2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

OK, but they have to draft properly. Remember when Boston had 3 in a row in 2015, and took Zboril, Debrusk and Senyshyn right before Barzal, Conner, Chabot, Eriksson Ek, Boeser and Konecny?

And they still need to be decent picks. That same year Boston didn't quite finish low enough to get McDavid, Eichel, Strome, Marner, Hanifin, Zacha, Provorov, Werenski, Meier, Rantanen.

Quite a stunning miss actually.

I do have more faith in our scouting group. You are right that it means nothing if you don't hit. IIRC at that draft I think a lot of people were scratching their heads after Boston took those players.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I prefer trading Kadri to Vancouver or Toronto, over any other Canadian team. I would trade him to the Oilers for the same reason, but I wouldn't want to strengthen-up the Oilers!


Montreal and Ottawa are on their way up. It certainly feels like both Vancouver and Toronto could be teetering in the next couple of seasons.


Toronto:
I would even do a conditional 2028 1st round pick (plus other assets of course). Mathews becomes a UFA at the end of the 2027-28 season - will he walk away too? Either way, Toronto doesn't have much in the pipeline, and even before Treliving arrived, had been trading a lot of futures for win-now players. I see their window closing, and perhaps a collapse?


Vancouver:
The 2026 and 2027 1st round picks are still owned by them. They are rumored to be trying to obtain Zacha, but if I am them, Kadri checks-off a lot more boxes. He may be older, but he would probably be a positive step forward in terms of trying to fix their culture. I have them teetering on the precipice at the moment. They could stumble, or they could recover and improve again. My money is on stumbling. Hughes will leave after next season, so I wouldn't mind a 2027 top 10 (or top 15!) protected trade. Their collapse may come in the 2028-29 season, and with Kadri there, he won't be helping them at that time.


At any rate, I would love a scenario in which the Flames end up getting a pick that ends up in the top 5 for Kadri (yes, I know, it is so unlikely to happen!). I still view the trade tree as open - Calgary gave up pick 16 last year. I think Kadri returns more value in a trade, thereby removing all angst from that long and complicated trade. 2026 (assuming he eventually gets traded for a package including a 1st rounder for the next draft), is a better draft too. Calgary traded Monahan away in order to sign Kadri, so I see this move linked, and I never saw it as Calgary's own pick vs Florida's pick.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Robbob

I do have more faith in our scouting group. You are right that it means nothing if you don't hit. IIRC at that draft I think a lot of people were scratching their heads after Boston took those players.

At that draft it was almost impossible not to get a decent player in the first round and they managed.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Robbob

I am kind of giddy thinking that if the Flames move out Coleman, Kadri, and Andersson they could potentially have 4 or 5 1st round picks this year.

I think it’s more likely we’d be looking at the additional 2-3 spread out over the next 3 years.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

OK, but they have to draft properly. Remember when Boston had 3 in a row in 2015, and took Zboril, Debrusk and Senyshyn right before Barzal, Conner, Chabot, Eriksson Ek, Boeser and Konecny?

And they still need to be decent picks. That same year Boston didn't quite finish low enough to get McDavid, Eichel, Strome, Marner, Hanifin, Zacha, Provorov, Werenski, Meier, Rantanen.

Quite a stunning miss actually.

Or the 2013 draft, where the Flames hit on #6 but swung and missed on #22 and #28. That one hurt.

[kehatch]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Or the 2013 draft, where the Flames hit on #6 but swung and missed on #22 and #28. That one hurt.

There aren't many top end players available in that range. But you would hope to get an NHL caliber player at least.

But it wasn't just those picks. Baertchi, Jankowski, Klimchuk, and Poirier were all misses. Then we draft Bennett at 4 overall and eventually trade him for a second. Outside of Gaudreau we didn't hit in the later rounds either. Things improved in 2015, but you generally need a combination of good high picks, a bit if luck, good development, and patience.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I think it’s more likely we’d be looking at the additional 2-3 spread out over the next 3 years.

Need to spread things out, agreed.

Flames need to get the top end talent as their priority, and then have waves of good middle six and replacement players coming up the ranks - cheaper contracts that can be moved if necessary at RFA or before UFA. You can move those support guys for picks and prospects.

Pay your top guys what you need to, and then just keep the pipeline of less expensive supporting players flowing.

With Flames drafting competency, they should be able to do this. Even in 3-5 years when they are near the top of the league standings.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Or the 2013 draft, where the Flames hit on #6 but swung and missed on #22 and #28. That one hurt.

I thought about that one too, but apart from Poirier over Burakovsky and Theodore and maybe Ryan Hartman, there weren't a plethora of good choices that were missed like 2015.

Flames ended up with 9 players from the 2013 first round anyway LOL. Lindholm, Monahan, Zadorov, Lazar, Rychel, Mantha, Poirier, Shinkaruk, Klimchuk.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by kehatch

There aren't many top end players available in that range. But you would hope to get an NHL caliber player at least.

But it wasn't just those picks. Baertchi, Jankowski, Klimchuk, and Poirier were all misses. Then we draft Bennett at 4 overall and eventually trade him for a second. Outside of Gaudreau we didn't hit in the later rounds either. Things improved in 2015, but you generally need a combination of good high picks, a bit if luck, good development, and patience.

There kinda needs to be players below the player who was selected to really classify it as a miss.

For Jankowski for instance the following forwards picked below him have more points than him.

Tanner Pearson (1st round)
Brock McGinn (2nd round)
Colton Sissons (2nd round)
Chris Tierney (2nd round)
Jordan Martinook (2nd round)
Jimmy Vesey (3rd round)
Chandler Stephenson (3rd round)
Oskar Sundqvisr (3rd round)
Josh Anderson (4th round)
Andreas Athanasiou (4th round)
Alex Kerfoot (5th round)
Connor Brown (6th round)
Vinny Hinostrozza (6th round)

Not sure any of those guys substantially change the trajectory of the Flames. organization. The miss for the Flames in that draft was feeling like they had to trade down to get more picks because they had such a dearth of draft capital both in that draft and in the previous 5 drafts. Conroy has fixed that problem by actually valuing picks and hopefully going away from the days of moving down in the first round to get a “few more bullets in the chamber” because the chamber is already full with picks.

[ComixZone]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1983234721510220126

Teams are desperate for what we've got.

Do it, Craig. Just do it - and do it in November, be the one who sets the market before other names start popping up. 5 months of suffering is worth a potential decade of upside.

[FlamesAreOne]

Is there anyone NOT wanting to ship out Ras, Kadri and Coleman?

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

There kinda needs to be players below the player who was selected to really classify it as a miss.

For Jankowski for instance the following forwards picked below him have more points than him.

Tanner Pearson (1st round)
Brock McGinn (2nd round)
Colton Sissons (2nd round)
Chris Tierney (2nd round)
Jordan Martinook (2nd round)
Jimmy Vesey (3rd round)
Chandler Stephenson (3rd round)
Oskar Sundqvisr (3rd round)
Josh Anderson (4th round)
Andreas Athanasiou (4th round)
Alex Kerfoot (5th round)
Connor Brown (6th round)
Vinny Hinostrozza (6th round)

Not sure any of those guys substantially change the trajectory of the Flames. organization. The miss for the Flames in that draft was feeling like they had to trade down to get more picks because they had such a dearth of draft capital both in that draft and in the previous 5 drafts. Conroy has fixed that problem by actually valuing picks and hopefully going away from the days of moving down in the first round to get a “few more bullets in the chamber” because the chamber is already full with picks.

And I will always defend the Jankowski pick because of what he represented. Big, skilled center with good skating.

The fact that he didn't turn out, doesn't change the fact that he had the type of attributes you look for in a center, and it was a great swing on upside.

If Jankowski was available in this year's draft he might go top 10.

[dino7c]

417 NHL games and counting for Janko

Fans want every pick to be a top line player but that isn't reality...guy was an above average pick for where he went

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

https://twitter.com/user/status/1983234721510220126

Teams are desperate for what we've got.

Do it, Craig. Just do it - and do it in November, be the one who sets the market before other names start popping up. 5 months of suffering is worth a potential decade of upside.

Didn’t know about the Verhoeff Iginla connection. That’s pretty awesome

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by FlamesAreOne

Is there anyone NOT wanting to ship out Ras, Kadri and Coleman?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

There kinda needs to be players below the player who was selected to really classify it as a miss.

For Jankowski for instance the following forwards picked below him have more points than him.

Tanner Pearson (1st round)
Brock McGinn (2nd round)
Colton Sissons (2nd round)
Chris Tierney (2nd round)
Jordan Martinook (2nd round)
Jimmy Vesey (3rd round)
Chandler Stephenson (3rd round)
Oskar Sundqvisr (3rd round)
Josh Anderson (4th round)
Andreas Athanasiou (4th round)
Alex Kerfoot (5th round)
Connor Brown (6th round)
Vinny Hinostrozza (6th round)

Not sure any of those guys substantially change the trajectory of the Flames. organization. The miss for the Flames in that draft was feeling like they had to trade down to get more picks because they had such a dearth of draft capital both in that draft and in the previous 5 drafts. Conroy has fixed that problem by actually valuing picks and hopefully going away from the days of moving down in the first round to get a “few more bullets in the chamber” because the chamber is already full with picks.

Except they traded down from 16th to 21st and took Jankowski. At their original pick they could have had Vasilevsky, Wilson, Hertl or Teravainen.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dino7c

417 NHL games and counting for Janko

Fans want every pick to be a top line player but that isn't reality...guy was an above average pick for where he went

Not for where the pick was before Feaster decided to be cute.

[Canada 02]

Frank says Kadri for Michael Hage is too much from the Habs

How does Brock Nelson for Cal Ritchie, a 1st and a 3rd compare?

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Except they traded down from 16th to 21st and took Jankowski. At their original pick they could have had Vasilevsky, Wilson, Hertl or Teravainen.

Yeah, Aarongavey specifically mentioned that:

The miss for the Flames in that draft was feeling like they had to trade down to get more picks because they had such a dearth of draft capital both in that draft and in the previous 5 drafts.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Frank says Kadri for Michael Hage is too much from the Habs

How does Brock Nelson for Cal Ritchie, a 1st and a 3rd compare?

I think there are a couple differences
- I think Hage is a better prospect
- The Avs are 100% in championship mode with their current core. So they are far more willing to trade a top prospect than the Habs, where they are entering their window, but not yet to the point where they will start to leverage that type of prospect capital to augment the team.

I would go after Zharovsky from the Habs though he's having an unreal KHL season so that may not be possible. But he's a winger, and somewhat under-sized, which they already have a lot of. So maybe he's on the table.

I would guess that Montreal is throwing around names like Owen Beck and Josh Roy. Can you get one of those names to be Zharovsky instead? Maybe

Personally Zharovsky + 1st would be a home run.
I would take Zharovsky + 2nd all day and all night.