CALGARY — The Calgary Flames have been in the trade spotlight most of the season, and that won’t change as long as Noah Hanifin and Jacob Markstrom remain with the club.
The former is a cinch to be traded by Friday’s deadline, and the latter’s fate isn’t quite as clear.
Either way, GM Craig Conroy has plenty of work ahead this week as part of the team’s plan to continue a youth movement that has the fan base excited for a new era.
Projected deadline-day cap space: $6.066 million
Contracts: 44/50
Cap space committed to 2024-25: $65.563 million (committed to 17 players)
Draft picks
NEEDS
In terms of positions, the Flames’ No. 1 priority is to acquire a top prospect or two who play centre.
Trading away Elias Lindholm opened a gaping hole in the roster they had no one to fill, so they moved Yegor Sharangovch to the middle.
The Flames may eventually task Connor Zary with returning to centre, where he played junior, but considerably more depth is still needed at that position.
The blue line would be the second-biggest hole to fill, as the departures of Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev (and, soon, Noah Hanifin) leave a void that will take years to shore up.
ASSETS TO TRADE
Noah Hanifin
Hanifin is playing the best hockey of his career and hopes that will translate into a sign-and-trade with, perhaps, a Florida-based team. However, both those teams rank amongst the worst in terms of prospects, complicating the possibility of finding a fit for the 27-year-old defenceman who should command at least a first-rounder, top prospect and serviceable roster player in return.
He will be moved.
The only questions left are, when and for whom.
Jacob Markstrom
This still feels like a summertime deal.
The process of being floated to New Jersey, only to have it fall through, clearly frustrated him. With two years left on his deal, and a raft of teams that will be able to bid on his services this summer, it makes much more sense for the team to keep its MVP for the stretch run.
POTENTIAL TARGETS
Because the Flames are retooling, not rebuilding, Conroy would rather stock up on young prospects than draft picks, who generally take longer to develop.
Jack Thompson is a second-year pro with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization who is a right-shot defenceman drafted in the third round. If the Flames bow to Hanifin’s desire to play in Tampa, he might be a nice fit, as the 21-year-old has compiled 32 points in 46 games with Syracuse this season.
Ethan Gauthier is another top prospect with Tampa and was the QMHJHL’s first pick overall and is son of former Flames defenceman Denis Gauthier. The 19-year-old second-rounder has 37 goals and 72 points in 64 games this season in Drummondville where he plays right wing, a position the Flames could also use high-end help with.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
The Flames have five other UFAs in their lineup who are unlikely to be moved at the deadline, headlined by Oliver Kylington, who will undoubtedly re-up with the club in the near future.
Others include Kevin Rooney, Jordan Oesterle, Dennis Gilbert and injured AJ Greer.
