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The Calgary Flames may not have much money to spend but that hasn't stopped them from being active. At least not from trying, anyway.
They made some noise on the opening day of free agency by signing goaltender Cam Talbot to a one-year, $2.75 million deal.
They've expressed interest in reuniting with power winger Micheal Ferland, who they weren't keen on trading to Carolina a year ago.
Oh, and they almost pulled off a sizeable trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic:
Sources confirm Kadri nixed a potential deal to Calgary over the past week, and I believe his camp also sent word to another club on his 10-team no-trade list that had interest in him not to bother calling the Leafs.
TSN's Bob McKenzie speculated a deal centered around Kadri and T.J. Brodie was very close to being completed but, again, Kadri's no-trade clause prevented that from happening.
So what does all this tell us about the Flames?
A few things:
1) They're clearly very serious about adding another top-9 forward. They pushed hard for Jason Zucker at the deadline and had that fall through. They essentially traded for Nazem Kadri but the deal was blocked by the player. As previously mentioned, they've also looked at bringing Ferland back. I'm sensing a theme here.
2) There is at least some appetite for upgrading down the middle. Though not a glaring weakness, it's understandable why the Flames might want to shore things up. Sean Monahan is a one-way guy with a lot of wear and tear for a 24-year-old. Mikael Backlund might be a little inconsistent offensively for an ideal 2C and that probably won't change now that he's on the wrong side of 30. Derek Ryan is a journeyman depth piece and I'm not sure Mark Jankowski is going to grow much more. It wouldn't be the worst idea to bring in someone capable of playing a top-6 role as insurance.
3) The Flames want roster upgrades, not futures, for T.J. Brodie. This makes sense given the state of the team. They should be pushing to contend, not looking down the road. Given their need for cap space, Brodie for Kadri talks are a sign they'll be pursuing other avenues to dump money (Michael Frolik, Michael Stone, etc.). Rightfully so.
4) This is pure speculation on my part but I wonder if the Flames would have interest in Nikita Gusev. There's a ton of offensive upside there and the rumored contract ask is quite reasonable.
Either way, I'd expect another move. GM Brad Treliving seems anything but fine with status quo up front.
Recent posts:
Michael Frolik could be traded sooner than later
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Three potential trade partners for the Flames
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