Speculation: Armchair GM 2024-25 Season, Craig Conroy's Can Do Calgary Flames

[Some Other Flame]

With regards to Kakko, Chris Drury is a hilarious awful GM. Pretty obvious he didn't shop around. Much like the Buchnevich for Blais+2nd deal, Drury seems to have bad tunnel vision and was seemingly focused on either Borgen only, or for a shutdown type defenceman. For the Flames, that's either Bahl or Pachel. The former is LHS and I doubt Conroy's willing to move him while the latter doesn't have much perceived value at all.

 

[Volica]

This team needs to do everything in their power to package their two 1sts and move up in the draft this year. It looks like we're handing over our highest pick to Montreal this year

It's wild because a 3-4 game losing streak would have us using this pick, on the flip side a win streak would put us neck and neck with Colorado for the 1st wildcard spot.

It's worth remembering that around this time last year we were also sitting in the same spot (8/9 in the West).

Feels different this year though. Last year we were all expecting the rug to get pulled, because we had a bunch of guys who didn't want to play here anymore and knew we were going to drop another 3-4 players before the deadline. This year it feels like it's one of those 'it's the worst it can get', really unless Wolf hits a fatigue wall or deals with some injuries... this team is what it is. It'll win 2/3 of every Wolf start, and 1 of 3 of every Vladar start.

Calgary is 14th in the NHL on PTS%, which is something I don't think anyone could have predicted.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

This organization is backwards. If the vets want to add, then be a top ten team.
28 teams could still make the playoffs. The gulf between us and teams like Vegas, Winnipeg and LA is huge.

Signing a number 3 defencemen like Rasmus from 30-37 at 9 million a year is the kind of move that keeps you in the 10-12 place in the west year after year. He’s a valuable asset and should be cashed in.

Last year I wanted to target Kulich, who is on the verge of breaking out. This year Cal Ritchie. Those are realistic trades but we are so focused on squeaking into the playoffs and things will never change with this organization.

Time to be progressive; but we won’t be.

 

[HighLifeMan]

To be fair, I don't think Rasmus has a leg to stand on to ask for 9M a season, and if that's the number, he has zero desire to be here.

The Hanifin/Theodore contracts should be the absolute top end of what he gets based on his last two seasons.

 

[Volica]

This organization is backwards. If the vets want to add, then be a top ten team.
28 teams could still make the playoffs. The gulf between us and teams like Vegas, Winnipeg and LA is huge.

Signing a number 3 defencemen like Rasmus from 30-37 at 9 million a year is the kind of move that keeps you in the 10-12 place in the west year after year. He’s a valuable asset and should be cashed in.

Last year I wanted to target Kulich, who is on the verge of breaking out. This year Cal Ritchie. Those are realistic trades but we are so focused on squeaking into the playoffs and things will never change with this organization.

Time to be progressive; but we won’t be.

I honestly don't think, based on the moves from last season and the deals with made this summer, that Conroy or any of the management staff had any thoughts of this team being a playoff or playoff bubble team. Like, there's just no way. Down the stretch after all the trades, Calgary was pacing as a bottom 5 team, and I think most people projected us going the same route this year.

I'm also of the mindset that someone like Andersson doesn't tip us one way or another. If there are teams out there looking to do something stupid, you have to entertain it... but I mean, what is the actual likelihood that a team would drop their best prospect in an Andersson deal? I think he trends more as to the standard '1st + B-prospect + long shot/NHL guy with maybe another gear', type deal, in which case... are we really better off? I don't think we drop 10 points from not having Ras.

Like I said before, I feel this team is just in a bad spot. They're supposed to be bad. Their goaltending is making them good. We've scored the 2nd least amount of goals in the entire NHL. The good teams in the league are literally scoring a goal a game more than us They need to make future moves in season. Like, they have to be willing to trade either current roster players or prospects/picks for upside.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

To be fair, I don't think Rasmus has a leg to stand on to ask for 9M a season, and if that's the number, he has zero desire to be here.

The Hanifin/Theodore contracts should be the absolute top end of what he gets based on his last two seasons.

It's all about the percentages now. Hanifin when his new deal started was 8.35% of the cap. If the cap goes up to 104 by the end of his current contract as speculated, 9 million for Andersson would be 8.65%.

 

[joescores]

Yeah, I think that's part of it. Kakko was the perfect type of target for us, but IDK why that didn't happen. Speculation was that NYR had a fixation on a specific player and the bidding wasn't really open to other teams.

Other players are too high profile. It's a waste of time for Conroy to do more than a basic inquiry vs bump shoulders with others in a bidding war. We need quality for quantity, but we aren't in a position to pay premiums for that "final piece" yet.

I think the aggressiveness will amplify this off season. If we can't get what we want and need in the pipeline after this draft, I think if certain other things fall in place (ie: Andersson extension), then something along the lines of a RD for a C might be what Conroy starts considering.

So idiotic that we didn't get Kakko so cheap. Madness.

 

[HighLifeMan]

It's all about the percentages now. Hanifin when his new deal started was 8.35% of the cap. If the cap goes up to 104 by the end of his current contract as speculated, 9 million for Andersson would be 8.65%.

I'd be quite surprised to see it that high, regardless, Hanifin signed through his 28-35 years, where as Rasmus would be 30-37.

It would be a much worse contract than Hanifin's. The guy has paced for a 35 points the last season and a half.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

This organization is backwards. If the vets want to add, then be a top ten team.
28 teams could still make the playoffs. The gulf between us and teams like Vegas, Winnipeg and LA is huge.

Signing a number 3 defencemen like Rasmus from 30-37 at 9 million a year is the kind of move that keeps you in the 10-12 place in the west year after year. He’s a valuable asset and should be cashed in.

Last year I wanted to target Kulich, who is on the verge of breaking out. This year Cal Ritchie. Those are realistic trades but we are so focused on squeaking into the playoffs and things will never change with this organization.

Time to be progressive; but we won’t be.

Teams seem more desperate than ever to hold onto their best prospects. I'm not convinced Colorado even moves Ritchie as they need ELC's that are contributing with their cap situation.

I'd be quite surprised to see it that high, regardless, Hanifin signed through his 28-35 years, where as Rasmus would be 30-37.

It would be a much worse contract than Hanifin's. The guy has paced for 35 the last season and a half.

Sure. I think an argument could be made Hanifin could have gotten more on the open market too, but it's splitting hairs.

 

[Volica]

Sure. I think an argument could be made Hanifin could have gotten more on the open market too, but it's splitting hairs.

Reminder that Nevada is also, you guessed it, a zero state income tax state.

 

[Yepthatsme]

It's wild because a 3-4 game losing streak would have us using this pick, on the flip side a win streak would put us neck and neck with Colorado for the 1st wildcard spot.

It's worth remembering that around this time last year we were also sitting in the same spot (8/9 in the West).

Feels different this year though. Last year we were all expecting the rug to get pulled, because we had a bunch of guys who didn't want to play here anymore and knew we were going to drop another 3-4 players before the deadline. This year it feels like it's one of those 'it's the worst it can get', really unless Wolf hits a fatigue wall or deals with some injuries... this team is what it is. It'll win 2/3 of every Wolf start, and 1 of 3 of every Vladar start.

Calgary is 14th in the NHL on PTS%, which is something I don't think anyone could have predicted.

Saying we are a 3-4 game losing streak away from being bottom 10 is a flawed way of viewing it. As you pointed out we are 14th in points percentage. That means from this point on 9 of the 18 teams below us would have to play much better than us from here on out (with 4-6 of those teams being pretty unreasonable to catch us lowering the odds to 9 out of 12-14 teams). So while people hoping to fail say “we are only 4 points away” what that actually means is atleast 9 of the bottom teams in the NHL have to significantly outplay us to pass us. It’s a lot less likely than the point gap suggests.

 

[crackdown44]

Saying we are a 3-4 game losing streak away from being bottom 10 is a flawed way of viewing it. As you pointed out we are 14th in points percentage. That means from this point on 9 of the 18 teams below us would have to play much better than us from here on out (with 4-6 of those teams being pretty unreasonable to catch us lowering the odds to 9 out of 12-14 teams). So while people hoping to fail say “we are only 4 points away” what that actually means is atleast 9 of the bottom teams in the NHL have to significantly outplay us to pass us. It’s a lot less likely than the point gap suggests.

Yeah it’s the same as being 4 points out of a playoff spot but having to jump 8-9 teams. It doesn’t seem impossible but those teams have to play each other and they can rarely all lose (or in this case win) on the same night

 

[Figgy44]

So idiotic that we didn't get Kakko so cheap. Madness.

It depends. I think someone mentioned the Pachal extension seemed too coincidental to something with the Kakko deal. But the other possibility is the aforementioned "he wasn't available to us" situation. Kinda like when Talbot was sent so cheap to Edmonton by Sather as a favor.

I mean, if somehow it's mentioned we had a stronger deal and NYR still did what they did, then we know there was basically nothing Conroy could have done.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Teams seem more desperate than ever to hold onto their best prospects. I'm not convinced Colorado even moves Ritchie as they need ELC's that are contributing with their cap situation.



Sure. I think an argument could be made Hanifin could have gotten more on the open market too, but it's splitting hairs.

You could be right, we don’t know what’s out there for sure. Rumour for a while is that Buffalo wants to add true NHLers. Even a move of Cozens+ for Rasmus makes a lot of sense. Or Helenius. Or their first. Colorado could be interested in one last push before they lose/have to pony up massive dough for Rantanen.

I just don’t want to see this team continue to scrape into the playoffs for the 4 million of revenue it gets per year. We have an elite goalie, a strong prospect pool. But we are going to need to be creative and aggressive to get some Cs.

 

[crackdown44]

I don’t love Cozens and I feel like he’s more of a winger than a center. At 7 million I don’t really feel like he’s even approaching Andersson’s value but then again if he figures it out again Buffalo is just going to keep him

 

[Bounces R Way]

I don’t love Cozens and I feel like he’s more of a winger than a center. At 7 million I don’t really feel like he’s even approaching Andersson’s value but then again if he figures it out again Buffalo is just going to keep him

If they could somehow combine Cozens and Zary into one player in some unholy genetic experiment that would give us that elusive first line center. I'd definitely be up for a buy low reclamation project but see no real need to take on one that already has the huge contract. It's like anything, you should take educated and worthwhile risks. Kakko was a good target largely because he's playing his ass off right now for a new deal. He's an RFA after this season. Treliving made a lot of mistakes but getting Lindholm and Hanifin wasn't one of them.

Still wouldn't mind seeing the Flames look seriously at Barrett Hayton from Utah. Maybe the Kings would give Alex Turcotte a fresh start. Ultimately unless something very fortunate happens Conroy is probably going to have to draft a center that can carry the mail over an entire season. Kind of a shame Wolf is keeping us going to keep us out of the top 10 because 2025 looks like it's got a few pivots that could fill that role. Connie should trade whichever of our hopefully remaining 1sts on draft day to get in the top 10 if there's a deal possible and a guy our scouts love still available.

 

[MakeCgyGreatAgain]

This Flames wait-and-see approach is sort of frustrating right now.

Like, to anyone with half a brain you can clearly tell this team is riding on the coattails of some top shelf goaltending from Wolfie. There's not a single player on offence that would be considered a threat nightly. Like our leading scorer PPG wise generally sits in the 4-7 slot for the playoff teams in the league.

Dunno. It seems Conroy is committed to seeing this team challenge for a playoff spot; and it sounds like that's where the guys are at in the locker room too (you have Naz looking to add).

I think you have to see if someone can shake loose here, we need to add more 22-25 year olds in a bad way in prominent roles.

My brother and I have been saying what’s best for the Flames is an injury to Naz or Wolf. The current trend is not looking good. Giving up our earliest pick to MTL and not making the playoffs is such a Flames thing to do. Like the Cleveland Browns being where QBs careers die. Can we just once pick in the top 3.

 

[Volica]

My brother and I have been saying what’s best for the Flames is an injury to Naz or Wolf. The current trend is not looking good. Giving up our earliest pick to MTL and not making the playoffs is such a Flames thing to do. Like the Cleveland Browns being where QBs careers die. Can we just once pick in the top 3.

While it's fun to play meaningful hockey games into February, long term it doesn't really help us.

If Calgary essentially had Vladdy play the entire season and we had his record, we'd be the 3rd worst team in the entire NHL. We'd have 39 points right now, better than just the Hawks and Sharks. Probably a bit closer to where we should be than a top 15 team in the league.

IF that were the case, I think you'd have the mass exodus of all the guys who aren't nailed down. Coleman, Kadri, Andersson, etc. Which honestly really sucks when you think about it. Brad Treliving left this team in shambles, but in a weird round about way, left the team with a bunch of solid vets that we could recoup a small fortune of futures with (Which Conroy really already did with all the trades he made over the past 18 months).

But I look at Colorado. Wouldn't they love Naz back? His contract is solid for what he contributes, they've tried a bunch of guys down the middle that haven't worked out as intended after Mack.

Coleman's a guy half the league would love to add. Andersson, same thing.

I think it just goes to show how impressive Dustin Wolf is. He's 16-7-2 on a team that can't score. His SV% is .03 higher than his backup, he's letting in half a goal a game less than his backup.