2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Royle9]

Flames won’t be burning assets to chase success either.
It’ll be more of the same from last year where they let the team dictate what happens, no significant subtractions or additions.. outside of the obvious.

It’s unbelievable how much this team does this to themselves year after year.
Not good enough to be elite.
No bad enough to suck and draft high.

It’s a terribly frustrating one, especially for the “advanced” fan like most of us.
You like to see them doing well, but your torn because you know they’ve played themselves out of a top pick which we so desperately need.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Flames won’t be burning assets to chase success either.
It’ll be more of the same from last year where they let the team dictate what happens, no significant subtractions or additions.. outside of the obvious.

It’s unbelievable how much this team does this to themselves year after year.
Not good enough to be elite.
No bad enough to suck and draft high.

It’s a terribly frustrating one, especially for the “advanced” fan like most of us.
You like to see them doing well, but your torn because you know they’ve played themselves out of a top pick which we so desperately need.

It's not up to the players to chase high draft picks, they will always play to win

It's up to the owners/management to do that.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

At the start of the year Seravelli stated an Andersson/Robertson swap wasn’t completely out of the picture and while that seems crazy now even with how well Andy is playing maybe a Andersson (extension in place) + Coleman for Robertson + Bischel or 27 1st (conditions in place) makes sense for both? I can’t see Dallas trading Robertson with the way he’s playing but they’ve proven to make big splashes before and both Andersson and Coleman are players that would work well in their lineup.

That's too heavy of a cost from Dallas in my opinion.

Jason Robertson carries the most value out of all the players involved.

I'd wager a Robertson to CGY trade looks more like:

Coleman (50% retained)
Andersson (50% retained)

For Robertson and a prospect

Lookin at the Stars FW depth especially on the winger, it's scary thin. So even in this hypothetical trade scenario, the Stars moving Robertson is a major blow to their FW depth.

So the cost may be higher to make this type of trade work.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Fair ... but agree to disagree.

Steinberg has said they are open to have their socks blown off and make a deal which screams posturing to me.

He's also said the standings don't matter, they have a long term plan this year.

Is he connected? I personally think so.

But if he's wrong and they don't trade anyone but Andersson that argument could certainly be made.

Steinberg is certainly connected. I'm of the belief he's a very useful media valve to let information gradually get out.

I remember the lead up to the Hamilton trade at the end of that season and Steinberg and Loubardias kind of shaped the narrative that Dougie wasn't long for the Flames.

[Jason14h]

Originally Posted by Macindoc

That is completely inconsistent with Conroy’s actions. If the organization had intended to be competitive this season, they would have used their significant cap space to sign the top-scoring UFAs in the offseason. The organization is fully aware that its greatest weakness is its lack of scoring talent. The fact that the team is anywhere near the playoffs is a testament to the competitiveness of the players and the complete collapse of the West. Everything I’ve heard from “insiders” has said that Conroy has not yet received any competitive offers.

Who? These were the top UFA's to help our scoring.

Marner - Flames poked around and would have signed 100% if he wanted too

Ehlers - Signed with Carolina in what already looks like a bad deal. Why would he have wanted to come to Calgary over Carolina? How much more then 8.5 AVV would we have had to give.

Boeser - Resigned with Van

Nelson - Resigned with Colorado

There were very few UFA forward who actually were better then who we had. We already have the problem of too many wingers and 3 established centers who are all probably slotted 1 spot too high.

We have a team of 2nd and 3rd liners. They didn't need to sign another. The inaction on UFA forward sure doesn't speak to the intentions this year. It speaks to the lack of 1st line talent available (Which will be a reoccuring theme going forward with the rising cap- Teams don't let their top talent reach UFA and if they do they don't sign in Calgary)

Now on D I think there were some options to improve to team with a UFA overpay. But we also have a pipeline of almost or ready D prospects who they needed to make room for. I think if they were trying hard to make the playoffs they might have overspent for a D.

(Maybe they did try - the UFA has to want to sign here as well)

They also kicked the tires (Rumored) on players like Cozens and Peterka.

The Flames lack of adding win now talent may just be because they couldn't get those (few available) players to sign or complete a trade.

Now I take it as a positive they aren't overpaying UFA's and Trades for a short term fix, but I don't take it as evidence they aren't trying to get better or make the playoffs. But they did have 96 points least year, were adding Parekh and at least tried in a few cases to add quality players even if they missed out.

In reality the Flames have done a bunch of... nothing over the past 1.5 years.

I'm not fully convinced it was planned that way to be 'bad'. I also am not convinced they even have a long term plan how to get into the elite echelon of teams.

If they aren't planning to ever be bottom of league bad, they better have another plan on how to get an elite entire first line AND replace Andersson, Kadri, Coleman and Backlund's contribution over the next 3 years. Cause getting a late 1st for each isn't going to move the needle - We'll be lucky if we can replace 2/4 of those players production with late first picks.

[Roko]

They would make more money on mckenna jerseys than 2 playoff games. This team loves to stay mid. Conroy needs to rip the bandaid off so badly

[Major Major]

Debrusk is a guy rumored to want to play here but we wouldn't touch as a FA.

[SemicolonD]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

It's not up to the players to chase high draft picks, they will always play to win

It's up to the owners/management to do that.

Ya I'd never blame the players or even coaching for how well they're playing, kudos to them. But when you have the opportunity to double down on a bad start with some moves on the management side then maybe you do it. Of course that can also mean lower returns so far from the trade deadline etc. There's no one proper way to do things. I think best to just be happy with what we have. We draft really well for not picking in the top 5, we have the goalie and decent depth pieces. Enjoy a team that will always have a chance to win game in and game out and don't stress long term cuz management sure isn't either lol. Extending Conroy to only 2 years not 3 is just one example.

[atb]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Flames won’t be burning assets to chase success either.
It’ll be more of the same from last year where they let the team dictate what happens, no significant subtractions or additions.. outside of the obvious.

It’s unbelievable how much this team does this to themselves year after year.
Not good enough to be elite.
No bad enough to suck and draft high.

It’s a terribly frustrating one, especially for the “advanced” fan like most of us.
You like to see them doing well, but your torn because you know they’ve played themselves out of a top pick which we so desperately need.

It's brutal knowing that Kadri and Coleman are declining assets whose values are likely to be lower next year. Getting additional first round picks by trading these two gives us more chances to draft another Gridin.

[browntrout]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

No one here is against a high pick. Many think it’s coming no matter what is done. No one said anyone is a “bad fan” - you can’t find a single post that says that, I bet.

What people are tired of is the continual whining every time the Flames win a game. That’s what’s exhausting. No team loses every game. And it’s also tiring to see the hair on fire posts every time management complements Kadri or Andersson because that means they will never be traded. Calgary has done nothing to improve the team’s “short term gain” of just making the POs. Despite having picks, prospects and cap room to exploit if that was the goal.

Perhaps it is whining, more frustration from abyssal playoff record this team has consistently showed the last 20 years so, born out of a owner who has consistently tried to avoid a rebuild in any clever way he can fathom, I think that is what fans are "whining" about, the "doing the same things" and expecting different results.

This team has not been successful, call it tanking or what ever you want, but I don't blame fans for this outwardly frustration about this, I think you are probably going to see alot of this narrative drowning out the more positive fans, and at this point, rightly so, IMO

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Fair ... but agree to disagree.

Steinberg has said they are open to have their socks blown off and make a deal which screams posturing to me.

He's also said the standings don't matter, they have a long term plan this year.

Is he connected? I personally think so.

But if he's wrong and they don't trade anyone but Andersson that argument could certainly be made.

Love the civil conversation on where we think they are at. Thanks Bingo.

Of course circumstances change and so we’ll never know exactly what they were thinking on January 1 2026. Moving up or down in the standings could change things. I think we’d both be happy if a huge offer comes their way for one of their older players. Whether it was part of the “plan” or not, who cares.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Flames won’t be burning assets to chase success either.
It’ll be more of the same from last year where they let the team dictate what happens, no significant subtractions or additions.. outside of the obvious.

It’s unbelievable how much this team does this to themselves year after year.
Not good enough to be elite.
No bad enough to suck and draft high.

It’s a terribly frustrating one, especially for the “advanced” fan like most of us.
You like to see them doing well, but your torn because you know they’ve played themselves out of a top pick which we so desperately need.

Never be mad at the players or coaches for trying their hardest.

The management could have stepped in at any point and made moves to prevent this from happening. But they chose not to either because they did not want to shop the players, or because they did not like the offers on the table.

Either way, not trading Kadri and Coleman and Andersson by now is an opportunity cost. But 100% the management could have changed the results over the past few weeks, they just chose not to.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I don’t really believe they hang on to vets because they think their trade value will be higher later. I do believe this is a team interested in competing at all times and I believe them when they say it. There’s a difference between not giving up cap space or draft picks to acquire immediate help vs. not wanting to subtract from your existing team.

It’s maybe a different story if the team carried on its poor play from the start of the year. But that hasn’t happened and I truly believe the team being on the periphery of the playoff chase is where management hoped they would be.

Yeah this is all correct. If you judge based on actions I don't even know how anyone could argue against this.

That also means Conroy knows the only way he is going to tank this is by putting his thumb on the scale, which he has not wanted to do yet.

As many have said, trading Ras in the pre-season would have accomplished that. We would have sold at a lower value because of his last season. But maybe the extra stuff we get this season for Ras does not offset the better draft position we'd have without him here and his excellent play.

That leads me to believe the short term pain for long term gain approach is just never, ever, ever going to be used here. We'll have to legitimately fail, at all levels including management, into a top pick if it ever happens. That's even worse because it won't be planned - it will be through incompetence, which does not inspire confidence that they will know what to do if it happens.

Short term that means the only player leaving this season is Ras, notwithstanding a hockey trade to improve the team now (maybe defence or wingers plural for centre singular?).

And I don't believe fans that say they will check out if this happens, because they always say that and never do. There's nothing else of interest sports wise in Calgary that can compete with an NHL team.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Macindoc

That is completely inconsistent with Conroy’s actions. If the organization had intended to be competitive this season, they would have used their significant cap space to sign the top-scoring UFAs in the offseason. The organization is fully aware that its greatest weakness is its lack of scoring talent. The fact that the team is anywhere near the playoffs is a testament to the competitiveness of the players and the complete collapse of the West. Everything I’ve heard from “insiders” has said that Conroy has not yet received any competitive offers.

Conroy is a competent GM. He’s going to keep his powder dry for a big name UFA, not going to waste cap space on yet another complementary player. He would 100% be in on first line players in UFA and from what I understand, they expressed interest in the few that were available this summer.

[Roof-Daddy]

If there was ever a year where I want the Flames to get a top pick, this is it. But, they really are too good to finish that low in the standings. I picked them to take a step up from last year and make the playoffs, the slow start made me think we may actually get Gavin but that's not likely now. On top of that I thought the slow start would lead to not only a Ras trade for futures, but also Kadri and Coleman for futures. I still think Ras goes, can't let him walk for nothing. Kadri and Coleman though? That ship has sailed for this season IMO. Will have to revisit down the road possibly.

Nothing you can do as a fan but enjoy the fact that they are playing well.

Good news is you can build a hell of a team without a top pick. Look at the Stars. Three straight conference finals appearances and they are currently 2nd overall in the NHL. Other than Heiskanen they are not build around top picks, and he was only because of a lottery win where they jumped up like 7 spots in a down year to get 3rd overall. And while he's good, he's no Makar or Mackinnon.

Their top players:

Rantanen 10th OA
Robertson 39th OA
Johnston 23rd OA
Heiskanen 3rd OA (lottery win)
Hintz 49th OA
Lindell 74th OA
Faksa 13th OA
Harley 18th OA
Oettinger 26th OA

Just need to hit in all rounds of the draft and especially in the mid to late 1st round.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

If there was ever a year where I want the Flames to get a top pick, this is it. But, they really are too good to finish that low in the standings. I picked them to take a step up from last year and make the playoffs, the slow start made me think we may actually get Gavin but that's not likely now. On top of that I thought the slow start would lead to not only a Ras trade for futures, but also Kadri and Coleman for futures. I still think Ras goes, can't let him walk for nothing. Kadri and Coleman though? That ship has sailed for this season IMO. Will have to revisit down the road possibly.

Nothing you can do as a fan but enjoy the fact that they are playing well.

Good news is you can build a hell of a team without a top pick. Look at the Stars. Three straight conference finals appearances and they are currently 2nd overall in the NHL. Other than Heiskanen they are not build around top picks, and he was only because of a lottery win where they jumped up like 7 spots in a down year to get 3rd overall. And while he's good, he's no Makar or Mackinnon.

Their top players:

Rantanen 10th OA
Robertson 39th OA
Johnston 23rd OA
Heiskanen 3rd OA (lottery win)
Hintz 49th OA
Lindell 74th OA
Faksa 13th OA
Harley 18th OA
Oettinger 26th OA

Just need to hit in all rounds of the draft and especially in the mid to late 1st round.

The Stars also have not won the cup with this team. Their ceiling seems to be conference finals, other than the weird Covid playoff year.

They pretty much had amazing luck, hit on a bunch of picks. But it is still not enough for them to win.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by browntrout

Perhaps it is whining, more frustration from abyssal playoff record this team has consistently showed the last 20 years so, born out of a owner who has consistently tried to avoid a rebuild in any clever way he can fathom, I think that is what fans are "whining" about, the "doing the same things" and expecting different results.

This team has not been successful, call it tanking or what ever you want, but I don't blame fans for this outwardly frustration about this, I think you are probably going to see alot of this narrative drowning out the more positive fans, and at this point, rightly so, IMO

Sure, there will be fans who want to fire sale the assets or sell the for a “loss” as Roko says (not sure the difference between a fire sale and selling for a loss, but that is beside the point). Not sure it is rightly so though, this is a team that has done nothing to try to win right now and despite that inaction continues to win. Short of telling Huska to lose I am not sure what management can do to try to not win. The owner and management has been full bore on avoiding improving the team and they still win hockey games, much to the chagrin of those fans that want to lose games instead.

[CgyFlamesftw]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

The Stars also have not won the cup with this team. Their ceiling seems to be conference finals, other than the weird Covid playoff year.

They pretty much had amazing luck, hit on a bunch of picks. But it is still not enough for them to win.

I wouldnt call that luck. More like good scouting and great developing, it can happen and im sure Dallas is on verge of a cup. Flames can do it we have seen it happen, just having a top 3 pick would accelerate this rebuild.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

The Stars also have not won the cup with this team. Their ceiling seems to be conference finals, other than the weird Covid playoff year.

They pretty much had amazing luck, hit on a bunch of picks. But it is still not enough for them to win.

You can't just dismiss their finals appearance for arbitrary reasons. And and what point, when they keep finding impact players throughout the draft, do you give them credit instead of dismissing it as luck?

Every year just one team wins the cup. While the goal is to win the cup, really what you are trying to do is build a team that is in contention for an extended period of time.

The Stars have one finals appearance and 3 conference final appearances. And their window is far from closed.

They've built a contending team that is a threat every year. That's the goal.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

The Stars also have not won the cup with this team. Their ceiling seems to be conference finals, other than the weird Covid playoff year.

They pretty much had amazing luck, hit on a bunch of picks. But it is still not enough for them to win.

Lots of great teams don't win cups, even with high draft picks though. And Dallas' story isn't done.