2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I didn’t say Lebrun said the Flames would do a hybrid rebuild did I? Francis has used that term with the Flames and that is what I referenced.

That is fair on Francis. You missed the 2 larger paragraphs that talked about how the Flames would entertain trading, caught the sentence about possibly signing him though.

As for both Lebrun and Francis talking hybrid rebuild it is probably more indicative of their lack of insider intel. One would presumably wait for a trade or a move that actually tries to improve the team or spends considerable future assets to improve more short term before one gets to worried about a hybrid approach for either the Flames or the Canucks.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by blankall

Let's also keep in mind that Andersson himself was a late 2nd pick. Andersson type players are typically developed from within from depth prospects. Plus, if the Flames don't find an Andersson in their pipeline, if they have the bigger pieces in place, acquiring an Andersson via trade/UFA is totally doable.

Holding off a rebuild, because you are worried about finding an Andersson replacement in the future should not be a consideration.

To be fair, the Flames haven't drafted another Andersson in the 2nd round in the 10 years since.

Flames 2nd round picks since Andersson
Kylington
Parsons
Dube
Kuznetsov
Stromgren
Ronni
Morin
Basha
Battaglia
Stockselius

We still don't know what we have in Stromgren, but he probably projects as a bottom 6 forward. Morin, Basha, and Battaglia seem like they've taken a bit of a step back from last year. Mostly because the AHL is a hard league for rookies. Battaglia is really off his 1.32PPG pace, down to 0.74PPG though on a terrible Frontenacs team. Stockselius had a great U20, but then a freak injury had him sidelined since the 2nd game of the season.

That said, I don't think of Andersson is an irreplaceable piece, nor do I think that a few years from now a 35 year-old Andersson would provide the same value to the Flames as the assets they get, plus the younger player that slots into his minutes.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The wingers, long term, aren't good enough either.

There is some promise in guys like Bison and Gridin but I don't think either of them will be elite wingers. And you need at least one of those. Great teams have elite pairings up front. You can get away with the third guy on a line being complimentary, which is more what I see those 2 guys.

But the Flames need a franchise center and a franchise winger. That's why getting one of them this draft (e.g. Mckenna or Stenberg) is fine, including because next year's draft, so far, looks to be way better for centers.

I guess that depends a lot on your definition of elite?
To my mind the elite wingers in the league you can count on one hand.

Now dont get me wrong i have stenberg as the 1st over all. Would love him. Mckenna i have a lot more misgivings about, but will probably still be a high end point producer, but if Verhoeff pans out an oversized mobile goal scoring minute munching d man has slmost as much influence as the goalie.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Fan69

I guess that depends a lot on your definition of elite?
To my mind the elite wingers in the league you can count on one hand.

Now dont get me wrong i have stenberg as the 1st over all. Would love him. Mckenna i have a lot more misgivings about, but will probably still be a high end point producer, but if Verhoeff pans out an oversized mobile goal scoring minute munching d man has slmost as much influence as the goalie.

I’m talking about guys like Kuch, Pasta, Tkachuk(s), Rantanen, Kaprizov, Connor, Nylander, Marner, and maybe guys like Robertson, Forsberg, Reinhart. Might be missing a couple
True top line guys
I think you need at least one

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

That is fair on Francis. You missed the 2 larger paragraphs that talked about how the Flames would entertain trading, caught the sentence about possibly signing him though.

As for both Lebrun and Francis talking hybrid rebuild it is probably more indicative of their lack of insider intel. One would presumably wait for a trade or a move that actually tries to improve the team or spends considerable future assets to improve more short term before one gets to worried about a hybrid approach for either the Flames or the Canucks.

While I mentioned they might sign him I also have said I don’t buy it and it is posturing. I think Andersson is 100% moving

I think it is fair to say the Flames are not hoping for or wanting a 3+ year run picking high. It remains to be seen how deep they will cut this season but I also could see the Flames adding in the summer if they do trade all 3 of the rumored vets. I am not against them adding core pieces in the summer. I just want the high pick this year due to the nightmare start and potential to cash in on a pending UFA turning 30 shortly after his new deal kicks in as well as the 35 year old centre still playing at a high level and cup winning 34 year old winger with one more season left on his deal

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

To be fair, the Flames haven't drafted another Andersson in the 2nd round in the 10 years since.

Flames 2nd round picks since Andersson
Kylington
Parsons
Dube
Kuznetsov
Stromgren
Ronni
Morin
Basha
Battaglia
Stockselius

We still don't know what we have in Stromgren, but he probably projects as a bottom 6 forward. Morin, Basha, and Battaglia seem like they've taken a bit of a step back from last year. Mostly because the AHL is a hard league for rookies. Battaglia is really off his 1.32PPG pace, down to 0.74PPG though on a terrible Frontenacs team. Stockselius had a great U20, but then a freak injury had him sidelined since the 2nd game of the season.

That said, I don't think of Andersson is an irreplaceable piece, nor do I think that a few years from now a 35 year-old Andersson would provide the same value to the Flames as the assets they get, plus the younger player that slots into his minutes.

Boy that list is like a framed wth?

First two gone mental health issues. Dube ? Well we know how that went. Kuz thought he wasn’t going to make it. Win!
Stromgren has probably deserved a call up. Actually no he has deserved one. Ronni total crash and burn. Morin probably somewhat disappointing?

The rest too early to give real judgement. Add losing Johnny for nothing when he left. Thats a pile of assets. And not much to show.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I think it is posturing personally

It lines up with what I said before, if the Flames can't get the return they want with Andersson both sides are open to him re-signing.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

It lines up with what I said before, if the Flames can't get the return they want with Andersson both sides are open to him re-signing.

GMCC has to leave that door open to hold off lowball offers.

However, I think there is enough interest around the league (and within the division) that he shouldn't see lowball offers anymore. The clock is running out for teams to acquire Andersson and some teams (like the Sharks) need to upgrade sooner than later if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.

Once that first team blinks, all of the interested teams will need to put their best offers forward.

[Strange Brew]

There is an argument that it makes more sense to trade Kadri and Coleman and re-sign Andersson.

[Robbob]

Contract talk is clear posturing, a few weeks before the Lindholm trade the same stuff came out. I think it was even Lebrun.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

While I mentioned they might sign him I also have said I don’t buy it and it is posturing. I think Andersson is 100% moving

I think it is fair to say the Flames are not hoping for or wanting a 3+ year run picking high. It remains to be seen how deep they will cut this season but I also could see the Flames adding in the summer if they do trade all 3 of the rumored vets. I am not against them adding core pieces in the summer. I just want the high pick this year due to the nightmare start and potential to cash in on a pending UFA turning 30 shortly after his new deal kicks in as well as the 35 year old centre still playing at a high level and cup winning 34 year old winger with one more season left on his deal

Ya I think that is all accurate. The Flames also have a problem of reaching the cap floor if they trade all 3 of the pieces. They are currently projected to be about 3 million over the salary floor. If they move out Coleman and Kadri without retention they would be about 9.4 million under the salary floor with 6 players to sign and rookies cannot make up that gap and they have no RFAs that will cost a lot of money so they almost certainly have to sign some players to reach an almost 77 million dollar floor.

The next year they would have another 10 million or so falling off their payroll and the salary cap floor will be rising by 7 million and they only need to sign Hunter B and Kuznetsov as RFAs.

The Flames will likely need to sign UFAs or acquire salary in trades but I don’t think it will be because they are actively trying to win, rather they need to be in compliance with the CBA.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

To be fair, the Flames haven't drafted another Andersson in the 2nd round in the 10 years since.

Flames 2nd round picks since Andersson
Kylington
Parsons
Dube
Kuznetsov
Stromgren
Ronni
Morin
Basha
Battaglia
Stockselius

We still don't know what we have in Stromgren, but he probably projects as a bottom 6 forward. Morin, Basha, and Battaglia seem like they've taken a bit of a step back from last year. Mostly because the AHL is a hard league for rookies. Battaglia is really off his 1.32PPG pace, down to 0.74PPG though on a terrible Frontenacs team. Stockselius had a great U20, but then a freak injury had him sidelined since the 2nd game of the season.

That said, I don't think of Andersson is an irreplaceable piece, nor do I think that a few years from now a 35 year-old Andersson would provide the same value to the Flames as the assets they get, plus the younger player that slots into his minutes.

The Flames didn't have 2nd round picks form 2017-2019. They drafted Dube and Topi Ronni with 2nd round picks....both ended their relationship with the Flames for similar reasons, not related to their play.

I do agree that it is a numbers game with late 1st/2nd round picks. Odds alone dictate that the Flames need to be making a lot of these picks for any one to pay off.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Ya I think that is all accurate. The Flames also have a problem of reaching the cap floor if they trade all 3 of the pieces. They are currently projected to be about 3 million over the salary floor. If they move out Coleman and Kadri without retention they would be about 9.4 million under the salary floor with 6 players to sign and rookies cannot make up that gap and they have no RFAs that will cost a lot of money so they almost certainly have to sign some players to reach an almost 77 million dollar floor.

The next year they would have another 10 million or so falling off their payroll and the salary cap floor will be rising by 7 million and they only need to sign Hunter B and Kuznetsov as RFAs.

The Flames will likely need to sign UFAs or acquire salary in trades but I don’t think it will be because they are actively trying to win, rather they need to be in compliance with the CBA.

Any youngish pieces or RFA’s available I would love to have a bunch of bullets in the chamber from trading those vets to pounce on that. If somehow Fantilli can’t be signed I would jump at the chance to trade for him and offer $10M per. I think long term pieces 25 and under will be on Conroy’s radar and the more picks and pieces to trade they can be in the mix for any available players this summer. If the Flames bottom out I personally expect them to be more aggressive in acquiring players in the offseason than they have been the last couple of years.

I am not fully aligned with the group that thinks this needs to be a 4-5 year timeframe of picking at the top. Their drafting has been solid they just need to get a game changer at the top of the draft this year as they have put themselves in that position with their horrendous start.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

There is an argument that it makes more sense to trade Kadri and Coleman and re-sign Andersson.

What argument is that?

Considering none of them play the same position, and RD is one of our deepest positions, I cannot imagine how that argument makes more sense.

Also, the fact is that Coleman isn't moving unless he wants to.

[Strange Brew]

Depends when you believe the Flames will be competitive again. Coleman and Kadri won’t be part of that team but Andersson could be. He’s 6 years younger than those guys.

I hear you on depth in the system at his position though.

[stemit14]

It’s the holiday season so I’m putting together my ideal (and incredibly unlikely) rebuild scenario:

1. Flames trade Andersson (extended) to San Jose for Oilers 2026 1st + Bystedt + 2nd round pick.
2. Flames trade Kadri (50% retained) + 2026 2nd round pick to Montreal for Hage + 2026 1st.
3. Flames trade Coleman to Dallas for conditional 2027 1st + B-level prospect. Condition is if the Stars make it to the conference final in either 2026 or 2027 and Coleman plays more than 50% of the playoff games in the run to the conference final, it’s a 1st round pick. If not, it becomes a 2nd round pick in 2027.
4. Flames finish bottom three and get to draft McKenna with their pick.
5. Vegas struggles with injuries down the stretch and their multitude of Olympic players run out of gas. They finish outside the playoffs and win a lottery pick so their pick jumps up 10 spots to 4th overall. Flames select Tynan Lawrence with that pick.
6. Oilers miss the playoffs and their pick (belonging to Calgary after the Andersson trade) ends up 13th overall. Flames select Viggo Bjorck with that pick.
7. Flames select Caleb Malhotra with the pick from Montreal (Kadri trade)
8. Flames make no major signings in the offseason.
9. Gridin is a full-time NHLer next year and is a fixture in the top six.
10. Reschny and Potter play one more season in the NCAA. Reschny wins the Hobey Baker.
11. Flames finish bottom 3 next year and win the draft lottery. End up drafting 6’5” center Alexis Joseph at 1st overall.

Flames enter their new arena with the following in the system:

McKenna
Joseph
Lawrence
Coronato
Gridin
Hage
Bystedt
Bjorck
Malhotra
Reschny
Potter
Parekh
Brz
Kuznetzov
Bahl
Morin
Mews

That’s not including the vets like Huberdeau, Frost (if he re-signs), Weegar and Farabee. There just aren’t enough pucks to go around with a system that stacked with skilled players. I count 12 players that are either proven top six forwards or are projected to be that. If only half of them reach their potential, the forward group is essentially rebuilt within two drafts. Flames will likely miss the playoffs in their first year in the new barn but would be an exciting group that is likely ready to take big steps the following season.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Ya I think that is all accurate. The Flames also have a problem of reaching the cap floor if they trade all 3 of the pieces. They are currently projected to be about 3 million over the salary floor. If they move out Coleman and Kadri without retention they would be about 9.4 million under the salary floor with 6 players to sign and rookies cannot make up that gap and they have no RFAs that will cost a lot of money so they almost certainly have to sign some players to reach an almost 77 million dollar floor.

The next year they would have another 10 million or so falling off their payroll and the salary cap floor will be rising by 7 million and they only need to sign Hunter B and Kuznetsov as RFAs.

The Flames will likely need to sign UFAs or acquire salary in trades but I don’t think it will be because they are actively trying to win, rather they need to be in compliance with the CBA.

Looking at the UFA group for this year... it would be really hard to make up that much salary in one signing. You would basically need to land Panarin or Laine. Or you go to someone like Schmaltz and seriously overpay them for a year.

The 2027 UFA group looks better, for now, but that will likely change next summer once teams are able to start extending their star players. Odds are you offer Frost a big contract to stay while giving Kuznetsov and Brzustewicz healthy RFA contracts (similar to Bahl).

In a way, it makes sense to trade Kadri with 50% retention (if you can get a team to pay for it). You would have to think that there would be some amazing offers for Kadri at $3.5M considering how good the offers are (supposedly) for getting him at full price.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Wolven

Looking at the UFA group for this year... it would be really hard to make up that much salary in one signing. You would basically need to land Panarin or Laine. Or you go to someone like Schmaltz and seriously overpay them for a year.

The 2027 UFA group looks better, for now, but that will likely change next summer once teams are able to start extending their star players. Odds are you offer Frost a big contract to stay while giving Kuznetsov and Brzustewicz healthy RFA contracts (similar to Bahl).

In a way, it makes sense to trade Kadri with 50% retention (if you can get a team to pay for it). You would have to think that there would be some amazing offers for Kadri at $3.5M considering how good the offers are (supposedly) for getting him at full price.

They could go to a team like the Knights and maybe take a pick off their hands to take Karlsson or something off their hands, but either way the Flames need to add payroll to make the cap floor if they move out Kadri and Coleman this year.

[sureLoss]

Report that the Kings are asking for Jake Evans from the Habs for Danault. Habs would prefer to give up Owen Beck instead.

https://www.danslescoulisses.com/phi...s-au-canadien/

[musth]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I’m talking about guys like Kuch, Pasta, Tkachuk(s), Rantanen, Kaprizov, Connor, Nylander, Marner, and maybe guys like Robertson, Forsberg, Reinhart. Might be missing a couple
True top line guys
I think you need at least one

I think Huberdeau WAS one. Given the right system and right linemates.

Not the neutered one that we see today, thanks in large part to D. Sutter.

I've heard it said before, you don't expect your thoroughbreds to pull the wagon nor your clydesdales to win the races.

You will never convince me that Sutter's system and dinosaur attitude had nothing to do with this:
https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...postcount=4155