2023/2024 Trade Rumors and Speculation Thread

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Username: Flames

I don't see this team making the playoffs next year. Winning the cup? Really? Do
You actually see that?

Last summer, I couldn't wait until the battle of Alberta rematch...but the season proved to be a team that couldn't string a solid winning streak together.

The replacements for Gaudreau (Huberdeau) and Tkachuk (Kadri) didn't replicate what they could do the year before and now they're a year older.

I'm not trying to be overly negative, it's just like I said before: just this once, I'd like the flames trade players who are on expiring contracts for a bunch of futures. Last time they did that was when they traded Curtis Glencross in 2015, where they still made the playoffs and even beat the Canucks.

I think that year they got lucky and got over zealous with signing veterans.

Brouwer, Neal, Coleman. Even Markstrom. Over paid vets who did not live up to what they were supposed to bring.

After 2015's run, Treliving never sold high on any players. Just traded futures. 1st and two 2nds for Hamilton. 1st and two 2nds for Hamnoic.

I would love to see, for the first time in like a decade, for the flames to trade Hanifin for a 1st and two 2nds. Or Lindholm for two firsts. Anything but trading for more aged players! Flames need youth.

I agree with the second half of your post but anyone who has watched the Flames for the last decade knows you can’t carry over the good or bad year over year. Maybe the yo-yo stops with Treliving gone. They went from 4th worst record to 2nd round of the playoffs, to bottom 5, to first wildcard, to 10th in the west, to 2nd in the NHL, to 8th place on the bubble, to just on the outside of the bubble, to 2nd in the west, to 9th in the west. In fact this team finished 9th with arguably its 2 best players having career worst seasons.

It is tough to say they will be worse next year but due to their co tract situations they cannot be in a spot where they run it back without knowing the intent of a few key guys they can’t lose for nothing. I am in the group that thinks Lindholm and Hanifin need to be dealt in an effort to retool this team so they can be in a much more competitive spot when the new rink opens.

[dustygoon]

You don't need to be a fan of Huberdeau or to have watched him play much to conclude this guy is going to improve from here barring injury.

Talking about trade value after last season is nonsense. Yes...GM's likely won't give much for him after last season unless someone wants to buy low.

He is going to be solid for us. It's a big contract but as a % of cap in a few years, i'm thinking it won't be that awful.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

It's a big contract but as a % of cap in a few years, i'm thinking it won't be that awful.

The goal of every successful GM.

If the cap rises in a few years, his long term contracts won't be "that awful" anymore.

Oh to dream.

But I do get what you are saying. If Hubby rebounds, it's more likely posters will ignore the fact he is overpaid.

Let's face it, most UFA's are "overpaid" even if they produce.

[Saqe]

I can see them making the playoffs but just looking at the West in general and teams like Vegas, Colorado and Edmonton and I don't think the Flames stack up well against them with Eichel, MacKinnon, McDavid in the middle. I just don't see a road for them to get past any of them. And then there are teams like the Kings who are probably still getting better. But making the playoffs is always a possibility with the parity that exists.

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

You don't need to be a fan of Huberdeau or to have watched him play much to conclude this guy is going to improve from here barring injury.

Talking about trade value after last season is nonsense. Yes...GM's likely won't give much for him after last season unless someone wants to buy low.

He is going to be solid for us. It's a big contract but as a % of cap in a few years, i'm thinking it won't be that awful.

I don't think anyone, or at least the vast majority of people, think he is staying around the 55 point level for his career, but the concern is if he returns closer to his normal output is that good enough for anything more than keeping the Flames pretty mediocre?

For myself, when I say I want to move on from Hubredeau's contract this summer it is with the expectation that he will be an 80+ point player for the next 5 years, maybe more.

Do we want to pay 10.5m for a player to keep us fighting for first round exits?

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

The goal of every successful GM.

If the cap rises in a few years, his long term contracts won't be "that awful" anymore.

Oh to dream.

But I do get what you are saying. If Hubby rebounds, it's more likely posters will ignore the fact he is overpaid.

Let's face it, most UFA's are "overpaid" even if they produce.

Yeah that's the problem with UFA deals when it comes to high profile guys, they almost never seem like good deals, ok or fair value at best. And then you have the horrible ones mixed in like the one Bob has. Just as an example, even if the cap goes to 100M in lets say 4-5 years Huberdeau's deal will still be 10.5% of the cap (down from current 12.6%). So that would be equivalent of a 8.64M cap hit right now but then he'll be 34-35 years old, not as bad but you still need him to be a major contributor, essentially a top line winger, to justify that deal.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Spurs

I don't think anyone, or at least the vast majority of people, think he is staying around the 55 point level for his career, but the concern is if he returns closer to his normal output is that good enough for anything more than keeping the Flames pretty mediocre?

For myself, when I say I want to move on from Hubredeau's contract this summer it is with the expectation that he will be an 80+ point player for the next 5 years, maybe more.

Do we want to pay 10.5m for a player to keep us fighting for first round exits?

Don’t you want to rebuild? Why would you care if the Huberdeau contract was on the books if so? Gotta pay somebody.

[traptor]

Huberdeau, kadri and weegar won't be able to stop this team from bottoming out if you get rid of everyone else.

These aren't top 15 players in the league. As of right now none of them are even close to top 32 in the league. Every team has players of this caliber except maybe Chicago last season.


Flames are a depreciating team. If you lock in longterm with lindholm and hanifin, you're definitely locked in then. Will have almost 10 guys on big contracts well into their 30s.


Flames are probably a playoff team. Probably closer to wildcard then contender espcially as the core continues to hit aging curves.

We probably don't compete with the top group of avs, oilers and knights.

We probably fall into the second tier but for how long. Alot of the teams have young high-end talent that we just dint have right now. Blackhawks and ducks are adding a couple more.

[Yeah_Baby]

Possible Hot Take:

Folks being willing to throw away Huberdeau after one stinker of a year with a lot of extenuating circumstances are why Murray et al are scared to do a proper tear it down rebuild. They don't trust folks broadly have patience for that, which will lead to loss revenue.

[Pickle Juice]

As much as I would like a rebuild I have a really hard time believing that Conroy in his first time in his new role will commit to having a losing record. This team was not far off last year and we are probably going to lose some key guys not by choice but the guys we do lose will fetch some good NHL ready talent. Its my belief that if and when we do see some trades it will involve more NHL ready prospects then it does picks.

There is a few guys in this thread that can maybe validate my thoughts or if I’m completely out to lunch?

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Yeah that's the problem with UFA deals when it comes to high profile guys, they almost never seem like good deals, ok or fair value at best. And then you have the horrible ones mixed in like the one Bob has. Just as an example, even if the cap goes to 100M in lets say 4-5 years Huberdeau's deal will still be 10.5% of the cap (down from current 12.6%). So that would be equivalent of a 8.64M cap hit right now but then he'll be 34-35 years old, not as bad but you still need him to be a major contributor, essentially a top line winger, to justify that deal.

This has certainly changed over the years. UFA contracts are not what they once were as most teams are locking the best players up long term, long before they are UFA eligible with contracts that expire long past their prime. And the league has gotten much younger overall.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Possible Hot Take:

Folks being willing to throw away Huberdeau after one stinker of a year with a lot of extenuating circumstances are why Murray et al are scared to do a proper tear it down rebuild. They don't trust folks broadly have patience for that, which will lead to loss revenue.

You can't acknowledge "one stinker year" while ignoring the term and money on his contract. A sub par year can be accepted, 55 pts can be accepted, 8 years at 10.5 is the problem. Anything to get out from under that albatross would be a miracle.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Don’t you want to rebuild? Why would you care if the Huberdeau contract was on the books if so? Gotta pay somebody.

People really think you gotta go full Chicago scorched earth to rebuild lol. There’s still a cap floor to reach. Kadri and Huby’s contracts can definitely help with that

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

People really think you gotta go full Chicago scorched earth to rebuild lol. There’s still a cap floor to reach. Kadri and Huby’s contracts can definitely help with that

Every redbuilding team need a vet or three around, especially guys who have done well in the past. Some kids need to be taight how to survive and win in the NHL.

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Don’t you want to rebuild? Why would you care if the Huberdeau contract was on the books if so? Gotta pay somebody.

Because Hubredeau is good enough to keep us from drafting 1st and instead getting the 5th pick overall.

I don't think Hubredeau is a bum or a bad player in anyway. I think he is a very good player. I just don't see anyway in which he is here and we have a team competing for anything more than hoping for a break to get out of the first round.

There are plenty of guys to pay if all we are worried about is making the floor while finishing as low as possible. Guys like Kadri, Coleman, Mangiapane, Markstrom are the contracts I want, big paydays for guys that won't move the needle on wins or loses, assuming the Markstrom doesn't bounce back and at his age/history I think that is unlikely.

[Tkachukwagon]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1671181979168153601

https://twitter.com/user/status/1671182583579947008

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

People really think you gotta go full Chicago scorched earth to rebuild lol. There’s still a cap floor to reach. Kadri and Huby’s contracts can definitely help with that

Finishing with the 10th pick overall doesn't do much to help with a rebuild. There are plenty of overpaid deals we can keep to reach the cap floor without Hubredeau.

[Paulie Walnuts]

If Huberdeau bounces back with 5 more goals and 20 more assists someone is going to scoring on those 20 assists.

That should help the team fight for the division.

Its not as bad of a roster as people make it out to be they had a rough year and some people are having a hard time acknowledging that because of the reason why.

25 more goals would have had us fighting for top spot in the pacific last year even with the goaltending we got, which isn't all Markstroms fault either.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Tkachukwagon

https://twitter.com/user/status/1671181979168153601

https://twitter.com/user/status/1671182583579947008

I thought Lucic swore he'd never play for the Canucks.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

People really think you gotta go full Chicago scorched earth to rebuild lol. There’s still a cap floor to reach. Kadri and Huby’s contracts can definitely help with that

Frankly I’m surprised to hear/read the lack of imagination from many of the ‘blow it up/rebuild’ cohort. Apparently there is only one way to rebuild; trade all ‘bad’ contracts at any cost and stockpile draft picks. Done. Easy.

That, or, it’s impossible to move ‘bad’ contracts and we won’t be able to recover for the next decade, so what’s the point?

Prior to last year, how many of these posters would have said the same things about Erik Karlson as they are saying about Huberdeau/Kadri/Markstrom now?