2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

OK, but they have to draft properly. Remember when Boston had 3 in a row in 2015, and took Zboril, Debrusk and Senyshyn right before Barzal, Conner, Chabot, Eriksson Ek, Boeser and Konecny?

And they still need to be decent picks. That same year Boston didn't quite finish low enough to get McDavid, Eichel, Strome, Marner, Hanifin, Zacha, Provorov, Werenski, Meier, Rantanen.

Quite a stunning miss actually.

I do have more faith in our scouting group. You are right that it means nothing if you don't hit. IIRC at that draft I think a lot of people were scratching their heads after Boston took those players.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I prefer trading Kadri to Vancouver or Toronto, over any other Canadian team. I would trade him to the Oilers for the same reason, but I wouldn't want to strengthen-up the Oilers!


Montreal and Ottawa are on their way up. It certainly feels like both Vancouver and Toronto could be teetering in the next couple of seasons.


Toronto:
I would even do a conditional 2028 1st round pick (plus other assets of course). Mathews becomes a UFA at the end of the 2027-28 season - will he walk away too? Either way, Toronto doesn't have much in the pipeline, and even before Treliving arrived, had been trading a lot of futures for win-now players. I see their window closing, and perhaps a collapse?


Vancouver:
The 2026 and 2027 1st round picks are still owned by them. They are rumored to be trying to obtain Zacha, but if I am them, Kadri checks-off a lot more boxes. He may be older, but he would probably be a positive step forward in terms of trying to fix their culture. I have them teetering on the precipice at the moment. They could stumble, or they could recover and improve again. My money is on stumbling. Hughes will leave after next season, so I wouldn't mind a 2027 top 10 (or top 15!) protected trade. Their collapse may come in the 2028-29 season, and with Kadri there, he won't be helping them at that time.


At any rate, I would love a scenario in which the Flames end up getting a pick that ends up in the top 5 for Kadri (yes, I know, it is so unlikely to happen!). I still view the trade tree as open - Calgary gave up pick 16 last year. I think Kadri returns more value in a trade, thereby removing all angst from that long and complicated trade. 2026 (assuming he eventually gets traded for a package including a 1st rounder for the next draft), is a better draft too. Calgary traded Monahan away in order to sign Kadri, so I see this move linked, and I never saw it as Calgary's own pick vs Florida's pick.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Robbob

I do have more faith in our scouting group. You are right that it means nothing if you don't hit. IIRC at that draft I think a lot of people were scratching their heads after Boston took those players.

At that draft it was almost impossible not to get a decent player in the first round and they managed.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Robbob

I am kind of giddy thinking that if the Flames move out Coleman, Kadri, and Andersson they could potentially have 4 or 5 1st round picks this year.

I think it’s more likely we’d be looking at the additional 2-3 spread out over the next 3 years.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

OK, but they have to draft properly. Remember when Boston had 3 in a row in 2015, and took Zboril, Debrusk and Senyshyn right before Barzal, Conner, Chabot, Eriksson Ek, Boeser and Konecny?

And they still need to be decent picks. That same year Boston didn't quite finish low enough to get McDavid, Eichel, Strome, Marner, Hanifin, Zacha, Provorov, Werenski, Meier, Rantanen.

Quite a stunning miss actually.

Or the 2013 draft, where the Flames hit on #6 but swung and missed on #22 and #28. That one hurt.

[kehatch]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Or the 2013 draft, where the Flames hit on #6 but swung and missed on #22 and #28. That one hurt.

There aren't many top end players available in that range. But you would hope to get an NHL caliber player at least.

But it wasn't just those picks. Baertchi, Jankowski, Klimchuk, and Poirier were all misses. Then we draft Bennett at 4 overall and eventually trade him for a second. Outside of Gaudreau we didn't hit in the later rounds either. Things improved in 2015, but you generally need a combination of good high picks, a bit if luck, good development, and patience.