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

[Mobiandi]

This organization needs to be proactive and prioritize their RFAs for once. I am so tired of watching this team roll out the red carpet for free agents who have already peaked while antagonizing their younger players in contract negotiations.

The Markstrom trade made sense because space had to be made for Wolf.

It will backfire monumentally on this team if they trade Andersson to avoid paying him, only to go out and sign a random replacement Dman to a 9.5x7. Those are the kinds of moves that actually fracture a locker room.

If you trade Rasmus, you commit to selling and start moving other vets too.

 

[Darth Vladar]

This organization needs to be proactive and prioritize their RFAs for once. I am so tired of watching this team roll out the red carpet for free agents who have already peaked while antagonizing their younger players in contract negotiations.

The Markstrom trade made sense because space had to be made for Wolf.

It will backfire monumentally on this team if they trade Andersson to avoid paying him, only to go out and sign a random replacement Dman to a 9.5x7. Those are the kinds of moves that actually fracture a locker room.

If you trade Rasmus, you commit to selling and start moving other vets too.

Raz ain’t worth $9.5M though imho

 

[Mobiandi]

Raz ain’t worth $9.5M though imho

Neither are Provorov, Gavrikov, and all of the other overrated Dmen thrown around in this thread. But that’s what they’ll ask for knowing that the cap is going up and that we have ample space prior to having signed our RFAs

Trading Rasmus should initiate a teardown not a rebuild on the fly

 

[Darth Vladar]

Neither are Provorov, Gavrikov, and all of the other overrated Dmen thrown around in this thread. But that’s what they’ll ask for knowing that the cap is going up and that we have ample space prior to having signed our RFAs

Trading Rasmus should initiate a teardown not a rebuild on the fly

In the particular case with Raz, you have a guy who happens to be regressing towards the end of his current deal at the same time we have a handful of young RHDs either coming into the system or already looking to make a case for themselves. If I have to give any dman $9.5M, it’s either going to be one that addresses the team’s need for a legit top-four in the relative short term, preferably an LHS like Gav or Prov, or a more consistent RHD like Pionk. It wouldn’t be a “rebuild on the fly”; it would be Raz out for assets (which could include another 1st), and signing either Prov, Gav, or Pionk which makes us instantly better, plus the fact that Zayne likely starts the season with the Flames.

Ideally:

Bahl - Pionk
Zayne - Weegar
?? - Patches

Overpay any of those aforementioned three to $9.5M for two or three seasons to take us until Brzu and/or Morin are ready.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Trade Rasmus and one of our firsts this year for Buffalos pick to grab one of the top Cs (Misa, Hagens, Desnoyers, Frondell)

We have RD coming and Ras is not the guy we should be signing long term. We are painfully thin at C.

Then try to trade up from our other first to get McQueen.

 

[Kielbasa]

Trade Rasmus and one of our firsts this year for Buffalos pick to grab one of the top Cs (Misa, Hagens, Desnoyers, Frondell)

We have RD coming and Ras is not the guy we should be signing long term. We are painfully thin at C.

Then try to trade up from our other first to get McQueen.

If only it were that easy, I would do it in a heartbeat. With Andersson being UFA, I don't think the value is there to get it done anymore. Historically, it's extremely expensive to move that high up in the draft.

Alas, I'm pretty sure they're going to sign Anderson to an 8X8.5 to prove a point about players wanting to be in Calgary or whatever. The Fan 960 is already hard at work manufacturing consent.

 

[JPeeper]

Trade Rasmus and one of our firsts this year for Buffalos pick to grab one of the top Cs (Misa, Hagens, Desnoyers, Frondell)

This is the dream. And in the sliver of hope that they could actually pull it off is the fact it's Buffalo and we all know they're completely incompetent. I think you could convince them that Andersson could fix their D and avoid another 17 decades of re-builds, over another top pick that won't be ready for a couple years. With Jersey falling, that pick could be 14-18 overall. That plus Andersson to get into the top 5 for a center would be a huge win for the flames going forward IMO.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Trade Rasmus and one of our firsts this year for Buffalos pick to grab one of the top Cs (Misa, Hagens, Desnoyers, Frondell)

We have RD coming and Ras is not the guy we should be signing long term. We are painfully thin at C.

Then try to trade up from our other first to get McQueen.

You want to trade into the top 3 with a pending UFA and a pick in the teens? Yeah it will cost at least both 1sts to get that pick

 

[Yepthatsme]

Fun fact of the day, this team currently has the 2nd lowest 5v5 shooting percentage of the past 5 seasons of any NHL team. That means of the 158 other seasons other teams have had, only 1 has been worse and it was the shortened Covid season. Even if this team had just its bottom 1/3 shooting percentage like last season, it’s still an additional 21 goals added. This is an abberation of a year, and unironically appears to be what should be a “down season” for the team.

For whoever really wants to say we just have the worst combination of forwards of any team in the last 5 years which would be a leap to start, ironically the only team worse than us featured Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Taylor Hall, Jeff Skinner, and Victor Olofsson.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Fun fact of the day, this team currently has the 2nd lowest 5v5 shooting percentage of the past 5 seasons of any NHL team. That means of the 158 other seasons other teams have had, only 1 has been worse and it was the shortened Covid season. Even if this team had just its bottom 1/3 shooting percentage like last season, it’s still an additional 21 goals added. This is an abberation of a year, and unironically appears to be what should be a “down season” for the team.

For whoever really wants to say we just have the worst combination of forwards of any team in the last 5 years which would be a leap to start, ironically the only team worse than us featured Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Taylor Hall, Jeff Skinner, and Victor Olofsson.

I mean it only featured Eichel for 18 games, surely if he played the whole season they wouldn't have been worse

 

[crackdown44]

You want to trade into the top 3 with a pending UFA and a pick in the teens? Yeah it will cost at least both 1sts to get that pick

I think this is only possible if the Buffalo pick is 5-7 and Ras comes with an extension tbh

Even then there’d have to be a guy there that the Flames are really high on and Buffalo would have to want to play ball too

 

[Volica]

You want to trade into the top 3 with a pending UFA and a pick in the teens? Yeah it will cost at least both 1sts to get that pick

If a top 3 team was willing to do Rasmus + NJD + FLA picks, you'd have to do that immediately.
Just can't see why any of those teams would be willing to do that.

 

[Lunatik]

I think this is only possible if the Buffalo pick is 5-7 and Ras comes with an extension tbh

Even then there’d have to be a guy there that the Flames are really high on and Buffalo would have to want to play ball too

Ras can't come with an extension in a deal for 2025 picks, the 2025 draft takes place before Andersson is eligible to re-sign and the NHL no longer allows conditional picks where the condition is re-signing, so there would be no way to mitigate Buffalo's risk

 

[Iggys Dome]

If Dahlin wants out of Buffalo I’d give them anyone not named Wolf and Parekh. Hes a legit franchise defenseman

 

[Volica]

If Dahlin wants out of Buffalo I’d give them anyone not named Wolf and Parekh. Hes a legit franchise defenseman

There's no world where they win that trade.
You have to be at the front of the line.

A top 4 of Dahlin, Bahl, Weegar and Parekh moving forward is legit one of the best in the NHL.

 

[Forsbergaura21]

Hanley- how has he played this season? Looks like he is in the top 4…do you expect him to stay there for the rest of this season?


Thanks

 

[Lunatik]

There's no world where they win that trade.
You have to be at the front of the line.

A top 4 of Dahlin, Bahl, Weegar and Parekh moving forward is legit one of the best in the NHL.

Parekh hasn't even played an NHL game, penciling him into the top 4 might be a stretch, never mind claiming that top 4 would "legit" be one of the best in the league with him there.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

I think this is only possible if the Buffalo pick is 5-7 and Ras comes with an extension tbh

Even then there’d have to be a guy there that the Flames are really high on and Buffalo would have to want to play ball too

Even if Ras coming with an extension changed the trade value (it doesn't) that's not even possible. The draft is in June and the earliest he can sign is July 1st

If a top 3 team was willing to do Rasmus + NJD + FLA picks, you'd have to do that immediately.
Just can't see why any of those teams would be willing to do that.

They wouldn't, I completely agree. I was stating how only 1 1st was even more absurd

 

[Volica]

Hanley- how has he played this season? Looks like he is in the top 4…do you expect him to stay there for the rest of this season?


Thanks

Incredibly solid.
He's been playing top 4 because we have no left shot defencemen worth much of anything. He shouldn't be there, but he's there and probably will stay there the rest of the year.

Hopefully it garners him a nice paycheck at the end of the season.