2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Jason14h]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Why is a rebuilding team not building around anyone a problem?

That’s kind of how it works. You draft the players you end up building around. Wolf, Parekh, and Coronato are good starts. Plenty of time left, no reason to get impatient about it.

What’s your timeframe to be on the upswing ?

I guess that’s where I might differ - if the argument is trade Kadri and Coleman over the next 3 years vs now - and Frost and maybe Farabee during that time as their contracts expire , draft our new core as we bottom out in a few years time , and then start an upswing in 2030/31ish I can see that timeline being realistic . That would put us back in the playoffs as a upswing team around 2033-34?

I just thought the Flames and fans were hoping to avoid a decade of pain . We’re already going to be done year 4 and don’t have a core to build around yet, and it’s trending that we’ll go another year without adding a blue chip prospect .

Above is actually what I think it the most likely scenario - Conroy will be fired , these mid 20s guys will get shipped out as their contracts end / and a new rebuild will need to occur in 3-4 years

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Why is a rebuilding team not building around anyone a problem?

That’s kind of how it works. You draft the players you end up building around. Wolf, Parekh, and Coronato are good starts. Plenty of time left, no reason to get impatient about it.

Coronato is a great complementary piece and 2nd liner.

We still need an entire 1st line at forward. And Parekh is not a sure thing, either.

We need basically everything except goalie.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

The Sharks top 3 point producers are 19, 20, and 23. They also just drafted Misa who should become a very good player and is 18.

The Flames top 3 point producers are 35, 29 (and about to leave), and 36. They do have Parekh who has potential

If you can't see the difference between the two, then I don't know what to say. One is a team on the rise, and one is a team about to fall.

Then how can it possibly be that a team that is now in 27th place and about to fall is in the ‘mushy middle’?

[browntrout]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Conroy has had the job 2 years.

20 years is irrelevant to me and many others.

The direction in question is the one under Conroy and seems to be moving in the right direction based on the number of picks and the quality of the selections since he took charge.

With the exception of Zayne, none of the other "quality" picks have shown that they are legitimate NHL'ers, let alone 1st line NHL'ers, what this team desperately needs.

I get that he is accumulating picks, I get that, and it is a start in the right direction, the bigger problem is this team is on a downward trajectory, probably going to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year, with no clear prospects ready to take over more established vet roles, that's the bigger concern.

They need to start addressing that, you can't do it through Free agency anymore, so the entry drafts become even more important. And it's almost impossible to move up, as in it literally never happens, at least not the top 5.

If your miss the playoffs this year and your goal is to get in the playoffs at around the new arena opens, or shortly after, you do need to start getting better quality prospects to start the handover process, and it's something that seems to be getting stalled and delayed

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Maybe the lawyer should have thought about that before bringing up being a lawyer as some sort of innate superiority. That level of smug needs to be called out.

Except he didn't do that. He pointed out that he was a lawyer when he was accused of having a learning disability. People with learning disabilities don't go far in that profession, because the one thing it absolutely requires you to do is learn masses of material for each case you are working on.

Pointing out that a particular accusation against you is false is not the same thing AT ALL as claiming superiority.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Coronato is a great complementary piece and 2nd liner.

We still need an entire 1st line at forward. And Parekh is not a sure thing, either.

We need basically everything except goalie.

Guess that’s why they have a draft and free agency then.

[Wolven]

Boy, a lot of garbage posting in the last 6 page... but these were interesting for discussion.

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

Even if he (Misa) were available, the Sharks are a young team on the up. What we would offer in return? Re-signed Andersson and our first? Is that even in the ballpark?

The Sharks are in dire need of D upgrades. Even after acquiring Orlov, Klingberg, and Leddy (lol) they do not have a very strong D group that is ready to go to the playoffs. Their forwards are starting to look good, but could use a couple of upgrades. Askarov is winning (15-10-1).

Right now the Sharks are on pace to increase their scoring by 20% over last year but they are still letting in more goals than they score. If they want to stay in a playoff spot and make any noise in the playoffs they have to have a plan that addresses their D both short term and in the future.

Originally Posted by Tbull8

I would actually not mind San Jose’s chances as a wildcard if they draw Edmonton round 1. Especially if they convinced Ras to extend there in a trade.

Orlov <Ras>
Ferraro Klingberg
Dickinson Mukhamadullin

Isn’t a bad top 6. Could maybe use another 4/5 to push Klingberg down

With Klingberg bouncing back this year that is a much better D group. Ferraro looks a lot better on the second pair than the first, Liljegren can swap into the third pair when needed and those two young players are only going to get better. Getting Andersson would be a great boost to that group.

Then in the summer most of the group goes UFA and you have to fill holes:

Orlov-<Andersson>
???-Mukhamadullin
Dickinson- Iorio
X: Cagnoni, Thompson

Adding Andersson long term addresses a huge hole in the Sharks depth chart and creates a future looking group built around Andersson, Dickinson, Mukhamandullin and maybe a couple of their 2nd round picks (Iorio, Sahlin Wallenius, Havelid, Wang) but they would likely want to add another vet for the next season's top 4 that could hold down a spot as Orlov departs.

There is definitely logic to the Sharks shopping for Andersson as there are no real alternatives right now or next summer.

I also think Coleman would be a smart acquisition for the Sharks. He would bring better scoring than Skinner, probably be one of their best defensive forwards immediately, and improve their PK. His NTC would have very few holes in it but I wonder if he would have blocked the Sharks or left them available as they were not expected to be a playoff team this year?

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Guess that’s why they have a draft and free agency then.

Free agency won't fix this mess. They need to build in the draft and trade vets.

Otherwise, the vets themselves all likely decline rapidly over the next few years. And we may be looking at bottoming out the year we have the new arena.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Free agency won't fix this mess. They need to build in the draft and trade vets.

Otherwise, the vets themselves all likely decline rapidly over the next few years. And we may be looking at bottoming out the year we have the new arena.

They will need free agency just to meet the salary cap floor, especially when they move Andersson, Coleman and Kadri.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Except he didn't do that. He pointed out that he was a lawyer when he was accused of having a learning disability. People with learning disabilities don't go far in that profession, because the one thing it absolutely requires you to do is learn masses of material for each case you are working on.

Pointing out that a particular accusation against you is false is not the same thing AT ALL as claiming superiority.

There is a lawyer with Down syndrome (which is an incredible feat and good on her for doing it) who went worldwide with the news last year. This just proves that those with learning disabilities can do things like be a lawyer, which appears be something Gio is too good to acknowledge, because after all, he’s a lawyer he can’t possibly have a learning disability. Pure self righteousness.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

There is a lawyer with Down syndrome (which is an incredible feat and good on her for doing it) who went worldwide with the news last year. This just proves that those with learning disabilities can do things like be a lawyer, which appears be something Gio is too good to acknowledge, because after all, he’s a lawyer he can’t possibly have a learning disability. Pure self righteousness.

Down syndrome is not a learning disability. It is most often, but not always, accompanied by learning disabilities of various kinds.

Most people with significant learning disabilities could not do the work required of most lawyers.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Down syndrome is not a learning disability. It is most often, but not always, accompanied by learning disabilities of various kinds.

Most people with significant learning disabilities could not do the work required of most lawyers.

Hmm cool I didn’t know that, I assumed it was a learning disability. Either way the semantics of it doesn’t take away from my point at all.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Who said they’ll only move if someone grossly overpays?

So may people turn other posters' speculation into the fact of what management is doing.

Myself, I think Conroy saw firsthand what happens when management makes a knee jerk trade (and I'm not even talking about Treliving). I think he's in a much better position to assess the market. And I dont think his hands are tied.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Down syndrome is not a learning disability. It is most often, but not always, accompanied by learning disabilities of various kinds.

Most people with significant learning disabilities could not do the work required of most lawyers.

Whatever this dude says, it's important to understand that what he was saying to me did not come out of a place of "I'm just trying to understand you". It was just snark. And ugly snark at that.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

I think a top 3 pick is still very realistic despite the recent hot streak. Subtract Andersson (and hopefully Coleman), and we are absolutely terrible on paper. We're still only a decent losing streak from being 32nd in the NHL.

Andersson subtracted himself for the last 2/3rds of the season and we still made it to Game 81.

.... and we play in the worst division in NHL.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Just to play devils advocate here, the next time the Flames picked 6OA, they got Tkachuk. Pretty strong case to be made that in a redraft, he goes 2OA.

Agreed that the simple premise of the higher you pick, the better odds you have of picking a franchise changing player but in many, if not most, drafts, there’s a player or two who should have gone much higher and in some instances near or at the top of the draft.

You can get really good players outside of the top 3-5, but it's a weak strategy for trying to get those players. It relies on a lot of luck and can't really be planned for. Even the year we drafted Tkachuk, it relied on Vancouver supposedly drafting for position and taking Juolevi.

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I don't think Gaudreau was.

If they would have offered Gaudreau 8 x $9 in the 2021 offseason he would have been a Flames player still.

Once his wife got pregnant, and the Flames walked him right up to UFA, it changed the equation.

Tkachuk probably always was.

I guess nobody really knows how things would have went. There was a time that Tkachuk wanted to sign a longer term deal and wanted the captaincy. If Tkachuk was signed to a longer deal, maybe Gaudreau would have signed on the summer before the season started knowing that Tkachuk was locked in. Or maybe if Gaudreau was signed on, Tkachuk decides to stay. I know that Tkachuk stated Johnny leaving had nothing to do with his reasoning, but I take it with a grain of salt because even if it did, it would be pretty crass to put that on him. Personally, I suspect it was part of the reasoning. That final season must have been really fun for them as that line was one of the best lines in the NHL over that past several years. Knowing that was done probably made it easier for Tkachuk to pull the plug as well, combined with him initially not getting the deal he wanted.

I really don't think anything was predetermined, but there was probably little room for management to mess around with it either.

[FlamesFanInEdmonton]

Just caught up on 20 pages of posts in this thread. I want my 30 mins back.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by browntrout

With the exception of Zayne, none of the other "quality" picks have shown that they are legitimate NHL'ers, let alone 1st line NHL'ers, what this team desperately needs.

I get that he is accumulating picks, I get that, and it is a start in the right direction, the bigger problem is this team is on a downward trajectory, probably going to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year, with no clear prospects ready to take over more established vet roles, that's the bigger concern.

They need to start addressing that, you can't do it through Free agency anymore, so the entry drafts become even more important. And it's almost impossible to move up, as in it literally never happens, at least not the top 5.

If your miss the playoffs this year and your goal is to get in the playoffs at around the new arena opens, or shortly after, you do need to start getting better quality prospects to start the handover process, and it's something that seems to be getting stalled and delayed

I think Conroy's picks look great myself. Aside from Parekh (who is just as unproven as anyone and so is McKenna for that matter) Honzek looks like an NHler. And Reschny looks good. So does Gridin.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

How do you know they are "sitting on cap space" vs "unable to sign the players they targeted"

I asked yesterday who people would have wanted or who the Flames should have signed as UFA's that actually improve the team

It was a very poor UFA crop and realistically the only star(ish) players who changed teams were Ehlers and Marner

Flames were in on Marner / had interest. No idea if they did on Ehlers but not sure why he would sign here vs Carolina.

We already had a bloated roster of 2nd and 3rd liners . Not signing another middle winger doesn't really show anything to me either way.

There were also rumors the Flames kicked the tires at the deadline on Carlo but the price was too high.

So the Flames may be trying to improve, and just not able to within the price Conroy wants to play, vs "Sitting on Cap and Draft Picks"

It isn't a knock on Conroy for not overpaying - I see it as a positive - But I'm not sure its the silver bullet proof that they arent trying to get better you say it is.

The Flames were a spend to the cap team for 15 straight years (guessing). They spend to the cap when they want to.

[DreDayPucks]

Gridin could come up today and have more impact on the top 6 than Zary ever will.