Todd Cordell: Five potential UFA targets for the Calgary Flames

Carson Soucy is intriguing for 3rd pair LD if he comes at around league minimum or not much more.

Pietrangelo would be a coup, but is it really necessary? Is betting all of our available cap space on him really a good move? I doubt it.

I'd resign Brodie at anywhere between 5 and 6 million dollars for 5-6 years instead and let Andersson play with Hanifin, they were our best pair in the playoffs. But I guess that if Brodie hasn't already resigned it probably means he's gone.

Carson Soucy is intriguing for 3rd pair LD if he comes at around league minimum or not much more.

Pietrangelo would be a coup, but is it really necessary? Is betting all of our available cap space on him really a good move? I doubt it.

I'd resign Brodie at anywhere between 5 and 6 million dollars for 5-6 years instead and let Andersson play with Hanifin, they were our best pair in the playoffs. But I guess that if Brodie hasn't already resigned it probably means he's gone.
- redseerpf

I agree on Piet, and I doubt he’d sign here anyway unless BT over paid which we don’t want to do...

Craig Smith only wants 3 years?? He's gonnna have a ton of interest.

I think Flames will wind up signing at least one of Hall, Pietro, or Markstrom and address the other needs by trade.

I'd love to see what Hanifin can fetch on the market. He feels far more valuable as a trade chip than an actual player.

Carson Soucy is intriguing for 3rd pair LD if he comes at around league minimum or not much more.

Pietrangelo would be a coup, but is it really necessary? Is betting all of our available cap space on him really a good move? I doubt it.

I'd resign Brodie at anywhere between 5 and 6 million dollars for 5-6 years instead and let Andersson play with Hanifin, they were our best pair in the playoffs. But I guess that if Brodie hasn't already resigned it probably means he's gone.
- redseerpf

I would prefer 2-3 years if its Brodie... 5-6 years and I let him walk.
Soucy a rare 26 year old UFA is rumored to be a bidding war at 2.5 plus.
Love Craig Smith(6'1''/208 lbs) at 3rd line RW money. His cap hit was 4.25 last year which is rich for a guy who averaged 13.25 minutes per game.

Craig Smith brings good value at 5v5, but not much anything else, which you expect from a 3rd liner making around 4 million. I'd stay away if it's anything above 3.5 per

I still don't see this cap room being mentioned with the holes that need to be filled. 17 is going to go quick to get a top 4 dman a 4-5 dman a 1a goalie, resign Mangiapane, and fill out 3 forwards (letting Janks walk).
I don't want to see Brodie come back too many backhands to try and clear that end up in our net because he is a lefty on the right side. There is a real opportunity to finally fill the d with proper right hand left hand positions they have lacked for years. And coming back with the same top 4 would be ridiculous after saying change is coming. I like all on this list except Petro, he is going to eat up too much cap unless a lot of money is moved out.
Don't want to end up in Toronto or Edmonton's situation with an extremely unbalanced team...

I still don't see this cap room being mentioned with the holes that need to be filled. 17 is going to go quick to get a top 4 dman a 4-5 dman a 1a goalie, resign Mangiapane, and fill out 3 forwards (letting Janks walk).
I don't want to see Brodie come back too many backhands to try and clear that end up in our net because he is a lefty on the right side. There is a real opportunity to finally fill the d with proper right hand left hand positions they have lacked for years. And coming back with the same top 4 would be ridiculous after saying change is coming. I like all on this list except Petro, he is going to eat up too much cap unless a lot of money is moved out.
Don't want to end up in Toronto or Edmonton's situation with an extremely unbalanced team...
- Nomad2112

Part of the issue with those teams are that they don't have the young cheap guys filling in significant roles. Tampa is going to run into this now too - Sergachev RFA, they only have 3 NHL defencemen under contract for next year, Point is due a new deal after next season. It's fine paying top guys money, but you constantly have to have cheap guys in the funnel that can absorb minutes. Flames don't have a ton of that at the moment, nor do TO or Edmonton.

Tampa actually did one of the smartest things they could have done when they flipped Drouin for Sergachev - they made a smart hockey deal knowing they didn't really need another forward, but more importantly, bought themselves 2 more seasons of a cheap, quality NHL defenceman. That was a big ball/brain move by Stevie Y at the time, and their current GM reaped the benefits of that deal.

Now though, they are going to have to consider moving Sergachev for equally cheap young players to fill those minutes or they are going to have to be even more top heavy than they already are and sacrifice a ton of depth.

This is where things will get interesting for the Flames with Mangiapane (now) and Bennett (next year) and Valimaki, especially if they further hamper their cap with a big signing this year.

I don't think Tre makes a big splash.

I still don't see this cap room being mentioned with the holes that need to be filled. 17 is going to go quick to get a top 4 dman a 4-5 dman a 1a goalie, resign Mangiapane, and fill out 3 forwards (letting Janks walk).
I don't want to see Brodie come back too many backhands to try and clear that end up in our net because he is a lefty on the right side. There is a real opportunity to finally fill the d with proper right hand left hand positions they have lacked for years. And coming back with the same top 4 would be ridiculous after saying change is coming. I like all on this list except Petro, he is going to eat up too much cap unless a lot of money is moved out.
Don't want to end up in Toronto or Edmonton's situation with an extremely unbalanced team...
- Nomad2112

The Flames aren't really a balanced team as is... they need a major retool and thats not a bad thing.

The Flames aren't really a balanced team as is... they need a major retool and thats not a bad thing.
- Reveen

if the Flames aren’t that balanced WTF are the Oilers?!

Part of the issue with those teams are that they don't have the young cheap guys filling in significant roles. Tampa is going to run into this now too - Sergachev RFA, they only have 3 NHL defencemen under contract for next year, Point is due a new deal after next season. It's fine paying top guys money, but you constantly have to have cheap guys in the funnel that can absorb minutes. Flames don't have a ton of that at the moment, nor do TO or Edmonton.

Tampa actually did one of the smartest things they could have done when they flipped Drouin for Sergachev - they made a smart hockey deal knowing they didn't really need another forward, but more importantly, bought themselves 2 more seasons of a cheap, quality NHL defenceman. That was a big ball/brain move by Stevie Y at the time, and their current GM reaped the benefits of that deal.

Now though, they are going to have to consider moving Sergachev for equally cheap young players to fill those minutes or they are going to have to be even more top heavy than they already are and sacrifice a ton of depth.

This is where things will get interesting for the Flames with Mangiapane (now) and Bennett (next year) and Valimaki, especially if they further hamper their cap with a big signing this year.

I don't think Tre makes a big splash.
- rmull905

He has to do something, might not be huge but I believe he’ll do a couple transactions.

Really curious to see who we end up with for a goalie. How good is Connor Mackey? The Fan started to talk about him quite a bit lately... never seen him play.

Really curious to see who we end up with for a goalie. How good is Connor Mackey? The Fan started to talk about him quite a bit lately... never seen him play.
- bsimms

Top prospect from the NCAA. I could see him in a 6/7 roll next season to start.

Never heard of Carson Soucy! Young? Older? Who did he just play with? Please enlighten the lazy.

The Flames aren't really a balanced team as is... they need a major retool and thats not a bad thing.
- Reveen

Maybe next year since who knows what the defence will look like, but they were one of the most well balanced teams last year.

If the top line was rolling, Tkachuk wasn't hurt, and the third line played the way they did, they had a great shot at making the finals.

if the Flames aren’t that balanced WTF are the Oilers?!
- Clyde334

If you have to ask then you need to take take Iggy and Jero's one eyed gila monsters out of your mouth.

They are clearly a tire fire

If you have to ask then you need to take take Iggy and Jero's one eyed gila monsters out of your mouth.

They are clearly a tire fire
- Reveen

He has to do something, might not be huge but I believe he’ll do a couple transactions.
- Clyde334

Yeah, frankly, I think if it's anything big, it's via trade and not so much free agency. That's kind of his wheelhouse anyways. Not saying impossible to bring in Hall, I think it's a super low likelihood that Pieterangelo comes here - he's hitting FA at the wrong time, both environmentally and because he's 30. Someone's gonna do 7 years and they are going to regret it in 4.

I'm going to say it before anyone else does: bold Brad trades the 19th pick - which will only get you some scrub - along with Lucic to Detroit/Seattle/Zona/LA - for cap space. Then Brad goes out and takes a run at Hall, Markstrom, Pietrangelo.

Never heard of Carson Soucy! Young? Older? Who did he just play with? Please enlighten the lazy.
- NewfieStud

Per Frank Seravalli:

With exactly 10 days to go until Free Agent Frenzy, one name has rocketed up TSN Hockey’s Top 75 list.

That would be Minnesota Wild defenceman Carson Soucy, a Group VI unrestricted free agent. To qualify as a Group VI free agent, a player must be at least 25, played three pro seasons and appeared in fewer than 80 NHL games.


The Wild was painfully close to the games played threshold that would have limited Soucy’s leverage as a restricted free agent. Soucy, 26, needed to skate in a combined 76 career regular season and playoff games (pro-rated from the usual 80 because of the COVID-19 pandemic) for the Wild to retain him as an RFA.

Soucy ended up at 66 combined career games after missing the Wild’s final nine pre-pause games due to injury and then playing four games in the postseason.

As a result, Soucy is now up to No. 19 on the Top 75, as sources say more than a third of the NHL’s teams are hungry to see him hit the market on Oct. 9.

That interest and freedom has increased his price. The belief is Soucy could well land in the $2.5 million to $3 million range on a multi-year deal.

Minnesota remains locked in discussions to keep him and Soucy has expressed his desire to remain with the Wild. He has been here before: Even though Minnesota drafted him in 2013, he had the option to become a UFA after playing all four years at the Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth but chose to sign with the Wild.

The 6-foot-5 pride of small-town Irma, Alta. (pop: 521) netted seven goals – his most in a single season since midget hockey – and seven assists while averaging 15:38 per night over 55 games this season.

Did Bennett play wing or center last season?

I'd resign Brodie at anywhere between 5 and 6 million dollars for 5-6 years instead and let Andersson play with Hanifin, they were our best pair in the playoffs. But I guess that if Brodie hasn't already resigned it probably means he's gone.
- redseerpf

Well after he re-signed Brodie, he made a rookie GM mistake, by coming out to the media and saying that they got Brodie for "a real good price". After that point he started using the words "mutually beneficial" - I'd guess Burke pulled him over to the side and had a word with him about that.

Craig Smith only wants 3 years?? He's gonnna have a ton of interest.

I think Flames will wind up signing at least one of Hall, Pietro, or Markstrom and address the other needs by trade.

I'd love to see what Hanifin can fetch on the market. He feels far more valuable as a trade chip than an actual player.
- LittleBroDougie

I agree on hanifin, if I had to choose between him and Brodie I would keep Brodie.

As an armchair GM I would like to either package him or move him for assets to be able to acquire a combination of hjalmarsson and kuemper.

Hjalmarsson’s older and doesn’t put up many points but he’s a great defensive player who I believe only posted poor possession stats in Arizona because their team sucks.

I agree on hanifin, if I had to choose between him and Brodie I would keep Brodie.

As an armchair GM I would like to either package him or move him for assets to be able to acquire a combination of hjalmarsson and kuemper.

Hjalmarsson’s older and doesn’t put up many points but he’s a great defensive player who I believe only posted poor possession stats in Arizona because their team sucks.
- RedC21

Why would you keep Brodie over Hanifin?

As always, thanks Todd! Reports that merzlinkins(spelling? Sorry!) Is available for a centre. What do you think a monahan for merzlinkins trade would look like? Obviously more moving pieces.