2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Laziness, lack of trust, dogmatic insistence on specific styles of play, I don't know. I can't tell you why I am just guessing at what I see. I hope they don't think so badly of some of our rebuild players (coronato, zary, parekh, gridin, honzek) already that they aren't pursuing it because we don't have the horses. I think that's a way worse outcome as it means we are starting from point 0 on a proper rebuild rather than 5/10 or something because of good depth drafting the last few seasons.

Zary is an interesting one because I felt last season, before his injury, he was getting to the middle more for chances.
It's entirely stopped now.
I hope it's not because of the injuries but it could be. Perhaps even if mentally.

[PepsiFree]

Sutter knew we didn’t have the horses and wasn’t afraid to say as much. We’ve since shipped off the entire top 30-40% of the talent we had when he said that.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

I don't think it's laziness. I just think Huska knows only one way to coach, and it is the system he has currently implemented.

I really feel like he is a bad coach. He would have the cup champion Panthers playing on the perimeter.

He specifically said he didn't want players to be on the perimeter. That it was a bad habit they fall into when they aren't scoring.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

I don't think it's laziness. I just think Huska knows only one way to coach, and it is the system he has currently implemented.

I really feel like he is a bad coach. He would have the cup champion Panthers playing on the perimeter.

So a guy that only knows perimeter hockey ... seems to be lazy or uninspired to look at his roster or change in anyway has moved up the ranks from Kelowna, to the AHL to the NHL and has never been questioned.

Or ... the team lacks the talent to play the way fans want the coach have them play?

I know where my money is!

And I'm not sold on Huska long term as I said. I just think the thought that he wants perimeter hockey is one of the most foolish things I've seen on this site, and that says a lot!

[Bingo]

It really feels like some of the "move all the assets now! we need to rebuild" crowd have pivoted to find something else to complain about now that the team is losing and they are getting what they want.

Had a high school buddy that used to change sides of the argument if you agreed with him.

[Toonage]

lol I work with someone exactly like that. Cries to high heaven for something that they think needs to be changed, is the worst thing in the world etc and when they get their way immediately moves onto the next thing. Its never about the actual issue, its usually about the attention and the need to stir the pot.

[P-bobby]

Originally Posted by Bingo

So a guy that only knows perimeter hockey ... seems to be lazy or uninspired to look at his roster or change in anyway has moved up the ranks from Kelowna, to the AHL to the NHL and has never been questioned.

Or ... the team lacks the talent to play the way fans want the coach have them play?

I know where my money is!

And I'm not sold on Huska long term as I said. I just think the thought that he wants perimeter hockey is one of the most foolish things I've seen on this site, and that says a lot!

I get where you’re coming from, and I agree that the idea Huska wants perimeter hockey is probably overstating it. The point isn’t that he’s lazy or trying to play a boring style on purpose. It’s that the way the system is structured ends up producing a lot of perimeter shots and low-danger chances, regardless of intent.

[Ba'alzamon]

I like how that quote directly refutes the notion that Huska is telling the Flames to play on the perimeter, and yet the people who think he's telling them to play on the perimeter are using it as evidence that that's what he's doing.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Ba'alzamon

I like how that quote directly refutes the notion that Huska is telling the Flames to play on the perimeter, and yet the people who think he's telling them to play on the perimeter are using it as evidence that that's what he's doing.

Right??

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by P-bobby

I get where you’re coming from, and I agree that the idea Huska wants perimeter hockey is probably overstating it. The point isn’t that he’s lazy or trying to play a boring style on purpose. It’s that the way the system is structured ends up producing a lot of perimeter shots and low-danger chances, regardless of intent.

And in case it's not clear ... I'm certainly not suggesting Huska is the next coming of Scotty Bowman or Al Arbour and is making all the decisions perfectly (lineup, who plays with who).

I just don't think any coach is going to get anything more out the group that is currently assembled, and NO COACH would want players to shoot only or mostly from low danger areas. It just inherently doesn't make sense.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Zary is an interesting one because I felt last season, before his injury, he was getting to the middle more for chances.
It's entirely stopped now.
I hope it's not because of the injuries but it could be. Perhaps even if mentally.

It's all about ice time and linemates. When you are 22 and get 15 mins a game, 23 and get 16 mins a game and then you are 24 and get 13 mins a game, that can hurt his confidence and his ability to make plays

Also, his numbers with Backlund and Coleman are good, but his top 2 linemates are Lomberg and Klapka. All 4 are fairly close in minutes with Zary, but the other factor is a transition to center.

Players make millions and fans often don't care if a player is unhappy with their situation as they are millionaires in the NHL. I think Zary is unhappy with how he is being played and it is only a matter of time his agent publicly says something. Team can't score and they aren't playing one of the better young players they have on the current roster. If I was Zary, I would really be questioning why I'm behind so many other players who are doing nothing to win games for this team. I'm sure his agent is thinking the same thing.

[P-bobby]

Originally Posted by Bingo

And in case it's not clear ... I'm certainly not suggesting Huska is the next coming of Scotty Bowman or Al Arbour and is making all the decisions perfectly (lineup, who plays with who).

I just don't think any coach is going to get anything more out the group that is currently assembled, and NO COACH would want players to shoot only or mostly from low danger areas. It just inherently doesn't make sense.

Honestly, when was the last time we saw the Flames play non-dump-and-chase hockey? The last time I remember it was when Gaudreau, Lindholm, and Tkachuk ignored the “safe” stuff and just played exciting hockey. Granted, they were better players than we have now, but it feels like we haven’t seen a truly dynamic system in what feels like forever. That’s what makes the games feel so boring right now, regardless of the roster.

Would you not like to see a more aggressive style of defense and a more free-flowing style of hockey with the likes of Parekh, Zary, Gridin, and the next wave of young players coming through? That’s the kind of hockey that could actually develop talent while making the games fun to watch.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Bingo

It really feels like some of the "move all the assets now! we need to rebuild" crowd have pivoted to find something else to complain about now that the team is losing and they are getting what they want.

Had a high school buddy that used to change sides of the argument if you agreed with him.

“We need to TANK and secure high draft picks! I hate the mushy middle!”

“Sure, but tanking hockey sucks and it is hard to enjoy. Some people still want to be entertained watching the games.”

“I don’t care! Tanking is entertaining! Mushy middle is not entertaining!”

*less than 10 games into a terrible streak*

“I hate this! I hate Huska! I hate advanced stats! This is boring! You actually LIKED watching this game? You HOMER!!”

It’s pretty funny if you ignore how annoying listening to constant complaining is.

[SuperMatt18]

Zary is his skating. His skating and strength looks off to me. I wonder if he was hampered in the training this offseason.

His max skating speed is 20.13 MPH this year, down from 22.01 last year, and 22.15 in 23-24.

He's not the fastest but last year he had 1 22+ MPH burst and was consistently able to get in that 20-22 MPH burst (42 times).

This year he has 1 20-22 MPH burst and looks slow out there.

And the team as a whole is playing slow - they are 32nd in the NHL in 20-22 MPH speed bursts. Part of that is roster, but I do think part of it is generating nothing in open ice and taking no risk to get those odd man rushes.

It's funny that the Flames are dead last in speed bursts, but actually 3rd in average distance skated per 60 minutes.

It's where the team misses Pospisil who is easily the fastest skater on the team.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

“We need to TANK and secure high draft picks! I hate the mushy middle!”

“Sure, but tanking hockey sucks and it is hard to enjoy. Some people still want to be entertained watching the games.”

“I don’t care! Tanking is entertaining! Mushy middle is not entertaining!”

*less than 10 games into a terrible streak*

“I hate this! I hate Huska! I hate advanced stats! This is boring! You actually LIKED watching this game? You HOMER!!”

It’s pretty funny if you ignore how annoying listening to constant complaining is.

I love this season. I've watched every game and been engaged more this season than any season since the Johnny-3rd wheel-Tkachuk season.

Life as a Flames fan is looking up for the first time in a while! (...because there's nothing below us)

It also really just nails that development is not a linear path. Guys like Coronato and Zary have taken notable steps back this year so far. Could it be the system? Perhaps, but as we go down the (hopeful) path of rebuilding fans should keep that in mind. There's nothing linear about development when looking at a small sample size (game to game, season to season), you just have to hope that as the sample size grows, the overall growth maintains that positive trajectory.

[Toonage]

Given two serious knee injuries he probably spent most of the summer rehabbing and is going to need more time. Also is probably a little tentative. Paranoid even.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by Ba'alzamon

I like how that quote directly refutes the notion that Huska is telling the Flames to play on the perimeter, and yet the people who think he's telling them to play on the perimeter are using it as evidence that that's what he's doing.

I cant speak for everyone, but I'm not saying he wants players playing the perimiter.

He wants players SHOOTING from the outside (point shots) from low danger chances and then hoping the players we have get into the greasy area's and fight for rebounds/tips.

We see no east/west creative passing plays in the offensive zone which is what kills us 90% of the time. Teams play that high possession style and absolutely destroy us positionally with tic-tac-toe goals consistently.

What's crazy is that its almost as if Huska's PK strategy is designed to shutdown the type off offence he wants to see in in the offensive zone/PP which is get the puck in quick and get the puck on the net ASAP. So our guys setup in the triangle and don't attack the puck but try to block shooting lanes.

Which isn't working, for the Flames on either side of the puck.

I don't understand how that makes me a "whiner" or "complainer" I'm just simply pointing out how I see it and its exactly how he wants them to play, he's said it himself.

Get pucks transitioned into the zone fast
Get pucks on the net fast
Have guys drive the net
More shots = more chances
Don't hold onto the puck too long

I'm not saying that's not a "good thing" but its clearly not working.
And we're saying that they have no skill to play a highly offensive system... so what do we do?
Do we keep repeating the low danger, high quanity shooting game or do we maybe allow some (NOT ALL) guys to get creative and start playing some east/west possession style?

I don't know, not my decision and I can only speak for myself but it'd be a lot more fun to watch the 4-5 skilled guys we have get a greenlight to try and make something happen a few times per game.
I will add that too that I'm not even mad, I'd love to see some entertaining hockey dont get me wrong but I am tired of the mushy middle.
Just sad to see some of our highly offensive guys get sandbagged into a system that doesn't speak to their strengths, or let them get creative once in a while.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Royle9

What's crazy is that its almost as if Huska's PK strategy is designed to shutdown the type off offence he wants to see in in the offensive zone/PP which is get the puck in quick and get the puck on the net ASAP. So our guys setup in the triangle and don't attack the puck but try to block shooting lanes.

I've thought this as well. Our PK looks like it's designed to shutdown PPs that run like ours.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

.

And the team as a whole is playing slow - they are 32nd in the NHL in 20-22 MPH speed bursts. Part of that is roster, but I do think part of it is generating nothing in open ice and taking no risk to get those odd man rushes.

It's funny that the Flames are dead last in speed bursts, but actually 3rd in average distance skated per 60 minutes.

Roster is a big part. The fastest player on the team is also maybe the overall worst. The best offensive minded forward is one of the slowest skaters.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Roster is a big part. The fastest player on the team is also maybe the overall worst. The best offensive minded forward is one of the slowest skaters.

The interesting part of that...is in terms of top Speed Huberdeau actually hasn't lost a step...Florida just played a lot quicker.

In 21-22 in Florida his Max Skating speed was 21.99 MPH

He had 0 22MPH+ bursts and only 53 20-22 MPH bursts.

Last year he had 22.42 MPH top speed, 1 22+ MPH bursts, and 42 20-22 MPH bursts.

So some of it is player for sure...but when I look back at that 21-22 Florida roster and the highlights he generated so much off the rush.

He's done none of that here. My hypothesis was because he was slower as a Flame but that's not the case, at least some of it is the system they play for sure.

And they do have some quick players.

Frost max skating speed over the last couple years is 23.39 which is in the 95th percentile.
Pospisil is 24.06 which is in the 99th percentile.
Klapka at 22.59 is in the 90th percentile
Coronato at 22.68 is in the 91st percentile

Guys like Huberdeau, Kadri, Farabee, and Sharangovich aren't burners but they can all get 22MPH+ and are good players in transition or have been in past stops in their career.

The roster could play a lot faster in transition than they do, and could take a little more risk to try to generate odd man rushes than they do for sure. But they'd need to play more aggressive in the neutral and d-zone than the more passive system they play to facilitate that.

Huska want's them to move the puck quickly once they get possession, but I don't think the system itself is trying to win back the puck quickly to actually make that transition easier.