What “save the season” trade would you like?

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Jordan!

The Flames are 2 games under .500

In November.

Calm down, I honestly think you guys were just spoiled by an amazing regular season last year..

This is out of touch with the issues this team is facing in their roster make up vs contending window.

[Roof-Daddy]

As I said earlier, not interested in a save the season trade, but Tre needs to fix the center depth on this team or they aren't going anywhere IMO.

Monahan is really good, but he needs another high end C to take some of the load off.
Backlund is declining, and was always lacking offensively.
Ryan is 3rd line C at best.
Bennett is a massive disappointment based on what we thought he'd be.
Jankowski is going in the wrong direction now.
Dube....does he even play C anymore?

Yikes. Talk about the wheels falling off of a rebuild.

The fact that the roster is so obviously needing a high end C, it makes me wonder why Peters hasn't given Lindholm a look there yet. Either he's just not capable of it, or Peters is right out to lunch.

Looking at UFA, there is no viable long term fix there. The only game changing UFA center is Backstrom, but he's 32 and what are the odds he'd sign in Calgary anyways?

The only way it can be fixed by next season is via trade.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Troy Brower just got a contract with the defending champs...Lucic is vastly overpaid but is definitely an NHLer. If the Flames buy him out this summer he will sign a UFA deal

I can't see any scenario where a team does even a league minimum, one year deal for Lucic if he was UFA this summer. Makes no sense to have someone like him producing nothing and struggling to get up and down the ice in today's game.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by jayswin

I can't see any scenario where a team does even a league minimum, one year deal for Lucic if he was UFA this summer. Makes no sense to have someone like him producing nothing and struggling to get up and down the ice in today's game.

He won't get a multiple year deal ever again and would probably be looking at league min deals year to year. I don't think any team looks at him as a player they need on their roster but depending on the size of their bottom six he could be looked at as a 4th line guy with size for some teams that feel they lacky physical forwards. The best thing I can say about him at this point is that he's largely been invisible which at times is better than getting attention for the wrong reasons. He's not even half the player Hathaway is but there was no way Treliving could give a player like that 4 years given the Flames salary cap issues.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

He won't get a multiple year deal ever again and would probably be looking at league min deals year to year. I don't think any team looks at him as a player they need on their roster but depending on the size of their bottom six he could be looked at as a 4th line guy with size for some teams that feel they lacky physical forwards. The best thing I can say about him at this point is that he's largely been invisible which at times is better than getting attention for the wrong reasons. He's not even half the player Hathaway is but there was no way Treliving could give a player like that 4 years given the Flames salary cap issues.

Solid.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by New Era

Except that we need every single one of those assets to be competitive RIGHT NOW.

We aren't very competitive right now. We're talking about changing the core in order to shake things up. You know a hockey trade. Where you trade guys who just aren't fitting in (like Hamilton) for guys who become key members (like Lindholm/Hanifin.) We're talking about a quick 1 year retool.

Originally Posted by New Era

Also, you're including two soon-to-be UFAs on that list. You're not getting a long term solution for those players, you're likely getting a draft pick back.

So we'd be trading two of our valuable assets for draft picks, a valuable currency which can be used around the draft to acquire upgrades. What's the problem? You're too impatient to wait the months between the trade deadline and the draft? Surely you know how valuable draft picks are. Hypothetically speaking lets say we get a 1st for Brodie and a 1st for Hamonic then trader Treliving is heading into the draft with three 1sts. Sounds like tons of ammo for a trade to improve the team doesn't it?

Originally Posted by New Era

You're talking about improving the team by making another deal, but the assets we have to make the deal are only those on the NHL roster. We need those players to remain competitive.

We aren't very competitive right now. We're talking about changing the core in order to shake things up. You know a hockey trade. Where you trade guys who just aren't fitting in (like Hamilton) for guys who become key members (like Lindholm/Hanifin.) We're talking about a quick 1 year retool.

Originally Posted by New Era

The reason the Flames were able to make the Hamilton deal was because we had the depth to make that deal. We had Brodie, Hamonic, Giordano, Stone on the roster, with Valimaki, Andersson, Kylington and Fox in the system. We are not even remotely in the same position. We will have a 37 year old Giordano, Hanafin, Andersson (RFA), and Kylington (RFA) going into next season with only Valimaki as possible replacement from the system. Not a great situation to be in and not even remotely close to the same depth we had when we moved Hamilton. The minors greatly dictate what trades you can make. Add in the cap situation, and we're hurting.

Again you seem to ignore half the valuable assets the Flames have or for some reason you consider them immoveable. If the season goes south then Hamonic and Brodie and the potential draft picks/prospects they would return would be part of the ammo Treliving would have come next draft. Gaudreau will still have massive trade value next summer even if he has an off year. Same goes for Monahan. Both players would get an absolute ransom on the trade market just like I predicted Hamilton would if Treliving decides they aren't part of the solution. Personally Gaudreau is the one I'd move based on last playoffs and the season to date.

Move Brodie or Hamonic for a 1st or a 1st+ at the deadline. Then head into the draft with Gaudreau and a 1st rounder dangling for upgrades and all the other assets at his disposal. Plenty of assets available to Treliving. Not sure why you've blinded yourself to many of them or are taking a super pessimistic stance on the value of Flames players.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

As I said earlier, not interested in a save the season trade, but Tre needs to fix the center depth on this team or they aren't going anywhere IMO.

Monahan is really good, but he needs another high end C to take some of the load off.
Backlund is declining, and was always lacking offensively.
Ryan is 3rd line C at best.
Bennett is a massive disappointment based on what we thought he'd be.
Jankowski is going in the wrong direction now.
Dube....does he even play C anymore?

Yikes. Talk about the wheels falling off of a rebuild.

The fact that the roster is so obviously needing a high end C, it makes me wonder why Peters hasn't given Lindholm a look there yet. Either he's just not capable of it, or Peters is right out to lunch.

Looking at UFA, there is no viable long term fix there. The only game changing UFA center is Backstrom, but he's 32 and what are the odds he'd sign in Calgary anyways?

The only way it can be fixed by next season is via trade.

Strange that you kind of gloss over the two best hopes really, Lindholm and Dube. And yes, when they recently sent Dube down they put him at centre.

If Lindholm is indeed capable and I don't see why he wouldn't be then we have the solution in house and your conclusion that the only way it can be fixed is via trade would be false. I think there's a good chance Lindholm can be this team's 1st line centre. I am also slightly confused as to why Peters hasn't tried it out for more than 2 games this year. He's talked about wanting to try it but I think the short Tkachuk holdout prevented that. But at the same time with Johnny playing the way he has he really needs Lindholm to babysit him. If Lindholm is no longer needed for that then it would free him up to play centre.

I think there's a high chance of Dube evolving into a 2nd line centre but I can't rule it out either. If I had to put a guess on the chances of it happening I'd say 25%? Much, much greater chance Lindholm is the answer. But wouldn't you be changing your tune if suddenly Lindholm was a #1 centre, Monahan a #2 centre, Backlund a #3 centre and Dube a #2 W/C?

Any trades of Gaudreau and/or Jankowski may facilitate Lindholm's move to centre.