2020/2021 Trade Speculation and Rumours

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by AC

Why do you think that now?

We have discussed Gaudreau's situation for years. Many of us (myself included) feel he's going to leave for an eastern conference team when his contract expires. As for Monahan it appears the team finally has come to the realization that they have reached the ceiling of what a team centered by Sean Monahan on the first line can accomplish. He's now 26 years old and from here on his skating is never going to get better nor will he magically develop elite playmaking or puck possession skills that haven't been there in his prime years. The goaltending is now improved and organizationally the defense for this team has always been above average so it's pretty clear that this team is being held back now by the lack of a true elite center that can carry a team in the playoffs. Relying on a 5'8" winger to be the guy in the playoffs simply isn't a recipe for playoff success as we have seen to date and more is needed from the number one center than simply taking faceoffs and being a trigger man.

[dissentowner]

I am the opposite, I think Monahan might get moved at some point but unlikely, I think BT will re-sign Gaudreau who has made it abundantly clear he wants to stay in Calgary regardless of what the people who want to run him out of town (Francis) make up.

[442scotty]

I would be shocked if Gaudreau really wants to stay in Calgary for the rest of his career.

[Bonded]

Biggest concern with Gaudreau for me is that I am not sure he is the guy I want to have on my team at the AAV he will demand.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Biggest concern with Gaudreau for me is that I am not sure he is the guy I want to have on my team at the AAV he will demand.

And this is it.

There are two parts to the trade Gaudreau equation.

1) Do you think he's going to re-sign here at the end of his current contract?

2) Even if he does want to re-sign here is he a guy you want to have to give 6+ years at $8-10M AAV when he's 29 years old?

For me I the answer to question 1 is that he ends up signing closer to his parents home (Boston or Philly would be my guess), but even if he does state that he is willing to re-sign here I think my answer to question 2 is I don't think I want to give him that contract at UFA AAV/Term when he's 29 years old.

He was a 4th round pick, you've been able to get the prime years of his career at a reasonable cost, the smartest move from an asset management perspective is to turn that into more young and cost controlled pieces if you can.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by jg13

I know you put out a lot of big trade proposals but I really do appreciate how they are fairly level in comparison to other posters.

In regards to this trade we get an upgrade at centre AND even though I know it doesn't mean much I know for a fact Eberle would love to be a Flame.

So if the money could somehow work this is a somewhat logical trade.

Might sound like sacrilidge to some but I would love to see Eberle in flames red.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Might sound like sacrilidge to some but I would love to see Eberle in flames red.

I like him but don’t want to see the Flames add players in that age range anymore.

[Red]

Does JG want to play in his home town? Near his parents?
What if he is enjoying the extra freedom? He is not 9, he doesn't need to be close to his parents. Very few NHLers play close to home.

Does Philly or Boston want to tie up 7-9M for JG? What's the appeal? If we are questioning if that's the player we want to pay this amount of money, wouldn't it be the same concern for others?
Boston or Philly don't need a local hero to sell tickets, they are doing just fine without JG.

Just a couple of thoughts I had about these JG going home rumors. We hear the same about Matthews and Hall until he signed in Buffalo. He may still want to come here, but I'd bet that he goes elsewhere.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Biggest concern with Gaudreau for me is that I am not sure he is the guy I want to have on my team at the AAV he will demand.

I know it was mentioned on in the CP Radio show, but what if his next contract is shorter and closer to 7AAV than 10AAV with the flat cap?

In a world without Covid I think that line of thinking was very valid. I am not so sure right now. Unless a team blows the Flames away with an offer, I think waiting till the next off season might be the right play now.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Red

Does JG want to play in his home town? Near his parents?
What if he is enjoying the extra freedom? He is not 9, he doesn't need to be close to his parents. Very few NHLers play close to home.

Does Philly or Boston want to tie up 7-9M for JG? What's the appeal? If we are questioning if that's the player we want to pay this amount of money, wouldn't it be the same concern for others?
Boston or Philly don't need a local hero to sell tickets, they are doing just fine without JG.

Just a couple of thoughts I had about these JG going home rumors. We hear the same about Matthews and Hall until he signed in Buffalo. He may still want to come here, but I'd bet that he goes elsewhere.

JG’s still a family man. I’ve no problem if he doesn’t want to sign here. He played here long enough, he can choose to where he wants to go. Do I hope he stays? Absolutely. Will he? My best guess is no.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

And this is it.

There are two parts to the trade Gaudreau equation.

1) Do you think he's going to re-sign here at the end of his current contract?

2) Even if he does want to re-sign here is he a guy you want to have to give 6+ years at $8-10M AAV when he's 29 years old?

For me I the answer to question 1 is that he ends up signing closer to his parents home (Boston or Philly would be my guess), but even if he does state that he is willing to re-sign here I think my answer to question 2 is I don't think I want to give him that contract at UFA AAV/Term when he's 29 years old.

He was a 4th round pick, you've been able to get the prime years of his career at a reasonable cost, the smartest move from an asset management perspective is to turn that into more young and cost controlled pieces if you can.

As we discussed on our recent podcast ... that may no longer be the case.

I was with you 100% ... lose him for nothing is terrible, sign him for huge dollars and huge term, also bad.

But now with the covid mess and his timing, he may be up for a contract at a time when big contracts won't be handed out. Maybe he avoids the Hall to Buffalo for one year mess by doing a three year deal in Calgary for $7M per and pushing the issue down the road.

[Vinny01]

Eklund adding New Jersey to the mix and noting the Flames asking price has dropped since the draft.

I wonder if the Flames would still consider primarily a futures based trade for Johnny from a team like the Devils then sign Hoffman or Granlund to a one year deal around $6-7M?

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Eklund adding New Jersey to the mix and noting the Flames asking price has dropped since the draft.

I wonder if the Flames would still consider primarily a futures based trade for Johnny from a team like the Devils then sign Hoffman or Granlund to a one year deal around $6-7M?

I’d still prefer a year to boost his value back up. Or imagine what he would be worth this off season with half his salary retained. I could see a ton contenders wanting to add JG for one year at 3.2 mill or whatever it would be.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by MrMike

I’d still prefer a year to boost his value back up. Or imagine what he would be worth this off season with half his salary retained. I could see a ton contenders wanting to add JG for one year at 3.2 mill or whatever it would be.

His NTC would dictate only 5 teams to negotiate with but it could still be better than his value now.

I know the Barzal trade wish is simply that a wish but it would be very similar to the Hamilton deal where he sends out a 25 and 26 year old for a 21 and 23 year old. Sending out Monahan and Gaudreau and getting back Barzal somewhat resets the window for the team you are now looking at 24 year old Barzal and 23 year old Tkachuk as your pillars upfront when it has been Monahan and Gaudreau for the last 6 years.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Eklund adding New Jersey to the mix and noting the Flames asking price has dropped since the draft.

I wonder if the Flames would still consider primarily a futures based trade for Johnny from a team like the Devils then sign Hoffman or Granlund to a one year deal around $6-7M?

New Jersey has almost nothing of interest other than pretty B-tier prospects like Foote and Smith (outside of Holtz, who they won't deal).

I don't see the fit with New Jersey.

Hoffman is a player I want no part of.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

His NTC would dictate only 5 teams to negotiate with but it could still be better than his value now.

I know the Barzal trade wish is simply that a wish but it would be very similar to the Hamilton deal where he sends out a 25 and 26 year old for a 21 and 23 year old. Sending out Monahan and Gaudreau and getting back Barzal somewhat resets the window for the team you are now looking at 24 year old Barzal and 23 year old Tkachuk as your pillars upfront when it has been Monahan and Gaudreau for the last 6 years.

No trade would start July first.

Trade at the draft.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I am the opposite, I think Monahan might get moved at some point but unlikely, I think BT will re-sign Gaudreau who has made it abundantly clear he wants to stay in Calgary regardless of what the people who want to run him out of town (Francis) make up.

If we’re talking about his post playoff media availability, JG said what any player in his situation would have been told to say by his agent and publicist whether he was sincere about it or not. I would not take his public comments as his absolute truth. I think there’s good reason to believe he could go either way with where he chooses to play. I’m sure there is some truth to him wanting to stay in Calgary though. I don’t doubt the things he has said about liking the team, the organization, and the City. Otherwise he would already be gone.

Seems like there is this widely held belief that JG is bound for Philadelphia one way or another, trade or free agency. I’m not so quick to believe that. Would there be any American market where the spotlight would be brighter for him? Is that what JG really wants? Maybe, but what would it be like for him, or his family, if he puts up 0 even strength points in the playoffs and the Flyers get bounced in round 1 year in year out. Not too comfortable I would imagine. It is well documented Philadelphia is not a forgiving sports town. I would not want to be the underperforming hometown boy in that town. He would probably have to buy a home in The Oakanagan just to go hide during the summers. Eric D touched on this in an article he had wrote about a year ago. Playing at home is not what all these guys want to do. His current situation is probably ideal in many ways. He gets to play for a competitive team and go home during the offseason where he’s still a local folk hero. It’s clean that way.

Just speculation on my part, but i’d wager JG has a list of 4-5 teams he would prioritize and Calgary is on that list. On the other hand, if the Flames don’t have any playoff success in the next two years, the Flames may not want to resign him anyway. It’s a two way street and I’m not convinced either party is prepared to throw on the engagement ring yet no matter what is said publicly.

[browntrout]

JG is an incredible hockey, this team is so lucky to have him at his current contract value, the issue is Sean Monahan. He is simply not good enough when you look at who the flames are going to have to get through in the playoffs, McDavid, MacKinnon.

[djsFlames]

They aren't the 1-2 punch that this team may need to truly compete, but Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau bring outstanding value at their respective cap hits.

If they were the 3rd and 4th best forwards, and specifically if Sean was our 2nd best center we would be in amazing shape. Alas, they are being relied on to do a bit more than can be expected given what they've shown in their careers. Even given the fact that on average they're a bit better than they were last season.

But even at their average, I'm not sure its quite enough to elevate the team to where they want to be.

If they had "it" then some time between the 2017-2020 playoffs we would've seen them show that they can lead us to at least a single series win. Every time they were the second best first line in the series.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by browntrout

JG is an incredible hockey, this team is so lucky to have him at his current contract value, the issue is Sean Monahan. He is simply not good enough when you look at who the flames are going to have to get through in the playoffs, McDavid, MacKinnon.

I don't buy it. Too simple of a statement.

Hockey is a team sport. singling out individuals, arguably the two best players in the game no less, for comparison to predict team success isn't a strong argument. Could Vegas beat the Oilers or the Avalanche? I think there is a good chance of that happening. who is their number 1 C? William Karlson?

Reminder: both the Oilers and Avalanche lost to teams with No.1 C's that are no where near the equivalent of McDavid or MacKinnon this past year. The year prior MacKinnon's Avalanche lost to Logan Couture's Sharks and the Oilers were doing their thing up North.