bosn111

Flames currently have 9 D signed plus Kylington RFA looking for extension. Hanifin, Andersson, Tanev, Weegar and Zadorov are all locks. Valimaki, Mackey, Gilbert, Meloche and Kylington would all be waiver eligible. Gilbert likely clears waivers, but would any of the others? Likely need to trade at least 1, if not 2 due to this fact. At least 1, likely two of Kylington/Valimaki/Mackey. Meloche looks like a reasonable 7th D, so only 1 spot for the other 3. Flames have 9 forwards signed, meaning they need 4 more. Here Mangiapane is the big fish needing a contract extension, likely in the 5-6 mil range, but they also need to re-sign Ruzicka and Pospisil who, along with Phillips, are all waiver eligible. Pospisil likely clears, and Phillips may clear due to size, but I doubt Ruzicka clears waivers. At 5’7, I don’t think Phillips has the size to play C at the NHL level. Contested face offs he would get obliterated for example. As a RH shot likely need to move him to RW. Ruzicka is either C or RW though shoots left. Pelletier had a good year in Stockton, but being waiver eligible likely means he plays another year in the AHL. Schwindt (prospect acquired from Florida) is a RS C/RW who has lesser offence than Phillips or Pelletier but better than Ruzicka. He is also younger and waiver exempt so likely in the AHL for another year. So on LW Huberdeau, Mangiapane, Dube, Coleman, Lucic RW Toffoli, Mangiapane, Coleman, Lewis, Phillips, Ruzicka C Lindholm, Backlund, Ruzicka, Monahan, Rooney LD Hanifin, Kylington, Zadorov, Mackey, Valimaki, Gilbert RD Andersson, Weegar, Tanev, Meloche I think the team needs to trade Monahan and 2 D and need to get either a top 6 C or RW. Ruzicka will be middle 6 C or RW depending on which piece is obtained. They have the cap space to extend all of Huberdeau, Weegar, Mangiapane and Ruzicka plus go out and get a C/RW. Trading both Kylington and Valimaki puts Mackey as bottom pair LD, Trading Mackey and Valimaki allows cap to re-sign Kylington, Trading Kylington and Mackey makes Valimaki 3rd pair LD. Whichever way you go, cap space works. Still a bit of work to do for Treliving, but the team doesn’t look in such dire straits as a few days ago.

The biggest thing I am giving kudos to Treliving for here is the options he has opened up with this trade. He knows what he would like to do ultimately, but knows that there are other things that can be done if plan A doesn’t work. Ideally you lock up Huberdeau long term. He seems to be that long term, loyal player. Show him that loyalty and he will give that loyalty back to the team. NTC may even help bring down the cap hit. 7-8 years would work for me, he would be 36/37 at the end. Weegar sign to a 5/6 year deal. This would take him to 33/34. This gives him another shot at an under 35 contract. I would be willing to do 7 to take him right to 35, but his agent may prefer the 5/6. If extensions don’t happen this summer, then there are options in season as well. If they don’t seem to fit, they carry value in trade. If the Flames are failing, multiple pieces can be moved at TDL. Significant cap space will be open next season and can be used to retool again, or be used to take on contracts to create cap for other teams in exchange for draft picks. Either way, there are options open that the team didn’t really have before and so I give Treliving credit for this at least. I will give even more credit if he is successful in completing one of these options and not just have 1 year flash in the pan and lose both Huberdeau and Weegar to UFA next summer. Treliving staying with the Flames rests on this season. He really needs to make good in order to keep his job / get extended himself.

Multiple D need to be moved regardless of Weegar extending or not. Currently 9 D under contract, plus Kylington as RFA and all are waiver eligible. Kylington won’t clear waivers. He is either on the team or traded. Valimaki most likely wouldn’t clear waivers. Enough teams could take a risk on him, so he is on the team or traded. Meloche, Mackey and Gilbert could be lost to waivers but are less likely. They seem to be in between D. They are good in the AHL but more filler at NHL level. Flames have 5 spots on D filled for next season with 2 up for grabs between the 5 D listed above. (Could likely expect Gilbert in the AHL) but still, 4 players really fighting for 2 spots. I expect at least 1 of Valimaki or Kylington to be traded by training camp.

I see on here a lot of interest in Barzal. For me to have any interest, there would need to be an extension signed very early. From what I can find on qualifying offers, anyone making over 1 million needs to have a QO of at least 100% of current SALARY not cap hit. Barzal salary next season is 10 mil, big reason why he is possibly available for trade. So his QO next year would be 10 million. His playmaking is a huge plus and would likely further elevate Mangiapane, but that next contract scares me because of the way it was signed. It would make it much harder to sign Huberdeau, Weegar, Mangiapane etc. long term, even with the contracts of Monahan and Lucic leaving. But for consideration: Huberdeau / Lindholm / Toffoli Mangiapane / Barzal / Coleman Dube / Backlund / Ruzicka Lucic / Rooney / Lewis Looks like a potent and balanced forward lineup. Lindholm covers more defensively on top line while also shooting as Huberdeau sets up Toffoli. Coleman does the D and crashing while Barzal sets up Mangiapane. 3rd line pitches in offensively but is primarily D focused. 4th line is tough, energetic and experienced. Kadri instead of Barzal would add less playmaking but more bite. Not sure which is preferred. While Barzal likely cheaper this season, would cost more long term. As further options that may do well and cost less for much longer, though step down from the two above (at least for now), what about Dylan Cozens or Dawson Mercer as targets? Cozens has 1 year then RFA, Mercer 2 then RFA, both under 1 mil. Both are 22 and already doing fine in the NHL on not great teams. Mercer 82 GP, 17G, 25A. Cozens 79 GP, 13 G, 25 A. Cozens is more likely available for a reasonable cost. Buffalo has the cap to take on Monahan + Valimaki, Kylington or Dube. Would that be reasonable? Monahan ca support Thompson and Middlestat to develop while adding one of the other 3 helps offset if Monahan can’t stay healthy plus cap? Mangiapane / Cozens / Coleman doesn’t look bad to me either. Thoughts?

Weegar is being discussed in some threads, but I am sure he will get more attention once he signs an extension.

So currently, assuming they re-sign Mangiapane, the Flames look like: Huberdeau / Lindholm / Toffoli (play, all round, shooter) Mangiapane / Backlund / Ruzicka (Shooter, D, all rounder) Dube / Monahan / Coleman Lucic / Rooney / Lewis ?? Hanifin / Andersson Valimaki or Kylington / Weegar Zadorov / Tanev Meloche Markstrom Vladar Moving Monahan would open more cap space for a RW pushing Ruzicka to 3C, or for a 2C pushing Backlund to 3C. Without moving Monahan, there is still money to sign Mangiapane and Ruzicka. Dropping Mackey and Gilbert to AHL increases cap space by almost 1.7. Likely see either Valimaki or Kylington get traded now. Valimaki at 1.55 plus the other 2 would allow Kylington to get 3 mil per on multi year. With Monahan and Lucic contracts off the books next year, that frees up 11.5 mil space to extend Huberdeau and Weegar. 5 mil extra for Huberdeau, 3 mil for Weegar leaves 3 mil to re-sign or replace Lucic plus use towards Monahan replacement. Flames are in a better position now than before the trade. Add in prospect and pick are bonus.

Both Severson and Graves are good D. They are both Canadian. At 27 either one fits in well with the D and makes our D better. They can both be re-signed fairly easily (no refusal to sign to go to USA). They are from Manitoba and Nova Scotia respectively. Valimaki might eventually step up and show his full talent, but right now he hasn’t proven he can really do much in the NHL. Maybe the injuries caused problems, but Mackey outplayed him in Stockton. Based on stats, Valimaki was little better than DeSimone. If we are honest with ourselves as fans, Valimaki has little trade value now and is a risk for any team. Maybe NJ would like him more as they have another Finnish prospect in Heino. Dube is a good but streaky and isn’t doing much more than bottom 6 energy. I like him, but in the NHL, he is not considered a high value player. May have more success elsewhere, but here, he is what he is. He is not a player that is really pushing the team forward. Be honest with yourself when considering what return the Flames could actually get for Dube. Saying let other teams figure out their cap situation themselves in separate trades is great for fans, and great for the Flames, but that is not being realistic. A trade is more likely if you can factor in all aspects and have it balanced for both teams. Severson and Graves both carry significantly more value than Valimaki. Dube being younger and RFA has more value than Tatar, balanced by the D swap. Valimaki being RFA is only a bonus if he can actually step up. So basically my suggestion is Tkachuk for Bratt + Mercer + Pick Valimaki + Dube for Severson + Tatar for cap purposes. Maybe you can get an extra pick here for the cap space, but likely mid round at best.

Both offers are good for the Flames but neither one works for the other team due to cap reasons. St. Louis only has 625,000 in cap space, Kyrou gets 2,800,000 so that only gives them 3,425,000 cap space. Not enough for Tkachuk to sign 9,000,000 or more. They would need to move one of Schenn, Tarasenko, Faulk, Krug, Parayko, or O’Reilly (the first 5 have NTC), and replace them with a low cost option (league minimum for 3 D and Schenn, around 1.5 mil for Tarasenko or O’Reilly). I don’t see that happening any time soon. Jersey has cap space that could work if Tkachuk signs for 9 million, but they won’t have enough to sign 2 more forwards who they need, unless Bernier is out all season, but his 4 million doesn’t likely cover Wood and Boqvist. So there needs to be more as trading Bratt doesn’t help clear cap. So to make it work with NJ, there needs to be more thought / pieces. A trade would likely need to include Tatar and / or Severson / Graves to make the cap work. The Flames would need to send back players to fill holes left for lesser cost. Dube is the only F who would save cap over Tatar, Valimaki or Mackey are they only 2 that might have value that save cap from Severson/Graves. TD suggested they might add Sharangovich, but his 2 mil would not cover Boqvist, Wood and his own replacement. So I would think a trade with NJ would need to be more of: Tkachuk + Dube + Valimaki for Bratt + Tatar + Severson/Graves + Mercer/Holtz + Pick (round depends on who comes back). Mercer and Holtz are same age and cap hit. I like that Mercer can play C while Holtz is a wing. Holtz has 1 extra year under contract. Severson and Graves are both 1 year contracts before UFA but both are Canadian. Severson is RD, Graves LD. Severson provides more cap space for NJ but is likely the better player. Tatar is UFA in a year, but is being taken primarily as a cap dump while remaining serviceable and filling a hole. Bratt / Lindholm / Toffoli Mangiapane / Mercer / ?? Tatar / Backlund / Coleman Lucic / Rooney / Lewis ?? Hanifin / Andersson Kylington / Tanev Zadorov / Severson Meloche Leaves cap space for a top 6 RW (maybe Ruzicka?). Still need to trade Monahan, but that is possible in a few ways.

Ok, so thinking things through to come up with some ideas. Gaudreau left, leaves an opening on LW but lots of cap space. Tkachuk says he won’t sign with Calgary long term, can still do 1 year through arbitration. This gives Treliving a year essentially to trade him. Now is likely highest value in a trade that brings back current talent, especially if they are also on expiring contracts and going UFA. Harder to do futures for a possible 1 year player. Not impossible, just harder. With both Gaudreau and Tkachuk gone, that really changes the complexion of the team, regardless of trade pieces coming back. This gives Treliving more opportunity to build a team to his style rather than fitting pieces already in place. Treliving is figuring out what the team should be, so that he can make the best possible trade. Some current pieces have trade value, some are versatile, some are just downright useful for the team. We can see where some current players can still fit, which don’t, and what holes exist. Without Johnny around, Monahan is going to be traded. He doesn’t have chemistry with others, injuries have derailed his career here and he needs a fresh look elsewhere. With 1 year remaining, if he can be sent out east, I think he goes no problem. Likely need to retain salary or bring back some, not likely getting a huge return in trade, but moving him would benefit both team and player in my mind. Backlund has value for any team looking at playoffs, Flames included. With 2 years remaining under contract, he would not be pure rental at the trade deadline, so his value is likely highest right now for a trade. Otherwise he is here likely until TDL 2024. Dube has a relative value contract for 2 more years, has enough experience/ skill to be sought after and will be RFA at end of contract. Just hasn’t really found his footing in Calgary so likely good, not great, trade value now but not likely changing value anytime soon. Mangiapane and Kylington need new contracts and will get better than QO in arbitration. I would prefer they sign longer than 1 year before it gets there, but we will see. Flames are currently built from net out with Markstrom and then good D. Could upgrade on D, but would be costly. Andersson and Tanev likely most untouchable at the moment but I would also hold onto Hanifin. I know others don’t like Hanifin, but he is at least a second pair, so if you could upgrade to push him down to 2nd with Tanev then D would be looking awesome. Any upgrade on LD would likely make Kylington expendable, Valimaki likely needs to be traded now before his value takes an even bigger hit. 1 year before RFA gives a different team time to see what he brings. I think with 1 year left under contract, Lucic may be extended at a significant reduction in salary. The toughness is great to have, and his experience as well. Somewhere in the 1 to 1.5 million range would not be out of line I think. I don’t really see other teams offering significantly more. So in my mind, trade pieces for the flames are: Tkachuk Dube Valimaki Monahan **Kylington** (if top LD received in other trade) Looking at possible trade partners. Anaheim has a ton of cap space, need 2-3 forwards and 2-3 D depending on Silferberg injury and a couple of RFAs. They need to spend another 8.5 million just to hit cap floor. I don’t see a lot of trades player for player that would work as Zegras and MacTavish are likely untouchable, so unlikely to move Tkachuk there unless Treliving is choosing picks only. Would Monahan go to Anaheim to play a supporting role? He would get them close to cap floor. Mid round pick in return? I know it isn’t east, but this is more likely a fit cap wise. Arizona has lots of cap space, too many players on roster, a couple RFAs to sign, need a goalie and need to add a few mil to hit cap floor. They have 5 waiver eligible, so no worries making space on the roster. I am having trouble seeing reasonable trades here. Chychrun, Crouse, McBain and Keller would be my only real targets. None of Dube, Monahan, Valimaki or Kylington get you any of these. Would Tkachuk + Kylington for Chychrun, Crouse + picks make sense? Chychrun is better D, Tkachuk better F, Crouse and Kylington are both unsigned RFAs. Buffalo has plenty of cap space, they are above the cap floor and have enough players. Would they look at Monahan as an experienced C? They are building strong young D with Dahlin and Power. Monahan would be closer to home, closer to Johnny and would likely have more opportunities to play up the lineup as Buffalo has little real firepower on offence. Would Monahan + Dube for Cozens and Krebs be decent value? Any Tkachuk trade to NJ now would need salary coming back. They have just over 9.5 mil cap space and need to sign 3 more forwards. They may have extra cap depending on Bernier with Bratt, Boqvist and Wood all as unsigned RFA. So really any Tkachuk to NJ trade would need to be much more convoluted than him for a player or 2 plus picks. Jersey would need to clear cap and fill holes without too much extra salary. Something like Tkachuk + Dube + Valimaki for Mercer + Bratt + Tatar + Severson. Valimaki and Dube are lower cap hits than Tatar or Severson while filling the holes they would leave, Both likely 1 year only Flames but reasonable place holders. Bratt is their most skilled RFA and even with extra space unlikely to afford him once Tkachuk signed. Wood and Boqvist likely able to be signed though. Mercer would be a good, young replacement for Backlund in the future. Just some thoughts on possible trades. Frees up a lot of cap space and doesn’t create too many holes. Still missing a piece or 2 but I have typed enough for now.

If there is truth to Mangiapane being told to accept QO and focus on UFA next season, same as I believe Tkachuk is doing, then likely best to trade both now to let other teams try and negotiate longer contracts. If the players are focused on the business aspect, then treat it as just business doing the best for the team. If Mangiapane will sign 4 years, 5 mil I think that is reasonable. That takes him to 30. Still time to cash in UFA. Both Mangiapane and Tkachuk carry solid value in trade, speed up the re-tool with quality young roster players coming back.

I posted this in the burn it down thread, but will add a short version here. If anyone thinks Tkachuk is signing 7 or 8 years here, you are fooling yourself. He made it clear during his brother’s last contract negotiations that hockey is all business for him. Brady signed longer due to RFA years remaining. He hits UFA at 28 and likely makes bank. Matthew taking a 1 year contract will hit UFA at 25, sign a huge, 3-4 year contract and another UFA contract for more bank at 28/29. With Johnny gone, the Flames are taking a step back, even if they add Kadri. The step may not be huge, but with changes in Edmonton to get better in net, they will be stepping up. If Tkachuk realizes that the team is no longer a favourite to challenge for the cup, why stay for less money than he can get in free agency somewhere else? Better to trade him at peak value (RFA rights) where another team can negotiate to get 3-4 years rather than have him as a rental for 1 year or less.

Both Tkachuk and Mangiapane are very good players who any team would love to have, but neither one is a player you build around. I know some fans have a love for Tkachuk and think he is a future captain, but if he is, the team loses any respect it had in the league as many players from many teams have zero respect for him. Tkachuk has loads of talent, but he is no MacKinnon, McDavid, Matthews etc. Many fans also say you don’t build a team around a winger, or 2. We saw that failure when building around Iginla. If you go into a full burn it down rebuild, Tanev, Lindholm and Backlund are 3 guys I would consider keeping. Tanev is the rookie whisperer (Hughes in Vancouver, Kylington here). Lindholm is young enough and skilled enough to carry the weight of offence and penalty killing. Backlund at a lower cap is still a great #3 C and will help bring along young guys. Lindholm stays #1, Backlund at #3 so your future franchise centre slots in at #2 and learns with less pressure (This has been done successfully by many teams including Vancouver with the Sedins). You need players to support the young guys and help them along. You also build from the back end and up the middle. Pittsburg had Fleury, Letang, Crosby, Malkin. Colorado this year had Kuemper, Makar, Byram, MacKinnon, Kadri. Tampa has Vasilevsky, Hedman, Sergachev, Point and Stamkos. No matter how good Toronto and Edmonton have been with forwards, they have not had the goaltending or D to push them over the top. Tkachuk is at peak value right now. Unless he is signed long term (8 years) then trading him now makes more sense. We all know, so do all GMs in the league, that he will test UFA as soon as he can because hockey for him is business and he made clear last summer. I don’t see him signing any long term contract as he understands inflation and increasing cap implications means future contracts will likely be higher than current ones. He likely has not signed yet because he is looking for 1-3 years in the 9.5-10 range, while Flames offering 9-9.5 for 8. Not big difference in Salary, but he doesn’t want long term, he wants to leave opportunity to go UFA. Brady took a longer contract due to age and how many more years of RFA he had. Matthew only has 1, so long term makes no sense for him. Brady will be UFA at 28, Matthew can be UFA at 25. 3 years contract would make him UFA at 27. At least this year he is RFA which provides some leverage. If on a 1 year contract (even QO) then he goes UFA and his value in trade tanks due to the above. He would be a pure rental. So people mad about Gaudreau leaving for nothing, blaming Treliving for not understanding the situation, should also realize this about Tkachuk and shouldn’t be focused on making him the C and focusing on building around him. Trade him at his peak value now to accelerate the “re-build” by switching it to a re-tool instead. Get quality young current roster players instead of draft picks.

As demonstrated in my long post, I think Bratt would do well with Lindholm and Toffoli on top line. Bratt can score himself but also passes a lot for assists. Toffoli is more of a shooter and needs a setup man which I think Bratt could be. There may be better options, but this is based off a trade that could work for both sides. I also mentioned getting Kadri. I just don’t think Tkachuk is a player to build around, and without having a forward like MacKinnon, McDavid, Matthews etc to build around, then you need to build from elsewhere (such as in net with Markstrom). If you start in net then you look at D. Flames have some hard nosed D specialists in Tanev, Meloche (future Kuznetsov), some very good puck movers in Hanifin, Kylington, (future Poirier), a very good all rounder in Andersson and another all rounder in Zadorov. If you build with what we have now and in pipeline, you need speed and skill to play transition hockey. This is not a Tkachuk specialty. Get good return for him and you don’t need to go tear down rebuild, just retool based on returns.

The Flames have a few options moving forward. I have a personal preference but they could all be viable at this time. It just depends on what management feels makes the most sense. Major retool (Good idea), Try to hold and build with minor retool (could work), Full rebuild (unlikely due to management and coaches). Personally I do not believe Tkachuk is captain material at this time, nor do I think he will ever reach that status for me. Yes he is talented and usually has a ton of drive to do well and hates losing. This is a competitive player, not necessarily a leader. A captain needs to lead in multiple ways as they are the representation of the team. Tkachuk has too many antics that may help win games, but should not be representative of the team. As seen with players like Lanny, Linden, Iginla, Giordano and others, the best captains are great players but are also great people who have the respect of fans from everywhere as well as players from other teams. They are often team oriented and team first. Tkachuk doesn’t have those qualities. He isn’t respected by his own teammates at times, let alone players from other teams. Speaking last summer during his brother’s negotiations he also made it clear that hockey is entirely business and he puts his own benefit above that of the team. No chance at a hometown discount to keep the team together or bring in quality players. Tkachuk is a great player with things that help the team, but should never be a captain, nor should he be the player to build around. Brad Marchand, Corey Perry and Nazim Kadri are in the same vein for me. Players who are skilled and have that pest mentality, who you hate to play against but love on your team, just should not be captains. That said, I am not against signing Tkachuk long term, nor am I against trading him now, or later. I believe that with Sutter as coach, Treliving has his marching orders to ice a competitive team. He had orders to re-sign Gaudreau at all costs, but according to his Columbus presser, he had no intention of returning and basically said he was signing anywhere but Calgary. So if Treliving has been told to have a competitive team, not go into rebuilding, then what pieces are in play to remain on the team and have competitive value, what pieces could / should be moved to gain pieces to remain competitive, and which pieces should be targeted in free agency to improve on what is the current roster? With Gaudreau walking away, Tkachuk has the most value it would seem. Lindholm and Markstrom would be close considering currently under contract. Andersson, Tanev, Hanifin, and Backlund come next. Mangiapane would be higher if signed but he comes here with Toffoli, Kylington and Dube. Lucic and Monahan likely have limited teams that would find value due to cap hits. Zadorov just re-signed so likely little interest from other teams. Everyone else is basically spare parts from the big club or are still prospects. Vladar is a good backup but there are many similar goalies around the league honestly. Coleman has a full NTC so I didn’t include him. Players I don’t see moving unless extreme over compensation are Markstrom, Lindholm, Andersson and Tanev. Markstrom you can build around as a high end goalie, Lindholm is a C that any team would love to have but isn’t a build around piece, Andersson is still young but proving his quality at reasonable cost and Tanev is that steadying presence for young players (qualities I look for in a captain). The value in Tkachuk for me is what he could bring back in a trade. I think Treliving was intrigued by the Jersey offer of 2nd overall plus, but the plus wasn’t enough of an immediate return for staying competitive. Likely did not include Mercer and/or Bratt for example. Adding Palat makes Jersey better, but they obviously have interest in Tkachuk and I would rather send him east to not play him too often. Jersey has 17 million for 3 forwards, 1 D and 1 G (potentially 4 mil more due to Bernier IR). Tkachuk is better than Bratt, also RFA, so no trade straight up. Mercer is stuck behind Hughes and the captain Hischier. They also need to sign Boqvist and Wood. Would it make sense for both teams to build a package around the following: Tkachuk, Dube, Valimaki for Tatar, Bratt and Mercer? Possibly picks / prospects included? Tatar is mostly to balance cap. He is not a throw away, but not tons of value either. Middle 6 player who is over 30 and trending down but still serviceable. Dube scored more goals than Tatar and is trending up. Mercer had similar offence to Dube (Mercer rookie year) and has loads of potential while Bratt is above both Mercer and Dube, he is significantly lower than Tkachuk. With the Flames signing Bratt to something around 4 mil (Mangiapane had better offence numbers and is looking a at 5-6), you could have Bratt / Lindholm / Toffoli Tatar / Mercer / ?? Mangiapane / Backlund / Coleman Lucic / Rooney / Lewis ?? Hanifin / Andersson Kylington / Tanev Zadorov / Meloche Mackey Tatar, Kylington, Bratt and Mangiapane likely come in around 18 million, dropping Valimaki, Dube and Gilbert cap hits would leave 5 mil for another RW and 13th FW. I left out Monahan because I believe he is being traded regardless. I don’t believe there is much value in trade due to injuries and lack of performance last 2 seasons, but veteran presence on a young team needing to add cap might have some interest. Even if it costs some mid range picks for cap dump, it would be worth it to add 6.4 mil cap space. Just this would bring Flames to 11+ cap left to use. If you use the space to sign Kadri to 8 mil for example, you would be looking at Bratt / Lindholm / Toffoli Tatar / Kadri / Mercer Mangiapane / Backlund / Coleman Lucic / Rooney / Lewis and still have 3 mil for 13th forward. This lineup appears to be competitive, faster, adds some youth and some middle age veteran presence. Lucic, Tatar and Lewis would all be UFA after next season, opening up around 10 mil cap, but you would have the likes of Markstrom, Bratt, Mangiapane Andersson, Kadri and Coleman signed for at least 3 more years, Lindholm, Tanev, Zadorov, Hanifin, Toffoli, Backlund, Mercer and Rooney for another year. Mercer being RFA at the end of his contract. Other moves are possible for sure. I would love to bring up Ruzicka but that involves other moves as well. Risk losing some competitive and defensive aspects by trading Backlund to have Ruzicka as third line C? Save on cap for sure. Likely this move comes later depending on how the season is going. If looking well out of playoffs early, then this trade happens quickly. More likely TDL unless Flames are looking strong. Hopefully Pelletier ready to step up after 1 more year to replace Tatar in middle 6. Would these lineups likely be cup contenders? Don’t think so, but you never know. Would they likely compete for playoffs? I believe so. Does this look better long term than currently? Yes. Even if we sign Tkachuk long term (likely costing 10+ to do so) I think these lineups look better long term as you are getting 2 top 6 players for the price of 1 and upgrading 2C for multiple years. It is also more balanced offensively without giving up too much defensively and adding speed. Anyways, just some long winded thoughts.

I know there are high emotions right now and everyone has their opinions on what is happening. I understand the many different points of view and I can say that there is a lot to not like about the situation but there are also some good things too. Right now, Treliving and the team need to do what is best for the team moving forward. Whether the blame for Johnny leaving for nothing is on Treliving or Johnny doesn’t really matter. Whether it was due to taxes, possible travel restrictions for family, being closer to family, annoyed by treatment, doesn’t really make a big difference. This kind of thing happens to most teams at least a few times. This is a first for the Flames. Fox and Brodie are different situations. So are Giordano, Iginla and Kipper. What matters now is what happens next. Flames are currently projected to have around 18.5 million in cap space with 8 forwards, 8 D, 2 G and 1 IR (6.375 million). Monahan on IR is included in the cap hit, so depending on his situation, and sending players to minors, the Flames could have more cap to spare. The Flames currently have 3 RFAs to sign in Tkachuk, Mangiapane and Kylington which would make 11 F (including Monahan) and 9 D (2 extra) if all signed leaving a need for 2 more F. Tkachuk eats at least half of that cap space, Mangiapane should be in the 5-6 range which leaves only 5-8 mil (depending on which D sent to minors) for 2 remaining forwards, 1 of whom we expect to be high impact. Currently without RFAs, we have Dube / Lindholm / Toffoli Rooney / Backlund / Coleman Lucic / Monahan / Lewis So what really needs to be done moving forward?

Is Peeps psychic? Dang. Glad we didn’t do 4x4 for a bottom pair D.

I have no idea on Rooney. Neither supporting, nor upset about. All I see for him are stats which are inconsistent. Can be physical, but inconsistent year by year. Good, not great +/-, more offence than Ritchie (not much but still). To me, he is 4th line and honestly the extra money spent isn’t crazy compared to Lazar etc. I don’t see Rooney as blocking young guys. He may add competition, but that salary allows him to be sent to the A and if claimed off waivers, not a huge loss since put on waivers anyways. As I said, these are likely just pieces that had been part of Plan A, so just get them anyways as you look for plan B/C.

These signings are likely what was already considered/planned regardless of Gaudreau. Bottom 6 F, young bottom pair, physical D man. Is he basically a younger, cheaper Gudbranson? Rooney over Ritchie? I see a lot of work still to do.

NJ just traded Zacha to the Bruins as per TSN. As an RFA looking for a raise, this sounds like they will be taking a run at at least 1 big UFA. They need to sign 5 more forwards, 2 D and 1 G (Unless Bernier gets healthy). with around 27 million. They have Bratt and Boqvist both looking for raises. If Jersey signs Gaudreau for 10+, a solid D like Zadorov for 3+, that still leaves 14 mil cap for 4 forwards, 1 D and 1 G. That isn’t enough to handle Tkachuk as well if they want to re-sign Bratt and/or Boqvist. Just thinking through some ideas, Flames need 7 forwards and 2 D signed with 26 mil cap space. Monahan takes up 6 mil+ if healthy. Would the Flames be able to offer a package that would work to get Mercer and Bratt from Jersey? Something like Backlund + Valimaki + Dube for Bratt and Mercer? Would that be enough? Flames should move on from Monahan in some sort of trade. I also think Tkachuk should be moved (I don’t see captain material at this time and cap hit too high for my liking and lack of speed). While I like Backlund, I think he is available for trade. Without Gaudreau, Lucic becomes less needed. Likely move Tkachuk east. Not sure who for. My goal, based on Flames D, would be to move away from the possession game (Backlund, Lucic, Monahan, Dube, Tkachuk and to an extent Gaudreau) and move more to a transition game. Strong D that can send forwards on fast attacks. Hanifin, Andersson and Kylington are are very good puck movers, looks like Poirier is as well. Gudbranson (if brought back),Tanev, Mackey and Kuznetsov are more solid defensive specialists. So this style would fit better with our D and likely be able to deal with the speed of McDavid and MacKinnon better. This is also a bit more Sutter style where good D leads to offensive chances. Anyways, just some thoughts.

Kadri said no to the trade because he wanted to stay in Toronto, not because he didn’t want to play for the Flames. He got traded anyways, just to a different team. Flames do have a chance to get him if that is the route they go.

Just thinking here, no specific wishes for this to happen. Thackuk given QO but no guarantees he signs it at all, or if he tries to hold out until around the start of next season. IF Gaudreau chooses to go elsewhere, how quickly does he sign? The Flames need a plan B, Plan C and likely plan D which don’t rely on waiting for Gaudreau to make his decision. With Forsberg off the table, there isn’t really another single UFA LW who fills the hole left. Tkachuk doesn’t replace what Gaudreau does for the team, nor does Mangiapane. Players like Kadri will go quickly in UFA. Likely so will Burakovsky, Trochek, Domi, R. Strome, and Neiderreiter. Would a line up of Burakovsky, Lindholm, Trochek Neiderreiter, Kadri, Toffoli Mangiapane, Ruzicka, Coleman Lucic, Jarnkrok, ?? be something to consider? Could the Flames be quick enough to get it done? Use Tkachuk, Monahan and Dube to upgrade D and gain more picks maybe.

How is it “a lot less”? As you point out, there is a 5 or 6 mil cap savings. Add the savings from Monahan, Backlund and Dube which jumps around 12 million more. That is 17-18 mil in cap space to use either on a RW, re-signing other players and possibly upgrading the D. I never said we should do this, but it would be a way to remain competitive IF Gaudreau walks away.

If Gaudreau leaves, then the team is significantly reduced. Lindholm is good, but Johnny makes him much better. Tkachuk is good, but with all the attention he gets from his extra stuff, he needs a player like Johnny to take focus off of him. He doesn’t have the speed of McDavid to make his own space, so when teams crowd Tkachuk, he is less successful. There is nothing that makes it look like Monahan will bounce back. He can still be serviceable in a middle 6 C role if he has a bit of a resurgence, but he most likely will never be that top line C again. Too many injuries, he was never fast to start with and as a shoot first C, he doesn’t fit with Tkachuk, Mangiapane or Toffoli. There isn’t really a UFA on the market that replaces what Johnny does. Philip Forsberg is likely the best offence replacement but he is less of a passer than Johnny. Kadri could be interesting but I would not offer more than 4 years. Basically the idea for me is that if Gaudreau leaves, I don’t think full rebuild is necessary as there are ways to retool through trade and UFA. If Gaudreau walks and you trade Tkachuk, Backlund, Dube and Monahan, you have cap space to re-sign Mangiapane, Kylington, Gudbranson, Jarnkrok and maybe Zadorov plus bring in Forsberg, Kadri and whoever comes back in trades. Forsberg / Lindholm / ?? Mangiapane / Kadri / Coleman Pelletier / Jarnkrok / Toffoli Lucic / Ruzicka / Duehr Just an idea of what could be, not necessarily what should be. Does this make the Flames better or worse? More skilled overall? likely, but loss of Gaudreau hurts. Tougher? Debatable depending on RW since Kadri is similar to Tkachuk. A little weaker defensively without Backlund. Faster? Definitely. Younger? Yes if they bring up my 3 suggestions. I think the Flames could lose Johnny, Chucky and Backlund and stay competitive if they can lure the right UFAs and would be better off cap wise for it. I would prefer to keep Gaudreau, but there are options.

Sadly, the reality of the NHL is that talent and skill doesn’t guarantee a spot on a team. For every talented player who makes it, there are a handful who don’t for various reasons. Whether injuries, personal demons, lack of effort/drive, some just don’t make the big league. The Flames alone have many examples including Krahn (knees) and Emil Poirier (personal demons suggested). Valimaki is no doubt talented and should have the skills. Sadly he just isn’t putting it all together for whatever reason. Maybe another team feels like giving him a shot will help him take off, but likely selling low on him at this time in any trade. Do the Flames wait and see how he comes to camp? Do they move him for the sake of a change? Who knows. At this point he is such a question mark that there is no logical answer here.

I was going to say all of those look to be about a million too high at least except Gudbranson who I think is reasonable with hometown discount to sign a longer stay in one place contract.