2024 Off-season trade rumours and speculation thread

[3rd Degree]

Playing Parekh in the NHL would be asset mismanagement. Wasting a year of his ELC on a team that needs to lose to jumpstart the rebuild is ludicrous. Let him develop in the OHL so we can maximize his ELC and his second contract when we actually want to win.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by 3rd Degree

Playing Parekh in the NHL would be asset mismanagement. Wasting a year of his ELC on a team that needs to lose to jumpstart the rebuild is ludicrous. Let him develop in the OHL so we can maximize his ELC and his second contract when we actually want to win.

One of the pre-draft scouting reports I read is that Parekh seems to rocked by heavy hits a lot. Partly how he plays, but also that he has a bit of an agitator style.

I would worry about putting an 18 year old in the NHL immediately if that is true.

[Mindtravellee]

Does the bad blood between JPB (Oliver's agent) and Craig have any implications?

[jg13]

Originally Posted by 3rd Degree

Playing Parekh in the NHL would be asset mismanagement. Wasting a year of his ELC on a team that needs to lose to jumpstart the rebuild is ludicrous. Let him develop in the OHL so we can maximize his ELC and his second contract when we actually want to win.

I understand this point of view but if he's more than ready, management has to do what it can to fill the arena and if he can do that while putting up 30-45 pts I think they need to consider keeping him on the big team and lending him to the world juniors.

[sch19lks]

Originally Posted by jg13

I understand this point of view but if he's more than ready, management has to do what it can to fill the arena and if he can do that while putting up 30-45 pts I think they need to consider keeping him on the big team and lending him to the world juniors.

People on this website need to realize that Parekh has a lot to learn in his own zone. Yes, he’s extremely dynamic, but he has a lot to learn defensively. And he needs to bulk up, he’s very slight.

This isn’t a bad thing, but he needs some time. If he was this “generational offensive stud d man”, he wouldn’t have been there at 9.

It’s okay that he needs some work. But he isn’t ready for the NHL at the moment

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by sch19lks

People on this website need to realize that Parekh has a lot to learn in his own zone. Yes, he’s extremely dynamic, but he has a lot to learn defensively. And he needs to bulk up, he’s very slight.

This isn’t a bad thing, but he needs some time. If he was this “generational offensive stud d man”, he wouldn’t have been there at 9.

It’s okay that he needs some work. But he isn’t ready for the NHL at the moment

Yeah. Without the right support system around him at the right time it would be a poor decision to bring him up. The Avs got lucky having a good team that tanked and got Makar. This isn’t the same thing. The team isn’t good, and to call him up and give him heavy responsibility would be mismanagement. I would not want to do that to any 18 year old unless they showed elite skills and had the body to handle nhl bodies.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by memphusk

I spoke with Conroy on Vacation. That man bleeds hockey.

I’m sorry- you spoke with Conroy?

[indes]

Originally Posted by 3rd Degree

Playing Parekh in the NHL would be asset mismanagement. Wasting a year of his ELC on a team that needs to lose to jumpstart the rebuild is ludicrous. Let him develop in the OHL so we can maximize his ELC and his second contract when we actually want to win.

Hard to say with such certainty how it ends up. Maybe if he comes up this year and we burn a year of his ELC he ends up at 80% of his potential by ELC end we lock him in for 8mx8 and he goes on to become a Norris contender on a cheap contract. Maybe he goes down and ends up at 100% by the end of his ELC and we have to pay 12mx8 and we're paying full price for a Norris contender.

I would say if we get a #1D we should be ecstatic, it won't matter if its in D+3 or D+4 because we won't be competing by then anyways so his ELC isn't going to matter.

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by bluejays

Yeah. Without the right support system around him at the right time it would be a poor decision to bring him up. The Avs got lucky having a good team that tanked and got Makar. This isn’t the same thing. The team isn’t good, and to call him up and give him heavy responsibility would be mismanagement. I would not want to do that to any 18 year old unless they showed elite skills and had the body to handle nhl bodies.

Makar played 2 years of College hockey post draft as well. As he should have.

Parekh does not belong playing in the NHL this year.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by 3rd Degree

Playing Parekh in the NHL would be asset mismanagement. Wasting a year of his ELC on a team that needs to lose to jumpstart the rebuild is ludicrous. Let him develop in the OHL so we can maximize his ELC and his second contract when we actually want to win.

The right thing to do is to do whatever is best for the player. If he shows he should be here, then keep him here. If he isn't ready, send him back down.

But I would argue that following pre-set scripts is asset mis-management - you can't manage people by simply following pre-set guidelines. Sending him down just to save a year of ELC is Oiler-esque mismanagement, if he is in fact NHL ready.

Not saying that he is, but let's see how he looks before we write his story in ink.

[Royle9]

There are many reasons one can argue to hold Parekh back, worrying about a year of his ELC not lining up with the rebuild isn’t one of them. The Flames should have him play wherever they deem his development will strengthen and I trust Craig to do that.

One could argue Parekh has very little left to prove on the OHL, he’s scored at a pace never seen before in both his 16 and 17 year old seasons along with capturing best offensive defenseman titles and a memorial cup which is a feat no defenseman has done before.

I would also argue he’s more mentally mature than any of us were at that age, and more than any other prospect drafted this year. He graduated 3 years earlier, and has taken university courses as a 17 year old whilst playing the most competitive hockey possible. He’s wise beyond his years, and it’s very evident in his interviews. So I don’t see any argument against his mental readiness at this point.

He is most certainly a generational offensive talent, go listen to just about every reputable hockey mind talk about him pre/post draft. He’s a human highlight reel, and teams knew it but like every player he does have some things to work on, which most have identified as being his defensive game and play without the puck. There’s no denying it, he’d be the first to admit it, but that alone shouldn’t eclipse what is his biggest strength and the reason the Flames are so high on him.

Lastly I’ll add that I stood next to the guy at dev camp and spoke to him for a few minutes as he took a few photos with my kids. As a guy who’s 6’3 and 245 I definitely didn’t see him as slight or undersized and he’s got tons of room to grow still. I’d wager he puts on another 5-10 lbs of muscle before main camps.

I trust Craig and Calgary to play him wherever they deem best for him. I won’t be mad if he’s sent back down, nor will I be mad if they keep him up and risk a year of his ELC. I see no reason to panic either way, the Flames have put his development on a pedestal and will absolutely focus on ensuring he’s playing in the right place this year.

[keenan87]

Originally Posted by Royle9

There are many reasons one can argue to hold Parekh back, worrying about a year of his ELC not lining up with the rebuild isn’t one of them. The Flames should have him play wherever they deem his development will strengthen and I trust Craig to do that.

One could argue Parekh has very little left to prove on the OHL, he’s scored at a pace never seen before in both his 16 and 17 year old seasons along with capturing best offensive defenseman titles and a memorial cup which is a feat no defenseman has done before.

I would also argue he’s more mentally mature than any of us were at that age, and more than any other prospect drafted this year. He graduated 3 years earlier, and has taken university courses as a 17 year old whilst playing the most competitive hockey possible. He’s wise beyond his years, and it’s very evident in his interviews. So I don’t see any argument against his mental readiness at this point.

He is most certainly a generational offensive talent, go listen to just about every reputable hockey mind talk about him pre/post draft. He’s a human highlight reel, and teams knew it but like every player he does have some things to work on, which most have identified as being his defensive game and play without the puck. There’s no denying it, he’d be the first to admit it, but that alone shouldn’t eclipse what is his biggest strength and the reason the Flames are so high on him.

Lastly I’ll add that I stood next to the guy at dev camp and spoke to him for a few minutes as he took a few photos with my kids. As a guy who’s 6’3 and 245 I definitely didn’t see him as slight or undersized and he’s got tons of room to grow still. I’d wager he puts on another 5-10 lbs of muscle before main camps.

I trust Craig and Calgary to play him wherever they deem best for him. I won’t be mad if he’s sent back down, nor will I be mad if they keep him up and risk a year of his ELC. I see no reason to panic either way, the Flames have put his development on a pedestal and will absolutely focus on ensuring he’s playing in the right place this year.

If for some reason, this does not work out (hopefully it does) ... can we see Parekh becoming a skilled forward instead?

[Buff]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Klapka and Solovyov still require contracts. I imagine this is something that can wait or the AGMs can handle if Conroy is on vacation for a while.

Is an NHL GM truly on vacation?

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I’m sorry- you spoke with Conroy?

In Penticton last summer. Him and Loubardias were having lunch at some restaurant we went to.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

The right thing to do is to do whatever is best for the player. If he shows he should be here, then keep him here. If he isn't ready, send him back down.

But I would argue that following pre-set scripts is asset mis-management - you can't manage people by simply following pre-set guidelines. Sending him down just to save a year of ELC is Oiler-esque mismanagement, if he is in fact NHL ready.

Not saying that he is, but let's see how he looks before we write his story in ink.

I agree with the bolded but by all accounts he needs to work on his defensive game and probably better to do that gradually rather than dropping him into the fire trying to learn the defensive game vs the best players in the world on a bad team where he's not going to be overly insulated from bad hockey. Poirier was also considered a one-dimensional defenseman and bringing him along slowly did wonders for his overall game.

[ResAlien]

Is there much precedent for a defenceman going in the 8/9/10 range being NHL ready and having a successful career coming in hot? Feels like if a guy was that amazing he’d have gone higher. Even the immortal Cale maker had two years of seasoning.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I agree with the bolded but by all accounts he needs to work on his defensive game and probably better to do that gradually rather than dropping him into the fire trying to learn the defensive game vs the best players in the world on a bad team where he's not going to be overly insulated from bad hockey. Poirier was also considered a one-dimensional defenseman and bringing him along slowly did wonders for his overall game.

Yes, if he needs to work on his defensive game, then so be it. But again, that is managing the individual, based on their needs, as opposed to a blanket strategy that says: we should send him down to save a year of ELC.

Manage the player based on what's right for the player. Don't try to fit them into a predetermined timeline.

[Bonded]

I'd be shocked if Parekh sticks next year but if he is playing well enough to stay then you keep him up. Hope he focuses on the defensive game next year no matter where he is.

[Bingo]

I agree .. no script let it fall where it falls.

My hope though is 9 game audition, back to the OHL, on the WJC team.

[3rd Degree]

Parekh needs time to develop the defensive side of his game as well as strengthening his body. The fact that keeping him in junior saves a year of his elc is a happy coincidence. Is the argument that keeping him in the NHL as an 18 yo is somehow going to be infinitely better for his development than another year in the OHL?

Give him his 9 games, then send him down knowing exactly what he needs to work on.

If he’s not 100% ready next season, do it again.

Imagine a 20 year old Parekh just starting his elc. How valuable is he in his D+4 and D+5 years when there is a chance we actually could compete.

Then, when he’s 23, you have a much better understanding of what you have and can sign him to a long term or bridge deal.