Flames trade prospects deep into 2024 NHL season

General Manager Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames have been busy since he took over the team. The Flames have traded Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Jacob Markstrom over the past 14 months. They have added three first-round draft picks, nine young players and six late-round picks. Although they don’t want to admit it after the Jonathan Huberdeau trade, the Flames are rebuilding. The Flames would be better off finding trade candidates for the rest of their veteran core and starting a complete rebuild. They finished ninth from last in the NHL last season, which isn’t ideal for a rebuilding team.

The Flames, or any team for that matter, don’t want to finish ninth to last next season. The problem with teams that finish in the 17th-23rd seed is that they’re not good enough to make the playoffs, but they’re also not bad enough to land a top draft prospect. The Flames were lucky to get Zayne Parekh in this year’s draft, but he could also be a boom-or-bust prospect who doesn’t pan out. For the Flames’ rebuild to be successful, they’ll want to hit the bottom and grab a top pick in next year’s draft. Top prospect James Hagens would look good in a Flames uniform, while Gavin McKenna could also be on the Flames’ radar for the 2026 draft.

It’s a bitter pill for the Flames to swallow after the arrivals of Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar, but the Flames will continue to have good players for the foreseeable future.

Rasmus Andersson should provide the best value

Rasmus Andersson is a player the Flames can’t keep during a rebuild. He has two years left on his contract with a $4.55 million cap hit. He’ll be looking for a big raise when his contract expires for a longer term, which wouldn’t make sense for Calgary. Andersson will be 30 in the first year of his extension and will be in his mid-30s before the Flames are ready to compete.

After drafting Parekh, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to pay both Andersson and Weegar into their late 30s. They would be blocking Parekh from going in the top four. There’s also a good chance Andersson isn’t interested in living in Calgary for the next decade while he rebuilds. If he walks in free agency, the Flames should let him go sooner rather than later to maximize their return.

The Flames also acquired Hunter Brzustewicz, a young right-handed defenseman. He doesn’t have the name power of Parekh, but he wouldn’t have much of a chance if Andersson, Weegar and Parekh were on the right side.

Andersson is an affordable addition to whichever team makes the move and would fetch a good price if the Flames want to sell him.

Are the Flames parting ways with Jonathan Huberdeau?

After acquiring him from the Florida Panthers, the Flames signed Huberdeau to an eight-year, $84 million contract. They felt he was worth the contract, as he had scored 115 points the previous season. However, they underestimated the downfall of playing with unlimited talent in Florida. Huberdeau has missed only three games in the past two seasons, but has not been able to replicate his success in Florida. He has yet to score 115 points for the Flames, with just 107 points in 160 games.

It was a disappointing deal for the Flames, and not just because of Huberdeau’s lack of production. They watched Matthew Tkachuk go to Florida and reach the Stanley Cup Finals in his first two seasons. Tkachuk made things worse last season when he lifted the Stanley Cup over his head, making it one of the worst deals in franchise history. The Flames thought they could replace Tkachuk’s production with Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, but it’s been a complete disaster.

The question is whether the Flames can find a suitable trade candidate for Huberdeau. There aren’t many teams that can absorb a $10.5 million cap hit, especially one tied to a struggling player.

Nazem Kadri, a better trade candidate

The Flames gave Kadri a seven-year, $49 million contract after he led the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup in 2022. The two-way center maintained his production in his first two seasons in Calgary, but he remains a player who can’t be lifted over the hump single-handedly. Kadri’s value also lies in his style of play, which is better suited to a playoff atmosphere.

If the Flames are in the process of rebuilding for the remainder of Kadri’s contract, there’s not much reason to keep him. The Flames may not trade Kadri this offseason, but if the regular season goes poorly and a contending team has room for a playoff-proven center on their roster, you could see him traded near the trade deadline.