2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

Based on? Again, even if teams aren’t willing to meet the price today doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the offseason, especially when flames have retention slot flexibility again which seems to be a sticking point in the rumours of teams being interested in him.

Making stuff up to spin things in the most negative way possible

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by Macindoc

Once you start to sit a player for trade reasons, if no deal is in place, their value drops daily, like a house that’s been on the market too long. Potential buyers know that you need to sell, but also know that the fact that you haven’t sold means that you haven’t been getting good offers. So they make lowball offers, knowing that you might accept out of desperation.

That's a whole heck of a lot of speculation.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Making stuff up to spin things in the most negative way possible

I'm not making anything up, it is an opinion. I think we should sit players to keep them healthy for a potential trade. I also believe both players will be worth less next year than this year.

Again, just a different opinion.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

I'm not making anything up, it is an opinion. I think we should sit players to keep them healthy for a potential trade. I also believe both players will be worth less next year than this year.

Again, just a different opinion.

That’s an opinion. Ignoring the Markstrom trade and then spinning it is a totally different situation is making things up

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Bonded

That’s an opinion. Ignoring the Markstrom trade and then spinning it is a totally different situation is making things up

Markstrom trade was a great trade. I said it was clear they badly wanted Markstrom because ot Brodeur. It was reported he had been pushing their management to trade for him for a while.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Markstrom trade was a great trade. I said it was clear they badly wanted Markstrom because ot Brodeur. It was reported he had been pushing their management to trade for him for a while.

So it could be the same for Kadri and Coleman. You really don’t know. You can have an opinion that it won’t be but you can’t just hand waive away the Markstrom trade.

[All In Good Time]

What I don’t understand about people wanting to sit players is that we honestly don’t known will never really know how close deals are.
In my mind it would have to be pretty much a done deal before having players sit

[Stampede2TheCup]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Well, according to Friedman it has gone from potentially a sellers market to a buyers market. We also could have asked Kadri to waive his NTC for Colorado last year and we would have had close to the Brock Nelson return.

It seems we wait too long often.

I didn’t hear him say anything like it going from a sellers market to a buyers market on HNIC, all he said was the centre market is heating up. Did I miss something he said elsewhere?

Until we see what happens this trade deadline, how can we even begin to judge if we have waited too long? Even after, we really won’t know what options were truly available at what times.

There were always going to be more sellers closer to the deadline, but at the same time that is when most buyers get serious too. Buyers wait to get a better handle on their needs, to see all offerings on the market, to accrue more cap space, and more. I’d be willing to bet some of the offers are we have heard that have been given for our players have been for a later time. There aren’t exactly a lot of trades happening right now.

I think you were on record saying sell everyone ASAP no matter the price, but then also were disappointed with Anderson’s return. We can’t have it both ways. It’s only a few days until the trade deadline. Maybe wait until then to make judgements on what actually happens instead of assuming the worst. It feels like the only thing we are waiting too long for is your impatience.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

How do you see the whole Markstrom scenario then? If we’d taken your approach we aren’t getting the 18 OA Reschny an Bahl, we would have got a desperation return at the deadline. Markstrom didn’t lose any value either heading into the offseason, many see that trade as an overpay from Devils even at the time let alone now.

You do you though Rhett, it’s the same tired worrying that you post ad nauseam and when examples are shown that don’t support your narrative you don’t respond.

The rumour is the only thing that changed in Markstrom trade from deadline to off season was the amount of retention. Bahl and pick were always on the table. I believe devils wanted 30% retention at the deadline.

[Lewis_D]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

I'm not making anything up, it is an opinion. I think we should sit players to keep them healthy for a potential trade. I also believe both players will be worth less next year than this year.

Again, just a different opinion.

Weren't you saying the same thing about sitting players before the Andersson trade? If not you there was definitely some other posters talking about that.

Not trying to pile on you specifically but I think when it comes to this issue people are just looking for something management is doing to complain about. Look at all the other players around the league that are on the top of all the trade boards that also aren't being left out for trade reasons, it's not a Flames specific thing, more just industry standard.

From my memory, usually a player only gets scratched for trade reasons because there's a trade happening imminently (usually on the same day). Only exception I can think of this season is Myers in Vancouver which optically looks kind of strange at this point that he still hasn't been moved.

[Jason14h]

Also goalies are a lot different in value and changing value as you can only start 1 every game

In the offseason a few teams every year will look at their goaltending as a major issue and one that can be the “easiest” fixed - get a new goalie

I doubt anyone who doesn’t win the cup sits back in the offseason and says “if only we had Coleman , we better go get him now “

There’s no issue waiting until the deadline , but if either Coleman or Kadri remain with the team through next weekend I will see it as a strategical failure .

Rip the final bandaid(s) off and move forward

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Stampede2TheCup

I didn’t hear him say anything like it going from a sellers market to a buyers market on HNIC, all he said was the centre market is heating up. Did I miss something he said elsewhere?

Until we see what happens this trade deadline, how can we even begin to judge if we have waited too long? Even after, we really won’t know what options were truly available at what times.

There were always going to be more sellers closer to the deadline, but at the same time that is when most buyers get serious too. Buyers wait to get a better handle on their needs, to see all offerings on the market, to accrue more cap space, and more. I’d be willing to bet some of the offers are we have heard that have been given for our players have been for a later time. There aren’t exactly a lot of trades happening right now.

I think you were on record saying sell everyone ASAP no matter the price, but then also were disappointed with Anderson’s return. We can’t have it both ways. It’s only a few days until the trade deadline. Maybe wait until then to make judgements on what actually happens instead of assuming the worst. It feels like the only thing we are waiting too long for is your impatience.

The Friedman bit was kind of funny. He said the centre market was heating up, talked about the other three big name centres and then said “and then there’s Kadri” but didn’t really go into anything about him… just that he’s available.

It was weird but without talking about kadri, he basically said his market is going to be a western team that misses on Thomas because trochek doesn’t want to be out here.

Feels like LA or Colorado to me, maybe Utah if they can’t get Thomas, as those two teams don’t have the pieces for Thomas but want a centre upgrade (just are concerned about term).

Seems like there’s still a good market for him.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Also goalies are a lot different in value and changing value as you can only start 1 every game

In the offseason a few teams every year will look at their goaltending as a major issue and one that can be the “easiest” fixed - get a new goalie

I doubt anyone who doesn’t win the cup sits back in the offseason and says “if only we had Coleman , we better go get him now “

There’s no issue waiting until the deadline , but if either Coleman or Kadri remain with the team through next weekend I will see it as a strategical failure .

Rip the final bandaid(s) off and move forward

I don’t know about that. Mangiapane and Toffoli went for decent value in the offseason. I do hope they trade both Kadri and Coleman this deadline but I’ll still give them the offseason before getting really heated.

[This post is terrible]

Originally Posted by YyjFlames

The Friedman bit was kind of funny. He said the centre market was heating up, talked about the other three big name centres and then said “and then there’s Kadri” but didn’t really go into anything about him… just that he’s available.

It was weird but without talking about kadri, he basically said his market is going to be a western team that misses on Thomas because trochek doesn’t want to be out here.

Feels like LA or Colorado to me, maybe Utah if they can’t get Thomas, as those two teams don’t have the pieces for Thomas but want a centre upgrade (just are concerned about term).

Seems like there’s still a good market for him.

Both Thomas and Pettersson seem like Draft day or later trades

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Every team knows we need to sell these players regardless of whether they sit. Otherwise, we are a rebuilding team stuck with an aging asset who is losing value.

These GMs aren't dumb, well maybe the Oilers one is. But every GM should know we are looking to trade Coleman and Kadri. It isn't a secret.

No...."we" don't.

And that is continuously ignored by you.

[Super-Rye]

The Kadri trade has always come across to me as an offseason trade. Insiders have long suggested a Kadri trade is complicated and may not get done by the deadline and it is rare to see that money traded in season. There's a lot of factors at play beyond the money too. Teams don't like Kadri's 3rd year, Flames only have 1 retention slot left and they're likely to use it in a Coleman trade, Flames don't want to retain a lot on Kadri due to there being 3 years left. There is lots of moving parts and I don't think it is as easy of a trade as some people think. It doesn't HAVE to be done by the deadline, but it could be. And if it's not then that's fine too. Flames waited on the Markstrom trade and man if Bahl hasn't turned into a real stud for us.

I'd like a Kadri trade just as it would be fun to talk about the return instead of hearing the same people complain about the same crap for the next 6 months. Anyone getting upset if Kadri doesn't get traded by the deadline is doing it to themselves at this point.

At this point I expect:
Coleman to be traded
One of Lomberg, Hanley, and Pachal to be traded
Weeger and Whitecloud to not be traded
Kadri seems like a 50/50


If this team finishes Friday with a Coleman and Lomberg/Pachal trade then that's fine, anything more than that is gravy tbh. Anything less than that would be disappointing but not the end of the world. We don't have all the context or information so it's hard for us to make any real informed opinions, which is usually where emotion takes over for some unfortunately.

I would like to see more than a Coleman + Pachal/Lomberg trade but I do not expect to see more based on what some of the insiders are saying. Ultimately when Kadri is moved I imagine the Flames will have to take a contract back and eat 1-1.25 mill per year of Kadri's cap and if they're going to do that they need to get real value in return.

Trust in Connie and enjoy the ride.

[Bonded]

I’m still hoping for a complete overpay on Whitecloud from Buffalo lol

[Rhett44]

I still think Kadri is dealt. Dreger has said he most likely will be, and we know he gets insider info from our upper management.

I'll wait to over react until after the deadline.

[Royle9]

Multiple things can be true, it doesn’t always have to be black and white and finite with 1 specific reason or outcome.

Kadri has made it known he wants to move on now
Kadri has received a number of offers dating back to the last week
Those offers could have changed now.
Teams may be waiting to see what happens with Trochek first now.
Some insiders have him top 3, others have him as not moving at all

Coleman has made comments to the media that he’s expecting a trade.
Coleman has received offers
Coleman’s family didn’t come back to CGY
Most insiders are convinced he’s moving on
Coleman played last night, probably will play again tonight
Coleman could remain a flame, he’s still under contract

I don’t think we need to argue amongst ourselves and panic.
What happens will happen, there’s little reason to hold onto anyone who wants to move or is getting offers that make sense.

No rush to move either player, but logically makes sense to not only recoup assets but also give yourself a chance to play some younger guys and not risk going on a prototypical “flames” run where we win meaningless games just to drop our draft spot.

Build for the future now.

[Stampede2TheCup]

Originally Posted by YyjFlames

The Friedman bit was kind of funny. He said the centre market was heating up, talked about the other three big name centres and then said “and then there’s Kadri” but didn’t really go into anything about him… just that he’s available.

It was weird but without talking about kadri, he basically said his market is going to be a western team that misses on Thomas because trochek doesn’t want to be out here.

Feels like LA or Colorado to me, maybe Utah if they can’t get Thomas, as those two teams don’t have the pieces for Thomas but want a centre upgrade (just are concerned about term).

Seems like there’s still a good market for him.

I agree there still seems to be a good market for Kadri. The market seems very small on Thomas since he’s long-term and the ask is large. Trocheck is limited to the east and ROR doesn’t want to be moved now in a playoff race. LA and Colorado seem likely, but I wouldn’t write off some eastern teams completely either.