The Calgary Flames took a huge step in their rebuild this season. Trading the likes of Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar proves that the team has offically embraced its rebuilder status, as excitement within the fanbase grows as the Flames finally look to have a direction.
As the offseason progresses, the Flames can still be expected to be active when it comes to player movement. There may still be players who remain on the roster who will likely be in demand come next season’s trade deadline. However, the Flames could be ahead of the curve by trading those players during the offseason. With that being said, here are some players whom the Flames need to start shopping this offseason
Blake Coleman
Blake Coleman was among many veterans on the Flames who were heavily rumoured to be dealt by the deadline. It ended up not happening, and Coleman remains a Flame. To me, he is the obvious first candidate who should be shopped by the team. Simply put, Coleman’s timeline can be grouped with the players such as Kadri and Weegar, in the sense that it’s time he gets the chance to compete for another Stanley Cup.
With two retention spots opening up for the Flames this offseason, now is the time to take calls on the 34-year-old. Coleman can still be quite productive in a bottom-six role in any contender’s lineup. He provides that extra grit, scoring depth and is a proven playoff performer. Case in point, the Flames are still likely to get a pretty decent return for Coleman, especially if they retain salary.
Olli Maatta
Acquired in the Weegar trade, Olli Maata has made quite a name for himself in Calgary. Through 21 games with the Flames, Maata scored 14 points and was a point-per-game player for the Flames for a huge chunk of those games. Maata’s game seems to have improved since coming to Calgary, which will also only benefit his trade value.
Maata is on a very reasonable contract, making only $3.5 million till 2028. While the Flames don’t necessarily need to move him right now, they should at least gauge the market for him to see what he could fetch. After all, Maata is a steady defender who would fit in nicely on the left side of a contender’s blueline. He also has playoff experience, winning two cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Maata could fetch back even more draft picks for the Flames if a team is looking for blueline depth. He should definitely be a player the team dangles in the trade market, as he could generate significant interest.
Morgan Frost
This could ruffle some feathers, but Morgan Frost is a player that the Flames should consider trading. A big reason behind this is his status as a pending UFA.
Frost had a pretty decent season. He scored a career high of 22 goals and finished second on the team in scoring. While Frost could be seen as a player who stays long-term, the main concern is how much money he’s looking for on his next contract. Frost is 27, so he isn’t exactly young. Not to mention, if he is looking for a significant raise on his next contract, it should be with another team.
You look at players such as Charlie Coyle, who is sort of comparable to Frost. Coyle was recently signed to a six-year contract with an AAV of $6 million per season. If Frost’s camp wants his next contract to be somewhat like Coyle’s, the Flames should not pursue that whatsoever.
Given his position, there’s no doubt that Frost could generate a market for himself trade-wise. Either way, generating interest for Frost during the offseason would allow for the Flames to get a better idea of what his market could be, and whether keeping him in Calgary would be a realistic option or not.
Honorable mentions
Given that the Flames are pretty much open to trade everyone other than a select few, there are still a few more players the Flames could look at flipping this summer.
Ryan Strome, who was acquired at the trade deadline, could have a market, but it’s more likely the Flames trade him near the deadline next season. Same as a player such as Zach Whitecloud.
Players such as Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil could be dark-horse candidates to be moved this summer. Zary, especially, is entering the territory of potentially needing a fresh start, while Pospisil could be moved to make room for younger players.
Either way, there are a lot of ways the Flames could go with this. Either they stand pat or continue to be active on the trade front. The offseason can always be filled with the unexpected.