2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[kehatch]

I might have missed it, but has there been any chatter about Lomberg? Obviously Kadri, Coleman, and Andersson are the big 3 at the moment. But Lomberg and Hunt are both UFAs after this season. Could we get a second from a twam looking to add toughness and depth?

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by kehatch

I might have missed it, but has there been any chatter about Lomberg? Obviously Kadri, Coleman, and Andersson are the big 3 at the moment. But Lomberg and Hunt are both UFAs after this season. Could we get a second from a twam looking to add toughness and depth?

A 2nd for Lomberg? I highly doubt that. I think that is more like a 4th at best.

[Kipper_3434]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

A 2nd for Lomberg? I highly doubt that. I think that is more like a 4th at best.

4th > 2nd with the Flames draft record. I'm game.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

According to Aarongavey all draft picks are equal.

Picking 3 times in the top 5 is no different than picking 16-32. Quantity=quality

Suspect you don’t have much to worry about, the Flames will likely get there. And the Habs got there on the back of almost a decade of terrible drafting. Unfortunately for Flames fans that is not the Flames issue as Wolf, Coronato and Kuzmentsov are major contributors towards the Flames not being as bad as they could be. Those really bad Habs teams never had a trio like those 3 helping them win games. Habs actually tried a lot harder than the Flames ever have to try to win when they were rebuilding but could never pull it off due to poor pro scouting and poor amateur scouting.

[kehatch]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

A 2nd for Lomberg? I highly doubt that. I think that is more like a 4th at best.

You might be right. But sometimes there is demand for role guys with playoff experience and good cultural contributions.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Suspect you don’t have much to worry about, the Flames will likely get there. And the Habs got there on the back of almost a decade of terrible drafting. Unfortunately for Flames fans that is not the Flames issue as Wolf, Coronato and Kuzmentsov are major contributors towards the Flames not being as bad as they could be. Those really bad Habs teams never had a trio like those 3 helping them win games. Habs actually tried a lot harder than the Flames ever have to try to win when they were rebuilding but could never pull it off due to poor pro scouting and poor amateur scouting.

The Habs have never had a contributor like Kuznetsov? The same Kuznetsov that was on waivers this season?

Hutson, Slavkovsky and Caufield are a touch better than any trio we’ve drafted in recent years.

[browntrout]

Team is winning too much....going to intoxicate Edwards into thinking we got a "competitive" team here, and they make no trades.... because they could sneak in, does not matter going into next year with Kadri and Backlund being another year older, only going to make the fall harder, once they start going. This team without Andersson is going to be bad, so if we don't get a top 3 pick this year, I think it's more guaranteed the following 2027 and 2028 years.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

The Habs have never had a contributor like Kuznetsov? The same Kuznetsov that was on waivers this season?

I’m sure you could insert young player here next to Slavkovsky and Caufield and that’s a better trio than the Flames have.

I am saying that when they were rebuilding the Habs focused on a couple things

1) trading their draft picks for players to help win now
2) trading vets for late first round picks (something that apparently Vinny01 seems to mock when the Flames do it)
3) make hockey trades like the Hoffman for Petry trade

The Flames are not really doing numbers one and three, they just seem focused on trades that don’t help the team win in the near term. So maybe we need to follow the Habs path more because their rebuild seems to be working.

[Geeoff]

It seems to me that every team in the league is within striking range of 0.500. I wonder how we can use that to our advantage

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Suspect you don’t have much to worry about, the Flames will likely get there. And the Habs got there on the back of almost a decade of terrible drafting. Unfortunately for Flames fans that is not the Flames issue as Wolf, Coronato and Kuzmentsov are major contributors towards the Flames not being as bad as they could be. Those really bad Habs teams never had a trio like those 3 helping them win games. Habs actually tried a lot harder than the Flames ever have to try to win when they were rebuilding but could never pull it off due to poor pro scouting and poor amateur scouting.

Flames will be lucky to have Coronato perform to the level of Caufield or be able to get an impactful piece like Suzuki for one of our vets. When the Habs were trending toward the top pick they moved Toffoli with multiple years left on his deal for a 1st plus Heineman. They later used Heineman and another first acquired from the flames for Monahan and their 17th pick to land Dobson and sign him for 8 years.

I suspect the Flames will turn some of these excess picks into players. They could have picked twice in the second or third round last year but saw the opportunity to add Frost and Farabee which still align with rebuilding moves.

Trading is such a huge part of rebuilds and the Habs under Gorton and Hughes have done very nicely in most of their deals.

You say they traded a 1st for Dach but really they traded Romanov for Dach as those deals happened in succession.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

I am saying that when they were rebuilding the Habs focused on a couple things

1) trading their draft picks for players to help win now
2) trading vets for late first round picks (something that apparently Vinny01 seems to mock when the Flames do it)
3) make hockey trades like the Hoffman for Petry trade

The Flames are not really doing numbers one and three, they just seem focused on trades that don’t help the team win in the near term. So maybe we need to follow the Habs path more because their rebuild seems to be working.

I am not mocking it at all. I just see you spin a narrative and find counterpoints to it. How did I mock the flames trading vets for picks? It is kind of the bare minimum a non-playoff team should be doing when pending free agents are not planning on staying or the team does not want to pay to keep them

I am not against the Frost/Farabee trade but they certainly could have had an extra pick in the second and third round if they hadn’t made that deal.

I don’t agree that quantity is more important than quality with draft picks.

If the Flames get proactive and move players beyond Andersson then I will feel more comfortable with the path they are on.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I am not mocking it at all. I just see you spin a narrative and find counterpoints to it. How did I mock the flames trading vets for picks? It is kind of the bare minimum a non-playoff team should be doing when pending free agents are not planning on staying or the team does not want to pay to keep them

I am not against the Frost/Farabee trade but they certainly could have had an extra pick in the second and third round if they hadn’t made that deal.

I don’t agree that quantity is more important than quality with draft picks.

If the Flames get proactive and move players beyond Andersson then I will feel more comfortable with the path they are on.

When it comes to late first/second round picks it's a crap shoot, so you want quantity. That was you can pick a Rasmus Andersson and an Oliver Kylington and be happy that one works out. Or a Dube and a Parsons (wihtout accounting for a lack of character).

But the Flames have had 2 first rounders in the last two drafts and it looks like they've picked winners so far. Reschny, Potter, Parekh and Gridin all seem like pretty solid picks.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Flames will be lucky to have Coronato perform to the level of Caufield or be able to get an impactful piece like Suzuki for one of our vets. When the Habs were trending toward the top pick they moved Toffoli with multiple years left on his deal for a 1st plus Heineman. They later used Heineman and another first acquired from the flames for Monahan and their 17th pick to land Dobson and sign him for 8 years.

I suspect the Flames will turn some of these excess picks into players. They could have picked twice in the second or third round last year but saw the opportunity to add Frost and Farabee which still align with rebuilding moves.

Trading is such a huge part of rebuilds and the Habs under Gorton and Hughes have done very nicely in most of their deals.

You say they traded a 1st for Dach but really they traded Romanov for Dach as those deals happened in succession.

Yes it was Romanov, a 4th and a 3rd for Dach. The Flames are not doing those types of trades and when they do a lot of this board (not you) freaks out and thinks they are trying to win “same old Flames again, mushy middle, blah blah blah”

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

When it comes to late first/second round picks it's a crap shoot, so you want quantity. That was you can pick a Rasmus Andersson and an Oliver Kylington and be happy that one works out. Or a Dube and a Parsons (wihtout accounting for a lack of character).

But the Flames have had 2 first rounders in the last two drafts and it looks like they've picked winners so far. Reschny, Potter, Parekh and Gridin all seem like pretty solid picks.

Irrelevant to the actual discussion where AG is pointing out the flames had more picks than the Habs the last 3 drafts. 2025 the Habs were trying to push forward so traded picks and young players (2 of which they got from the Flames in the Toffoli/Monahan deals).

They also had 3 picks in the top 5. Flames have had that once in their organizational history spanning nearly 45 years.

I like the flames drafting as well and am encouraged by it and believe they will avoid being Buffalo/Edmonton bad if they do strip it down further to ensure they pick top 5 this coming season

I am also not against Conroy using an abundance of picks/prospects to try and add future long term pieces of the core via trade. I think in the Montreal rebuild trading has been their strong suit more so than drafting where the Slafkovsky and Reinbacher picks are not even that exciting to me

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Yes it was Romanov, a 4th and a 3rd for Dach. The Flames are not doing those types of trades and when they do a lot of this board (not you) freaks out and thinks they are trying to win “same old Flames again, mushy middle, blah blah blah”

Yeah I don’t agree with that segment of the board. For instance if they turn the Vegas first and Morin/Battaglia or something like that into a guy like Shane Wright then I am very interested in those type of deals.

Trading is such an important part of the rebuild.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Kipper_3434

4th > 2nd with the Flames draft record. I'm game.

Yes. But I think Lomberg is worth more to the club than a 4th. If that’s the return, then he’d be the only vet I’d be sad about losing.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Yes. But I think Lomberg is worth more to the club than a 4th. If that’s the return, then he’d be the only vet I’d be sad about losing.

I don't think he is. Exactly what does he bring? Enthusiasm? I'm sure lots of young players we have would have that in spades to play with the big club. Fighting? Whoop, he actually cost the Flames a prime scoring chance last night because he started a fight up 1-0. I would gladly take a 4th for Lomberg. He is a great energy mucker for a contender, we are not that.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I don't think he is. Exactly what does he bring? Enthusiasm? I'm sure lots of young players we have would have that in spades to play with the big club. Fighting? Whoop, he actually cost the Flames a prime scoring chance last night because he started a fight up 1-0. I would gladly take a 4th for Lomberg. He is a great energy mucker for a contender, we are not that.

Work ethic and protection when we’re a team of young players and hopefully aren’t drafting muscle…

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I don't think he is. Exactly what does he bring? Enthusiasm? I'm sure lots of young players we have would have that in spades to play with the big club. Fighting? Whoop, he actually cost the Flames a prime scoring chance last night because he started a fight up 1-0. I would gladly take a 4th for Lomberg. He is a great energy mucker for a contender, we are not that.

Speed. Toughness. Jam. Probably most importantly, energy in the room. Lots of NHL players these days are pretty quiet and reserved. It’s tough to build cohesion in a dressing room full of guys like that. So teams make space on their rosters for guys who can keep the room pumped up and happy, and who can take regular shift.

One of the reasons the Team Canada braintrust are apparently looking to bring Doughty back is because they’re afraid without big personalities like him and Marchand, the room will be flat.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Irrelevant to the actual discussion where AG is pointing out the flames had more picks than the Habs the last 3 drafts. 2025 the Habs were trying to push forward so traded picks and young players (2 of which they got from the Flames in the Toffoli/Monahan deals).

They also had 3 picks in the top 5. Flames have had that once in their organizational history spanning nearly 45 years.

I like the flames drafting as well and am encouraged by it and believe they will avoid being Buffalo/Edmonton bad if they do strip it down further to ensure they pick top 5 this coming season

I am also not against Conroy using an abundance of picks/prospects to try and add future long term pieces of the core via trade. I think in the Montreal rebuild trading has been their strong suit more so than drafting where the Slafkovsky and Reinbacher picks are not even that exciting to me

Finishing top 5 sometimes seems to be as much about luck as anything. Finishing dead last is hard, especially playing in a weak division. And even that only guarantees a top three pick. Finish bottom 5 and you probably pick 7th. Even without Kadri and Andersson, the Flames would be where they are now, I bet. Some of those games they won they'd have had to shoot it into their own net to lose.