Proposal: Weegar to Anaheim

[FiveTacos]

Don't love the return for Weegar. Neither player looks to be a full time NHL player, so it's Weegar and 32 for 10 + 2nd in a mediocre draft. Pass

It's obviously a BS rumor, and Gaucher is still an unknown (Ducks seem to like him as a future bottom 6er), but Helleson absolutely looks like a full time NHLer going forward.

I don't think he's anything special, mind you, but he was already better as a rookie than a lot of guys populating bottom pairings around the league. He absolutely looks like he has enough mobility, poise, and skill to have a long career as a bottom pair RHD. Don't underestimate the number of dumpster fire dmen hanging around the league, and he's definitely not a dumpster fire dude. He's gonna have a regular depth job in the NHL for a long time, IMO.

 

[Djp]

An article in NHL Trade rumours suggests this:

Flames send to Anaheim:

McKenzie Weegar
2025 32nd overall pick (Florida)

Ducks send to Calgary
D Drew Helleson 6'3" 213 lb right shot
C Nathan Gauche 6'3" 207 lb right shot (2022 22nd overall)
2025 1st 10th overall
2027 2nd (St. Louis)

Anaheim Ducks Circling Flames' MacKenzie Weegar in Blockbuster Trade Rumor - NHL Trade Rumors

The Anaheim Ducks are reportedly targeting MacKenzie Weegar to bolster their defense. Could a trade involving a top-10 pick make them a playoff contender?

www.nhltraderumor.com

As a Flames fan, I'd be loathe to trade our best D-man under any circumstance.

But I would do this proposal in a heartbeat if only because, on the surface, it appears to be lopsidedly in Calgary's favour.

Weager is 31 and has 6 yrs left and he's going downhill. He does not return that much. He would if he was 26 or so but not now. Calgary needs to retain a lot to return that much

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Weegar isn't getting traded. This is not worth discussing

 

[anezthes]

Weegar’s not worth 10th overall.

Pass.

 

[DropIt]

It's obviously a BS rumor, and Gaucher is still an unknown (Ducks seem to like him as a future bottom 6er), but Helleson absolutely looks like a full time NHLer going forward.

I don't think he's anything special, mind you, but he was already better as a rookie than a lot of guys populating bottom pairings around the league. He absolutely looks like he has enough mobility, poise, and skill to have a long career as a bottom pair RHD. Don't underestimate the number of dumpster fire dmen hanging around the league, and he's definitely not a dumpster fire dude. He's gonna have a regular depth job in the NHL for a long time, IMO.

Thats fair. Regardless, not the type of full time Dman I was thinking in exchange for a top pairing Dman, but I admittedly wouldn't be an expert in where Helleson may sit from 7-4 on the dman list.

 

[CraigsList]

If we lose Weegar we may as well trade Wolf too, because hot damn would our defense be atrocious.

Weegar with LaCombe would be an absolute unit. I think I would want massive overpayment if Weegar is getting traded. In-division, top pairing RD/LD, it's every team's dream and the main reason why that Tkachuk trade wasn't exactly the worst deal in history (sorry Hubs).

10th OA AND Mintyukov would need to be in the deal. Gauche is a terrible pick up.

 

[DropIt]

Weager is 31 and has 6 yrs left and he's going downhill. He does not return that much. He would if he was 26 or so but not now. Calgary needs to retain a lot to return that much

Going downhill? Weegar was one of the best defensemen in the NHL this season

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Weegar’s not worth 10th overall.

Pass.

Lol yes he is, he's one of the best 2-way defensemen in the entire league. I'm sure you would trade 10th OA for someone like Forsling or Toews in a heartbeat.

 

[Kahvi]

Weager is 31 and has 6 yrs left and he's going downhill. He does not return that much. He would if he was 26 or so but not now. Calgary needs to retain a lot to return that much

Last two years are his two best years if you go by total points, second and third best if you use PPG for that covid season. He’s also good defensively, on a not so good Flames team. Only 550 games on the NHL, so not a lot mileage and basically no injuries in the last 4 years. $6,25M is starting to be good 2nd pair D money and he’s better than that. With the cap going up, his cap hit wouldnt be a problem even if he started to decline. Which there are no signs currently, its the opposite actually. If Flames retained 50%, he’d be one of the best non-ELC contracts.

 

[CraigsList]

If we lose Weegar we may as well trade Wolf too, because hot damn would our defense be atrocious.

Weegar with LaCombe would be an absolute unit. I think I would want massive overpayment if Weegar is getting traded. In-division, top pairing RD/LD, it's every team's dream and the main reason why that Tkachuk trade wasn't exactly the worst deal in history (sorry Hubs).

10th OA AND Mintyukov would need to be in the deal. Gauche is a terrible pick up.

Weager is 31 and has 6 yrs left and he's going downhill. He does not return that much. He would if he was 26 or so but not now. Calgary needs to retain a lot to return that much

Says who? You? Weegar is playing like a #1 in the league. If there was a top 32 list, he would be on there and hasn't slowed down at all. Classic case of looking at age and then just saying "yep, downhill"

 

[anezthes]

10th OA AND Mintyukov would need to be in the deal.

 

[HighLifeMan]

Weager is 31 and has 6 yrs left and he's going downhill. He does not return that much. He would if he was 26 or so but not now. Calgary needs to retain a lot to return that much

"Going downhill"

For context - among defensemen in the NHL this past season Mackenzie Weegar ranked

7th in total ice time
3rd in hits
5th in blocked shots
7th in takeaways
13th in shots
17th in points
1st in Relative GF%

Oh ya - he did all this playing next to Hanley and Miromanov.

He'a a top 15 defensemen in the league making just 6.5% of the cap. He's worth considerably more than the 10th overall pick in a weak draft.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Weager is 31 and has 6 yrs left and he's going downhill. He does not return that much. He would if he was 26 or so but not now. Calgary needs to retain a lot to return that much

Tell me you have zero idea what you are talking about without telling me you have zero idea what you are talking about

The guy's primary partner this season was Joel freaking Hanley. A career #7.

 

[FiveTacos]

Lol yes he is, he's one of the best 2-way defensemen in the entire league. I'm sure you would trade 10th OA for someone like Forsling or Toews in a heartbeat.

The tricky thing is he's worth too much on-ice to the Flames, and is easily worth 10oa for a team that's in a better position to contend in the next few years, but most of those teams don't have a 10oa to give. The kind of team that would value him most probably has a late 1st at best, if they haven't given it up already.

For a team like Anaheim, probably not worth it ... while they're trying to get better, they're only one year out of absolute bottom feeder status, so giving up significant assets for a 31 year old is not the best play. It's one thing to give up virtually nothing of consequence for a Trouba or Kreider, those were practically free pickups for them, but that's not what this would be.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

The tricky thing is he's worth too much on-ice to the Flames, and is easily worth 10oa for a team that's in a better position to contend in the next few years, but most of those teams don't have a 10oa to give. The kind of team that would value him most probably has a late 1st at best, if they haven't given it up already.

For a team like Anaheim, probably not worth it ... while they're trying to get better, they're only one year out of absolute bottom feeder status, so giving up significant assets for a 31 year old is not the best play. It's one thing to give up virtually nothing of consequence for a Trouba or Kreider, those were practically free pickups for them, but that's not what this would be.

Gonna completely disagree with this. I think his ability to be a mentor for a young d-core is immeasurable. When Parekh came to Calgary (with like 5 games left in the season) Weegar was the one who gave him a place to stay, and took care of him. I think at the cost of #10 Anaheim would absolutely bite, Ducks are reportedly pushing to make the playoffs next year and having his mix of skill and leadership would give them a very legitimate chance. To me a move like this would signal that management believes in their team.

I get your point though about Trouba and Kreider. They also provide that leadership, but the skill is much more of a question mark. It's a completely different type of trade imo

 

[FiveTacos]

Gonna completely disagree with this. I think his ability to be a mentor for a young d-core is immeasurable. When Parekh came to Calgary (with like 5 games left in the season) Weegar was the one who gave him a place to stay, and took care of him.

Not an issue in Anaheim. Niedermayer, even when retired, has done similar for the Ducks (Fowler stayed with him for a year), and he's still deeply involved with the org (probably part of why they're not having problems developing dmen). Between him, Trouba, and even Gudas, there's no shortage of mentorship for the blueliners. Certainly not enough to give up a premium asset that could yield a young depth player just when they start to need it most in a few years.

Also they don't want to keep blocking the young dmen. Too many games sat last year instead of ice time for the young guys ... it took clearing Fowler and Dumoulin before guys like Zellweger and Mintyukov played every night. As it is some Duck fans suspect Gudas could be gone to clear one more spot if Luneau or Moore prove ready to make the jump this season, adding another guy only puts it back to having multiple young guys sit again, or be buried in the AHL. At some point you either let your best prospects play, or you start trading them.

I think at the cost of #10 Anaheim would absolutely bite, Ducks are reportedly pushing to make the playoffs next year and having his mix of skill and leadership would give them a very legitimate chance. To me a move like this would signal that management believes in their team.

Scoring is a bigger issue than the blueline.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Not an issue in Anaheim. Niedermayer, even when retired, has done similar for the Ducks (Fowler stayed with him for a year), and he's still deeply involved with the org (probably part of why they're not having problems developing dmen). Between him, Trouba, and even Gudas, there's no shortage of mentorship for the blueliners. Certainly not enough to give up a premium asset that could yield a young depth player just when they start to need it most in a few years.

Also they don't want to keep blocking the young dmen. Too many games sat last year instead of ice time for the young guys ... it took clearing Fowler and Dumoulin before guys like Zellweger and Mintyukov played every night. As it is some Duck fans suspect Gudas could be gone to clear one more spot if Luneau or Moore prove ready to make the jump this season, adding another guy only puts it back to having multiple young guys sit again, or be buried in the AHL. At some point you either let your best prospects play, or you start trading them.



Scoring is a bigger issue than the blueline.

I get the argument of need, my issue was the other user saying Weegar isn't worth #10, which is fundamentally wrong.

 

[Nanuuk]

Anyone can start a site named liked that. And a lot of people have, doesnt make them any more credible.

Never said it was.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Weager is 31 and has 6 yrs left and he's going downhill. He does not return that much. He would if he was 26 or so but not now. Calgary needs to retain a lot to return that much

The absolute king of terrible takes. This guy is completely clueless and proves it over and over again.

 

[anezthes]

I get the argument of need, my issue was the other user saying Weegar isn't worth #10, which is fundamentally wrong.

Ignoring context—sure. We clearly disagree on ANA’s timeline. By the time they’re contending, I believe that 10th pick will be far more valuable.

IMO/YMMV.

 

[Arthuros]

IMO, 10OA is a worthwhile ask, but the + we would have to add to that is probably too much, and I don't see a strong argument for why the Flames would want to trade Weegar in the first place.

Unless you're good with something crazy like Weegar + 32OA for 10OA, Helleson and Strome. Which probably makes Flames fans sick.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Ignoring context, sure. We clearly disagree on ANA’s timeline. By the time they’re contending, I think that 10th pick will be more valuable. IMO/YMMV.

What is your rational here? Do you think Anaheim is 2 years or 5 years away? If 5 years then sure maybe, #10 this year may have more value, if 2 then no chance.

 

[anezthes]

What is your rational here? Do you think Anaheim is 2 years or 5 years away? If 5 years then sure maybe, #10 this year may have more value, if 2 then no chance.

I’d be surprised if ANA were true contenders in two years.

 

[DJJones]

Weegar is still improving imo. He's going to be great for years, likely our next captain.

That being said I'd do this trade immediately and re-sign Andersson.

 

[FiveTacos]

What is your rational here? Do you think Anaheim is 2 years or 5 years away? If 5 years then sure maybe, #10 this year may have more value, if 2 then no chance.

I'm bullish on Anaheim's future, but in 2 years a lot of their key pieces are still going to be 23 and under. Not many contenders rely on such young rosters.