2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Roko]

I kind of feel like Kadri is hurt or sees the writing on the wall. I didn’t like him tonight or last game in my mind. The opposite for Rasmus. Maybe he is trying to play his way off the team now with effort and Kadri is already on his way.

[really?]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Thinking about that Friedman comment a bit more...I think that course of action would probably be the most offensive thing they could do to their fanbase.

"Hey, we're awful - and we're not going to make use of this time to try and improve it. Instead, we're going to run it back and try and peddle this now 36 year old centre, and 35 year old winger as key components"

That'd be brutal to have to endure as a Flames fan.

Two of Andersson, Coleman, and Kadri ought to be traded this season.

I think all 3 should go, and I also think inaction would be them sticking their head in the sand and thinking "we're not this bad, this year - it's just we aren't getting the bounces, they'll turn for us next year"...meanwhile other teams will make meaningful improvements either to their active roster or to their future.

The scenario you note would be brutal to endure, and management certainly knows this. Andersson moving is a when, not if matter, but for Kadri and Coleman the question is whether a superior offer materializes. All of the smoke around near term competing is most certainly posturing.

Other teams have a sense of how difficult it is for the Flames to navigate the current season. There are a number of differing opinions on this board, but I just can’t imagine guys with very finite careers looking to spend more of that career running in place. These guys are apex individuals and this team’s window is likely at least 3 years down the road. There is likely some pressure from the room to shake the trees, and competitors aren’t going to help the team lighten their present load.

At some point after Thanksgiving someone will get serious and changes will begin to happen and once that hammer falls this team will likely start to gel and begin the process of building on a new foundation. I just don’t see this team truly believing that running it back is a realistic path.

As with all observations mine could be wrong, but I would imagine there are 2-4 deals between now and the deadline and once the uncertainty is removed from the room the team will operate under far less pressure and cohesion will begin to root.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

https://twitter.com/user/status/1990904814604366226

If (and of course big if) this is what happens, it likely means we draft in that 5-12 range because other teams will embrace their awfulness and outsuck us this year down the stretch.

Then they roll back in with the same team and just have that high pick in the fold?

I won’t take this organization seriously anymore. That’d be a brain dead path to take.

Moronic approach.

Low cost operator approach.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by browntrout

I think this is just posturing, CC and the owners are smart business men, they are trying to control the narrative that they "believe in the core" or "quick retool", all they are trying to do is to drive up the acquisition cost for players like Coleman, Kadri and Andersson. I am not sure Kadri gets traded, but the other two, I think you will see moved.

In resources...where they sell a fungible product, so it doesn't have to be marketed to a discretionary customer that has choice.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Rutuu

Low cost operator approach.

Evidence that the Flames run a low-cost operation is…?

[SuperMatt18]

The offers aren't going to get better next year for Coleman who will be 35 and in the final year of his contract, and for Kadri who is going to be 36 and likely won't be coming off a career high here in goals.

Moving them this year is how you maximize the return for those players, doing otherwise is complete incompetence and negligence by the managment team and ownership.

[TheScorpion]

All the latest rumours suggest the Flames need to be persuaded to even listen on these guys. I don't remember ever hearing about another last-place team being so reluctant to make changes.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

All the latest rumours suggest the Flames need to be persuaded to even listen on these guys. I don't remember ever hearing about another last-place team being so reluctant to make changes.

I believe that's because of low ball offers and getting value.

The same counter rumours out there to put pressure on Calgary and Conroy.

But honestly, and I am not trying to be dramatic, more tired.

If they do not use these next 3 years to draft top 5 in each of them and instead make more knee jerk moves to maaaaaaybe get into the playoffs, I think I will be done following this team.

I can find betting ads with a side of sport elsewhere, pretty fed up with all of it.

[SuperMatt18]

Yeah that's why I don't get all the "it's posturing takes"

What value is there in telling the media that you don't want to move any of these guys. It really does feel like Edwards doesn't want to punt on this season, and would rather actually make this take even longer to become good again.

Moving Kadri and Coleman now for a premium will accelerate the rebuild, not make it take longer.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Yeah that's why I don't get all the "it's posturing takes"

What value is there in telling the media that you don't want to move any of these guys. It really does feel like Edwards doesn't want to punt on this season, and would rather actually make this take even longer to become good again.

Moving Kadri and Coleman now for a premium will accelerate the rebuild, not make it take longer.

Imagine always wanting something but not willing to put in the actual effort to achieve it and rather just pretend that "hoping" and "luck" will be enough.


Then doubling down and never accepting a sunken cost fallacy, that brings exactly the amount of playoff series wins we have since 1990.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Moving Kadri and Coleman now for a premium will accelerate the rebuild, not make it take longer.

Moving anybody in November is a good way to stock up on that valuable asset, Future Considerations.

I'm not putting much stock in rumours one way or the other.

[TheScorpion]

I seem to remember Colorado doing alright when they traded Matt Duchene in November

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I seem to remember Colorado doing alright when they traded Matt Duchene in November

They did, but it was a weird deal all around. Not only the timing, but the fact that it was a genuine three-way deal (not a third party taking out the garbage to enable a trade between two other teams). And the fact that the Predators gave up a boatload of assets for Kyle Turris, who never really did much for them.

I don't see a GM at the moment who's willing to give up that many futures in a deal involving any of Kadri, Andersson, or Coleman. I won't say never, but generally speaking, this is not the time of year to be forcing a deal to happen.

I'm with those who expect a trade of some sort between U.S. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Call it the Flames' Black Friday sale.

[Jiri Hrdina]

A single example from a decade ago?

[TheScorpion]

Eichel deal was November!

If the players being dealt are good enough it doesn't really matter when you move them. As long as they're actually available. I'm not convinced Calgary has actively made anyone available.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

All the latest rumours suggest the Flames need to be persuaded to even listen on these guys. I don't remember ever hearing about another last-place team being so reluctant to make changes.

When it is many insiders saying the same thing, it's clearly an issue. Murray Edwards will not allow us to trade these old guys while they still have value, unless they ask out.

Hopefully Kadri and Coleman ask for a trade, or we are going to get no value out of them. This is not a one year retool that needs to happen. It is a multiple year complete rebuild that is needed to build a good team. And I have my doubts that our ownership is going to allow this to happen.

[SuperMatt18]

My personal feeling is every season, every deal and every trade is unique.

I've also already stated that I think there will be two potential active trade windows this year. The first being between Dec 1 and Dec 20 for the Christmas roster freeze, and the other being Jan 15 - Feb 5 as teams will want to get players before the Olympic break to be able to get them adjusted to their new team during that break.

My feeling though is that if you want to take advantage of those windows you need to be starting those trade discussions now, trades don't happen overnight and the leg work should be starting now for Conroy.

Everything is different this year for a variety of reasons.

The aforementioned Olympic break being one of them.

The absolute state of chaos the Eastern conference is in, where you have no teams that want to rebuild and likely 16 teams that are looking to take steps this year (Islanders and Pens probably only teams that wouldn't trade any futures). Teams won't want to wait and will be proactive to try to secure a playoff spot.

And the change to playoff salary cap rules makes waiting until the deadline less valuable than it's ever been in the salary cap era. Retention spots (which Flames still have 2) and taking a bad contract off a team are more valuable now than in the past due to those new playoff cap rules as well.

Conroy should be actively starting to negotiate and shop all of Kadri, Coleman, and Andersson starting from now, to be able to take advantage of things when the market does eventually heat up here in two months.

I don't see how sitting on his hands and saying "we don't want to move any of our players, we think this is a 1 year blip" really does anything to help.

What determines the return is the market and the number of teams looking to buy, that's it. It's his job to try to grow and create that market, not shut it down and tell teams he's not moving players.

If I keep calling Conroy and he keeps saying "we aren't looking to move Kadri and Coleman" then I'm not going to increase my offer, I'm just going to start looking somewhere else to fill the need on my team.

The message that should be coming out of the Flames organization should be "We are in last place, so of course we aren't happy with how our season has gone and how things are going. But that doesn't mean we are just going to give away our best players either. If teams actually want to step up with a serious offer for any of our players then of course we will listen, but we're not going to be doing any favours for anybody here or just giving guys away. We know the value of the guys we have and know how much they can help push a team into contender status"

[Freeway]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Eichel deal was November!

If the players being dealt are good enough it doesn't really matter when you move them. As long as they're actually available. I'm not convinced Calgary has actively made anyone available.

Not for the prices they're being offered.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Freeway

Not for the prices they're being offered.

Negotiation is also a bit of a two way dance.

If teams are calling the Flames with their first offers, and the Flames reponse is "we aren't willing to move these guys". Then how would the offers ever really get better?

Conroy needs to create the market and the pressure for teams to bring their best offer forward. Not pour cold water on it.

My guess is Flames also might be trying to "do right" by the players too much here. Any team not on Andersson, Kadri, or Coleman's limited NTCs should be open for business. Don't limit yourself to just their preferred destinations.

Generally something like a full NMC or NTC is the only reason a "we don't need to move these players" tactic would be needed, because you need to tell the 1 or 2 teams a player is willing to be traded to that if they don't pay up you're happy to keep the player.

With the trade protection these 3 Flames have that shouldn't be a huge issue.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Freeway

Not for the prices they're being offered.

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Negotiation is also a bit of a two way dance.

If teams are calling the Flames with their first offers, and the Flames reponse is "we aren't willing to move these guys". Then how would the offers ever really get better?

Exactly.