2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

The issue is Coleman.

Also, it's a BIG retention ticket because it is 3 years. If you're giving it, you have to get something valuable back. And that poses a huge challenge to the trade for sure.

(which is why I think a Kadri trade miught be easier with a cap dump coming back, as opposed to salary retention)

Agreed, though if this is true, it also might be easier in the off-season, where those teams are more willing to subtract from their roster.

Again if we look at Montreal as an example, just as a thought exercise:
- You've got a couple guys that have term left: Gallagher for instance at 6.5 this year and next. Would they move him for Kadri? I don't think they want to subtract him now, but in the off-season maybe. But even then it's only 1 more year so it doesn't fully solve.
- Same with Josh Anderson at 5.5. They probably don't want to subtract him now, but they could in the summer, but similarly he's just got one more year left.

Kadri goes out 2 more years beyond that.

Retention solves that. But only if you get enough of a return to make it worth using a retention spot for 3 more years after this one.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

We can throw around hypotheticals forever. But that's what negotiations are for - trades require creativity. It's easy to list the challenges

Sure. But the hypotheticals show why it is easy to say "just take a player back" or "just retain", but the realities illustrate how complicated it is to find a fit.

[jmac98]

I hope they can figure out the logistics to see a Kadri trade through. I agree it would be a missed opportunity if he's not traded, though I understand and respect the additional challenges surrounding the situation. Having said that, Andersson went to the one team that absolutely could not fit him in and was the one team we knew for sure he wasn't heading to. Teams find a way to make it work when optics suggest otherwise. So I hope something is resolved in the next 6 days as this seems like the best time to move him for a reasonable return.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

A salary dump to balance out the money would make sense, packaged with the key assets they're looking for.

Without knowing more details I don't see why it's an insurmountable issue.

Well start with the teams that are rumored to be interested, and then look at their current contracts in terms of $, term and someone they would be willing to deduct from their roster - and that will provide a sense of how easy or hard it is.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Would disappointing if that ends up derailing a Kadri trade before the deadline. Though I could absolutely see it going that way. I have no idea what is being offered but would not surprise me if the offers for no/little retention are something like 2nd + C-prospect while the offers for max retention would be something like 1st + 2nd + B-prospect. To most of us fans, that’s a good trade to make to move Kadri now… get more 1st round picks and prevent worsening the teams’ draft pick. But, ultimately, it’s Conroy asking the owner to pay $10.5 million for a late 1st round round pick.

I'll say it again: there is no way that there would be 50% retention, IMO. 410.5M would require huge assets coming back, and no team is going to offer up that much in assets to acquire Kadri.

If there is retention, it would have to be more like $1.5 or $2M per year. At most.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Sure. But the hypotheticals show why it is easy to say "just take a player back" or "just retain", but the realities illustrate how complicated it is to find a fit.

Repeatedly saying it is hard to make a trade doesn't really add a lot to the conversation.

[ComixZone]

Keeping Kadri is not a smart decision.

Return, so long as there is value to some degree, which it sounds that there is, is secondary.

Keeping Kadri may very well be the difference between one of McKenna/Stenberg and a significantly lower tier players drastically changing the future of the organization.

Keeping a soon to be 36 year old player, improving the results on a failed season would be a foolish decision.

I don't foresee Conroy making a foolish decision...

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Repeatedly saying it is hard to make a trade doesn't really add a lot to the conversation.

Is that really all am saying? With the posts in these threads, with examples, and other details, you think that's all I'm saying.

I'm discussing the complexities of deals and providing thoughts and details.

To minimize that down to "repeatedly saying it's hard to make a trade" is really lame dude.

I could turn around and say the same thing to you. "repeatedly saying they need to make a trade" isn't adding a lot.

Or we could actually discuss things, which I've been trying to do.

[Enoch Root]

Actually, I think "they need to make a trade" is a valid argument in this case.

As many have said, trading Kadri may be the difference between drafting top 3 or drafting 5-6. That difference is worth more than a late 1st, maybe quite a bit more.

So yes, this is a case where they need to find a way to get it done.

[howard_the_duck]

I’m not that concerned about the multi year retention slot being taken up when considering the Kadri move.

What other veterans over the next 3 years are we realistically moving as part of this sell off?

Weegar
Whitecloud (great contract shouldn’t need retention)
Farabee?

IMO it comes down to ownership being willing to eat $6-8M and what cost you’re assigning to that in return. Can you get a first? I have my doubts, so then what’s your floor price? If Im Conroy I’m pitching my own pick improvement this year and next when selling through this move to ownership.

[Jiri Hrdina]

OK so rather than explore the complexities of that, that fuels the likelihood of it happening, you want to simply say "the need to make a deal" and end it there.
Thanks. That's helpful to understand how to engage (or not engage) with you.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

I’m not that concerned about the multi year retention slot being taken up when considering the Kadri move.

What other veterans over the next 3 years are we realistically moving as part of this sell off?

Weegar
Whitecloud (great contract shouldn’t need retention)
Farabee?

IMO it comes down to ownership being willing to eat $6-8M and what cost you’re assigning to that in return. Can you get a first? I have my doubts, so then what’s your floor price? If Im Conroy I’m pitching my own pick improvement this year and next when selling through this move to ownership.

3 years is a long time. We can see how quickly things change.
I think the longer list is this:

- Weegar
- Frost
- Yegor
- Farabree
- Whitecloud

Frost is a pending UFA next year, and at this stage I have zero idea of what the likelihood of a new contract is. So I would add him to the list for sure.

[Jason14h]

After the Flames win tonight we should go into buy mode ! Will only be 4 back of LA with a game in hand ! Let’s get that 9th spot

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

OK so rather than explore the complexities of that, that fuels the likelihood of it happening, you want to simply say "the need to make a deal" and end it there.
Thanks. That's helpful to understand how to engage (or not engage) with you.

There have been proposals on how to do it, but it is largely pointless IMO, until we can narrow it down to one or two teams, then look at potential options.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

I’m not that concerned about the multi year retention slot being taken up when considering the Kadri move.

What other veterans over the next 3 years are we realistically moving as part of this sell off?

Weegar
Whitecloud (great contract shouldn’t need retention)
Farabee?

IMO it comes down to ownership being willing to eat $6-8M and what cost you’re assigning to that in return. Can you get a first? I have my doubts, so then what’s your floor price? If Im Conroy I’m pitching my own pick improvement this year and next when selling through this move to ownership.

Ownership: Willing to pay a 1st to get rid of money, so they can spend money again.

Also ownership: Unwilling to pay money to get (likely) a 1st.

It doesn't really track.

If the Flames aren't willing to retain on Kadri, it's likely because hockey management doesn't want to. I'd place blame on the hockey management team well before ownership on any transactions these days if this is actually an impediment to moving Kadri.

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

3 years is a long time. We can see how quickly things change.
I think the longer list is this:

- Weegar
- Frost
- Yegor
- Farabree
- Whitecloud

Frost is a pending UFA next year, and at this stage I have zero idea of what the likelihood of a new contract is. So I would add him to the list for sure.

We'd have two open slots for moving Frost next year. Also, none of the players you listed are on the age cliff like Kadri is. Kadri trade has complexities that may require retention, if not retaining on Kadri prevents them from trading Kadri, then this spot should be used on Kadri. It SHOULD be the most pressing thing for Flames management, ahead of Coleman in my eyes.

List of trade priorities:

1. Kadri

<big gap>

2. Coleman
3. Weegar
4. Whitecloud
5. Lomberg
6. Hanley
7. Pachal

That would be my perspective.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Nelson

I also listened to Francis and Steinberg’s talk from Friday. They think the deadline might be relatively quiet for the Flames and:

-Coleman gets traded;
-One of Lomberg/Hanley/Pachal gets traded;
-Kadri is unlikely to be traded before the deadline, but he will be traded in the off-season or next season; and
-Weegar and Whitecloud are even less likely than Kadri to be traded.

As will likely prove out, Steinberg is always sharing real, legit info whenever he doesn't caveat things by saying it's not based on anything he knows, etc. and yeah, based on his radio hit with Francis, Steinberg was the most adamant I've seen this season about a Kadri deal being unlikely by the deadline which was a nit of a switch. On the flip side, he maintained that Coleman is getting dealt somewhere.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

After the Flames win tonight we should go into buy mode ! Will only be 4 back of LA with a game in hand ! Let’s get that 9th spot

Who is saying this?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Ownership: Willing to pay a 1st to get rid of money, so they can spend money again.

Also ownership: Unwilling to pay money to get (likely) a 1st.

It doesn't really track.

If the Flames aren't willing to retain on Kadri, it's likely because hockey management doesn't want to. I'd place blame on the hockey management team well before ownership on any transactions these days if this is actually a impediment to moving Kadri.

Several people with connections have said that they are willing to retain.

But it has to make sense - you can't expect them to pay $10.5M on behalf of another team, if all it gets them is a 2nd round pick or whatever.

There is a lot of middle ground between asking them to eat $10M and suggesting they are not willing to retain.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Several people with connections have said that they are willing to retain.



But it has to make sense - you can't expect them to pay $10.5M on behalf of another team, if all it gets them is a 2nd round pick or whatever.



There is a lot of middle ground between asking them to eat $10M and suggesting they are not willing to retain.

Yeah not to mention ownership has retained on multiple recent deals if I'm not wrong, which should have laid to rest the assertion that they won't retain salary in trades.

[Knut]

The other issue is Coleman and if they need to retain on him or not. Ideally you take a bad contract back for one of them as “retention”. It’s complex. Not as simple as just trading someone.