2017/2018 Trade Speculation and Rumors

[stemit14]

Any guesses as to how much it would cost to get Andreas Athanasiou out of Detroit? Everyone talks about speed and depth scoring... he seems like the perfect fit for those things. I can’t say I know too much about the player other than he seemed to be on highlight reels a lot with his breakaway speed which seems like it should be top 4”5 in the whole league.

He’s never broke 20 goals and his career high in points was this season with 33 points. He’s only 23 years old. He’s shown some progression over the years and looks like he should be a 20/20 guy at some point. His plus/minus is pretty bad but that could be a result of being on a bad team. I don’t know what his play is like in his own end though. His skill set reminds me of Paul Byron... with a better shot from what I’ve seen.

I’m just not sure what the cost would be. Every team in the league knows that the game is going in the direction of speed and depth scoring so the red wings probably covet a play like athanasiou... especially since they’ve been developing him since 2012.


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[Vinny01]

Eklund mentioning Hoffman to the Flames in the latest blog

[DionTheDman]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Eklund mentioning Hoffman to the Flames in the latest blog

Shoot, I guess that means we're definitely not getting him.

[Nelson]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Eklund mentioning Hoffman to the Flames in the latest blog

If Ottawa trades Karlsson, their blueline could use help so it could make sense. The thing that absolutely does not make sense is that Hoffman is a left-handed LW. That said, Hoffman is a great player, but he's also 29.

The pros are Hoffman has a lethal shot, skates well, has good possession numbers. He is possession numbers are not as good as Stone, who is also younger. They play in about the same level of difficulty of circumstances. Hoffman plays against slightly stronger competition but starts slightly more shifts in the OZ. Also, Hoffman has a nice cap hit during 18-19 and 19-20.

It could be a good option just as long as Ward is able to use all these left shots on the PP. I think this might be a bit much to ask as innovative as it sounds like Ward is. He'd join Monahan, Gaudreau, Tkachuk as LH shots. I think you could argue that PP1 should be 4 LH shots and 1 RH defencemen (Hamilton).

[Toonage]

Hockeybuzz also references a Pierre Lebrun interview where he notes Calgary was in on Hoffman at the trade deadline. This isn't a surprise. His name (Hoffman, not Lebrun) was tied to the Flames for weeks prior to that as well. But as Treliving has said, many deals begin life at the trade deadline.

I guess what I'm saying is that this is a deal Eklund wouldn't just be pulling out of his ass like usual.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Toonage

...I guess what I'm saying is that this is a deal Eklund wouldn't just be pulling out of his ass like usual.

But this is a rumour that Eklund could be pulling out of his ass just purely on the basis of past speculations. He does this a lot where he manufactures rumours on the basis of what look to be good fits between two teams.

[Toonage]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

But this is a rumour that Eklund could be pulling out of his ass just purely on the basis of past speculations. He does this a lot where he manufactures rumours on the basis of what look to be good fits between two teams.

Fair. If he's saying Hoffman to the Flames imminent, e4 or whatever he usually does.

[Nelson]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

But this is a rumour that Eklund could be pulling out of his ass just purely on the basis of past speculations. He does this a lot where he manufactures rumours on the basis of what look to be good fits between two teams.

True.

[GoJetsGo]

Every year in the down-time between seasons Eklund seems to get brought up here.

It's proven he's full of hot air, makes things up, and steals other people's info.

I'm at a loss as to why anyone shares or links to what he thinks.

Multiple sources have speculated the Flames interest in Hoffman dating back months.

I'm sure we'll hear him spout that we're also interested in RoR and Tavares in the coming weeks.

Ignoring him all together would do wonders for discussion here.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by GoJetsGo

Every year in the down-time between seasons Eklund seems to get brought up here.

It's proven he's full of hot air, makes things up, and steals other people's info.

I'm at a loss as to why anyone shares or links to what he thinks.

Multiple sources have speculated the Flames interest in Hoffman dating back months.

I'm sure we'll hear him spout that we're also interested in RoR and Tavares in the coming weeks.

Ignoring him all together would do wonders for discussion here.

100%. The day and age for this crum bum should have ended when real insiders started using Twitter.

[Toonage]

For anyone that might want to see what the Hockeybuzz article referenced, this from LeBrun on the Athletic:

---

The Mike Hoffman trade rumours are back in full swing, picking up from where they were most of this past season. Except this time, there seems to be more bite to it. My TSN colleague Darren Dreger reported on Insider Trading Wednesdaythat the expectation is that the goal-scoring winger will indeed be dealt and likely at or around the draft, the Senators getting lots of interest in him and looking for multiple pieces in return.

Hoffman, 28, has two more years left on his contract at a $5.18 million cap hit.

Los Angeles and Calgary are among the teams that spoke to Ottawa about Hoffman before the trade deadline this season, which doesn’t necessarily mean they will again. But it’s worth remembering that.

[savardandjokinen]

Rittich, Brodie and a nice plus for Risto and Lehner?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by savardandjokinen

Rittich, Brodie and a nice plus for Risto and Lehner?

The plus would be one of the defence prospects. And/or maybe one of the goalies (which would almost need to happen anyway, or else Treliving has to find a home for them).

[jschick88]

Originally Posted by GoJetsGo

Every year in the down-time between seasons Eklund seems to get brought up here.

It's proven he's full of hot air, makes things up, and steals other people's info.

I'm at a loss as to why anyone shares or links to what he thinks.

Multiple sources have speculated the Flames interest in Hoffman dating back months.

I'm sure we'll hear him spout that we're also interested in RoR and Tavares in the coming weeks.

Ignoring him all together would do wonders for discussion here.

It really only is Vinny01 that brings Eklund crap in here. He's been doing for years.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by jschick88

It really only is Vinny01 that brings Eklund crap in here. He's been doing for years.

Guilty as charged. I like to speculate about players coming to the Flames and enjoy trade discussion. Even though it is likely not happening I prefer talking about Flames speculation to the various ridiculous tangents that go on in this thread that keep it at the top of the forum.

I do find it funny how angry people get about Eklund. I guess don’t comment on it if you want to completely discount it?

If it is not me bringing up the “rumor” Bubbsy usually posts it.

[djsFlames]

Agree with the poster above. All three first liners are never the three best players. Top teams spread the wealth of talent. Ferland is more than capable on line one. He's the definition of complimentary player. That also means if they're (johnny, mony) not going, hes not going to be the catalyst in their absence. But he can ride shotgun when Monahan and gaudreau are going and add a goal every odd game and crunch some people out there and that's all he needs to do in that role.

Ferland isn't an issue. Monahan and gaudreau doing what they're capable of is key for that line. What treliving needs to do is create a second scoring duo that can provide support after line 1 and half of that will be Tkachuk. That's the biggest objective for this offseason I think. No cheap consolations like Stewarts. We've got to address it properly.

[GoJetsGo]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I do find it funny how angry people get about Eklund. I guess don’t comment on it if you want to completely discount it?

I don't think there's any anger involved. Just bewilderment.

It's akin to

"Hey guys I saw Bob Makenz_ie tweet"

"I read Hockey_Insiderzz say"

I get the summer is the summer, but anyone who's taking the time read and then share what Eklund says is just wasting their own time.

The idea of the Flames adding Hoffman is great. But it really has zero to do with anything Eklund says.

[theslymonkey]

The problem with the Hoffman idea is that he's still a LH LW and the Flames already have Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Bennett, Ferland, Frolik... that all fit that mold. On top of that, the UFA market is full of LH LW that can be had for no assets other than cash. I hope Tree isn't going to trade for a redundant piece unless he has something else up his sleeve.

[theslymonkey]

I guess I should add... I know Bobby Ryan is hot garbage. But he would at least fill the void on this team for a RH RW. He should be basically free with the Sens retaining. But he at least fills a roll that is missing.

[GoJetsGo]

Originally Posted by theslymonkey

I guess I should add... I know Bobby Ryan is hot garbage. But he would at least fill the void on this team for a RH RW. He should be basically free with the Sens retaining. But he at least fills a roll that is missing.

I don't disagree about the number of people suggesting left-shooting players, but right shot RW like those we're looking for are a rarity.

If none are available at a price we can pay, is it that much of a reach to try a left shooting player in that spot?

There are several examples of great players playing RW who shoot left.

Though it begs the question, has Hoffman (for example) ever played RW?

I agree with you about our depth chart on LW if not.