2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Rhett44]

We have 2 playoff series wins in the past 2 decades. It is very interesting to me, that some people are defending the teams recent history. Considering we have been less successful than Buffalo, which is a team people use to crap on when you mention the word rebuild.

You can make a strong argument we have been the least successful team in the league over the last 20 years. Which is why a lot of us are fed up and want change.

Someone did mention an age thing earlier in the thread. I don't want to generalize because I think it's a bit different for everyone. But I will say, I haven't seen a single person in my age group (20s) that does not want a rebuild. The only people I know in real life who do not want to blow it up are in the baby Boomer demographic. But then again I know some who do want to blow it up as well, just thought it was interesting. My one coworker I talked to said he did not have the patience for a 10 year rebuild at his age so maybe that is part of it but I have no idea.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I've never heard this. Source?

Not sure there is a source but I don’t remember many, if any, fans clamouring for a 2026 1st (top 5 protected) from a team that drafted 28th, 25th and 23rd overall the previous 3 seasons and Fraser Minten and a 4th for Ramus and 820K retained.

Return seem pretty similar to a 1st, conditional 3rd that could turn into a 2nd and Miromanov. Just don’t recall Flames fans thinking that that return was a huge missed opportunity at the time.

[browntrout]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Kadri’s trade value is hard to determine. Every team would love him for the playoffs today, but then he comes with the extra term. That’s going to scare teams off, and I doubt Flames are eating salary for 3 more years.

I definitely see far more downside risk to his play going forward. I’d be very happy with a decent return today and moving on as I’m skeptical his trade value ever increases much.

CC has no desire to trade either Coleman or Kadri, if your stance is " I will only trade them if an offer blows my socks off" say alot to me, if you were serious about trading them, you would take anything that resembled a fair offer, even if it was a little less than market value.

This team is clearly trying to avoid a rebuild, just because you don't trade away a pick or two for immediate help does not mean your rebuilding, what it means is your spinning your wheels in the mushy middle....again. A rebuilding team looks towards the future, and make strategic moves that align with that philosophy. Not trading players like Coleman and Andersson at the expense of another pick in the 10-15, is a huge mistake, and very short sighted. We have missed the playoffs the last 3 years and the highest we have drafted is 9 overall, not good enough for a team like Calgary that can't attract high end UFA's through free agency.

Ironically the very thing ownership is avoiding, a prolonged playoff absence when the new arena is about to open, is what they are creating by avoiding a rebuild. We don't have any premier prospects within our farm system, and it's getting very scary to look at next year and know that Backlund and Kadri who are getting very old now and declining, are two of your better centres, brutal

It's going to be a slow death, but they reaped what they sowed

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Not sure there is a source but I don’t remember many, if any, fans clamouring for a 2026 1st (top 5 protected) from a team that drafted 28th, 25th and 23rd overall the previous 3 seasons and Fraser Minten and a 4th for Ramus and 820K retained.

Return seem pretty similar to a 1st, conditional 3rd that could turn into a 2nd and Miromanov. Just don’t recall Flames fans thinking that that return was a huge missed opportunity at the time.

There's a big difference between fans not really noting that trade in regard to Andersson versus the team actually geting that offer and turning it down.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

There's a big difference between fans not really noting that trade in regard to Andersson versus the team actually geting that offer and turning it down.

That is fair, never heard that Conroy got the offer but the offer at the time was pretty mediocre. What most people would have thought was a late 1st round pick, a 4th and Fraser Minten isn’t exactly a great return.

[Vinny01]

This is the 21st season since the salary cap was implemented

In the 20 seasons before this the Flames:
Won the division 3x
Won playoff series 2x (3x if you include a play in)
Most playoff games won in a year 5 (3x)
Made the playoffs 9x longest streak 4 years 06-09
Missed the playoffs 11x longest streak 5 years 10-14
Drafted top 5 1x
Drafted top 10 4x
Drafted top 3 0x

Compare it to our neighbors to the North who have had the tale of 2 eras that occurred after their Cinderella run to kick off the cap era.

In the last 20 years the Oilers:
Division win 0x
Playoff series wins 14
Most playoff games won in a year (15x 2)
Made the playoffs 8x (7 if you take away their play-in loss in 2020) (longest streak 6 years 20-25 5 years if you take out 20)
Missed the playoffs 12x (longest streak 10 years 07-16)
Drafted top 5 - 6x
Drafted top 10 - 11x
Drafted top 3 - 5x

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Tanev is irrelevant he isn't on the same level...Rasmus is getting a 1st+ which is what they could have gotten last season. He is playing way better this season he is likely worth MOAR

The bar is the Carlo return if he clears that it will be good but if he doesn’t then perhaps the organization should consider being more proactive when moving their veterans.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

It is a middle of the road team most years, and I personally don’t care about division/conference titles. I was under the impression the Stanley cup is the goal, but if regular season records are your definition of success that’s a-ok but not for me.

By the same token, do you also not care if a team eeks into the playoffs?

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by browntrout

CC has no desire to trade either Coleman or Kadri, if your stance is " I will only trade them if an offer blows my socks off" say alot to me, if you were serious about trading them, you would take anything that resembled a fair offer, even if it was a little less than market value.

This team is clearly trying to avoid a rebuild, just because you don't trade away a pick or two for immediate help does not mean your rebuilding, what it means is your spinning your wheels in the mushy middle....again. A rebuilding team looks towards the future, and make strategic moves that align with that philosophy. Not trading players like Coleman and Andersson at the expense of another pick in the 10-15, is a huge mistake, and very short sighted. We have missed the playoffs the last 3 years and the highest we have drafted is 9 overall, not good enough for a team like Calgary that can't attract high end UFA's through free agency.

Ironically the very thing ownership is avoiding, a prolonged playoff absence when the new arena is about to open, is what they are creating by avoiding a rebuild. We don't have any premier prospects within our farm system, and it's getting very scary to look at next year and know that Backlund and Kadri who are getting very old now and declining, are two of your better centres, brutal

It's going to be a slow death, but they reaped what they sowed

The only significant move we have made in the past year and a half is the Farabee and Frost trade. In which we also gave up a 2nd rounder.

That is why it is interesting to me that some people are adamant this is a clear rebuild. When the Flames have not done anything at all rebuild wise in 1.5 years. Sure, they have not been a buyer but they have not been a seller either.

You can use an analogy that we are kind of like a ship at sea without a captain. Sometimes the ship is headed west because of the wind, sometimes north and sometimes south. But there is no clear path or direction that we have been heading for well over a year now, which is why fans are wondering what is going on. You need to pick a path whether it is trading the vets or retooling. Doing nothing is not really helping anything when you pick 15th every year.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

That is fair, never heard that Conroy got the offer but the offer at the time was pretty mediocre. What most people would have thought was a late 1st round pick, a 4th and Fraser Minten isn’t exactly a great return.

Well, it's probably fair to say that they weren't actively marketing Rasmus so it is possible that Carlo was offered up, the Leafs made an offer and it was snapped up. In that case, Conroy never had a chance to say "well if THAT'S what you'd pay..."

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

The bar is the Carlo return if he clears that it will be good but if he doesn’t then perhaps the organization should consider being more proactive when moving their veterans.

Presumably the bar is what a reasonable person thought the Leafs 2026 1st would have been when the trade was made I would assume. Like if the 1st round pick becomes the Leafs 2028 1st round pick how would one evaluate the trade?

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Well, it's probably fair to say that they weren't actively marketing Rasmus so it is possible that Carlo was offered up, the Leafs made an offer and it was snapped up. In that case, Conroy never had a chance to say "well if THAT'S what you'd pay..."

We were never trading Rasmus last year. They needed to reward the players for being close to a playoff spot.

A trade that helped our future was never on the table.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

The only significant move we have made in the past year and a half is the Farabee and Frost trade. In which we also gave up a 2nd rounder.

That is why it is interesting to me that some people are adamant this is a clear rebuild. When the Flames have not done anything at all rebuild wise in 1.5 years. Sure, they have not been a buyer but they have not been a seller either.

You can use an analogy that we are kind of like a ship at sea without a captain. Sometimes the ship is headed west because of the wind, sometimes north and sometimes south. But there is no clear path or direction that we have been heading for well over a year now, which is why fans are wondering what is going on. You need to pick a path whether it is trading the vets or retooling. Doing nothing is not really helping anything when you pick 15th every year.

This assumes trades are easy to make and just can happen at will. What similar players to Rasmus, Kadri and Coleman have been moved in that time?

Moreover, in that same time the Flames have made no moves to try and make the POs and go deeper, despite high profile players being available and the Flames having all kinds of resources to trade for veteran players or sign UFAs. I think the path is clear - you just don't like the speed.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

We were never trading Rasmus last year. They needed to reward the players for being close to a playoff spot.

A trade that helped our future was never on the table.

And it was never going to be the Carlo return of what at the time looked certainly to be a late 2026 1st, a B prospect and a 4th round pick.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Care to back that up with any statistics or are you just going to post platitudes? I’m pretty sure I know the answer to that.

The last 6 cup champs? all won division titles and had top or near top of the league finishes leading up to their titles. You will have a harder time finding teams that weren't very good in the regular season for years before and after their championships. St. Louis is maybe the one outlier.

[Red Potato Standing By]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

The only significant move we have made in the past year and a half is the Farabee and Frost trade. In which we also gave up a 2nd rounder.

That is why it is interesting to me that some people are adamant this is a clear rebuild. When the Flames have not done anything at all rebuild wise in 1.5 years. Sure, they have not been a buyer but they have not been a seller either.

You can use an analogy that we are kind of like a ship at sea without a captain. Sometimes the ship is headed west because of the wind, sometimes north and sometimes south. But there is no clear path or direction that we have been heading for well over a year now, which is why fans are wondering what is going on. You need to pick a path whether it is trading the vets or retooling. Doing nothing is not really helping anything when you pick 15th every year.

Why just a year and a half? Any significant moves since conroy took over to get better or worse? Or for picks?

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by D as in David

By the same token, do you also not care if a team eeks into the playoffs?

You may have missed my post last page, but in the last 10 years only 2 wildcard teams out of 36 made the finals, both lost. I care if a team is in a divisional spot, 3 out of 8 teams per division make it, that isn’t a very high bar. Winning the division has no value and my breakdown last page shows that.

My opinion though sort of ties into the trade deadline. If you’re in the top 3 divisional spots you’re “buyers”. If you’re wildcard or worse, you’re sellers. Now there’s varying degrees of how much to buy or sell, but standing pat last year like the flames did was shortsighted. Not moving Andersson was a very bad move and should be strike one against Conroy.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

The only significant move we have made in the past year and a half is the Farabee and Frost trade. In which we also gave up a 2nd rounder.

That is why it is interesting to me that some people are adamant this is a clear rebuild. When the Flames have not done anything at all rebuild wise in 1.5 years. Sure, they have not been a buyer but they have not been a seller either.

You can use an analogy that we are kind of like a ship at sea without a captain. Sometimes the ship is headed west because of the wind, sometimes north and sometimes south. But there is no clear path or direction that we have been heading for well over a year now, which is why fans are wondering what is going on. You need to pick a path whether it is trading the vets or retooling. Doing nothing is not really helping anything when you pick 15th every year.

Frost and Farabee are pretty young and worth more than a 2nd rounder (which was aquired in a trade anyway)

[PeteMoss]

If you can't 'tank' - the next best alternative is to get a million picks so you can hope you hit on some of the picks.

The Flames have at least done that
6 picks in top 3 rounds in 2024
4 picks in top 3 rounds in 2025
Currently have 5 picks in top 3 rounds in 2026

Obviously way too soon to judge how it all turns out but Gridin and Parekh from 2024 at least look like two good building blocks. Too soon to know on 2025 guys.

[shutout]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

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.

Management taking a long term view of how to build the team, still does not mean that they want to lose on purpose. I do not think that there are very many people leading any professional sports teams that look at a season as trying to lose on purpose.

In the second half of a season they might make moves that build on where the team is going, but they don't start out with that mandate. Flames were never going to decide it was a lost season after the first month. Too many decision variables that come into play when deciding which players to move out and what price to assign them.

It was always going to be a January evaluation of the team and who they want to keep to continue to get younger, faster, and more skilled while properly developing the young players that come into the lineup.

When looking at the last twelve months, October looks like the outlier. So the team will look at who they have ready to step into the lineup that is younger like they have with Kuznetsov and Brzustewicz and who is best to help them succeed. If there is a player that needs to come in then they will decide who needs to go out. Players like Zary and Coronato are showing that consistency is something that has to be learned. Players like Backlund and Coleman are great at helping these players be their best.

Making space on the wings might end up coming from players like Sharangovich and Farabee being moved out rather than Coleman because of what he brings in the dressing room, on the ice, and to the younger linemates that he helps mentor.

Kadri is always going to be a tough choice because there is nobody to replace him in the lineup. Which means that other players are going to be playing over their heads up the lineup and not succeeding.

Easy to say lets trade these guys and lose on purpose. But you are trying to develop young players and losing the majority of your games does not do that. Along with the fact that players are smart enough to know if they have a chance to be competitive or not. If they are told that the standard expectation is that they should be able to win every game they play than making moves that just makes the team worse does not help with that development.

The trades need to be something that everyone in the organization and locker room see as helping the team or else you lose the team and culture they are trying to build.