I don't think the Islanders would have any interest in a Kadri for Eklund deal. They already have Horvat.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Wolven

Maybe. Brady has 3 years left on his 7 year contract that he signed after his ELC. They got that longer commitment out of a Tkachuk and now have built a team around him.

It will be interesting to see if Brady re-signs in that 2027-28 season or walks to UFA and leaves for the US. He has a full NMC for the last 3 seasons of this contract, which means the team won't be able to trade him in the last year unless he agrees to it. The only leverage the Sens will have is the 7 year extension over a 6 year UFA deal.

Brady is not Matthew. Nowhere near the talent and nowhere near the ego.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

And I do not believe Kadri is worth more than a 1st. How often do aging 2nd line players get traded for a 1st plus?

It happened 6 months ago. Most teams are more concerned with winning than the birth year of the players that help them win.