The 2025 NHL trade deadline is Friday. It’s the time of year when we see teams that will be missing the playoffs ship out expiring contracts for future pieces and contenders go all in for a chance at a Stanley Cup championship parade. In this article, we’ll break down what to expect from the Calgary Flames between now and March 7th at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time .
Calgary Flames Trade Chips for this Year’s Deadline
Heading into the 2024-2025 NHL season, Calgary was a team many expected to be major sellers by the deadline. They were supposed to be near the bottom of the league moving out veterans and expiring contracts. However, a lot has changed since then and the Flames find themselves in a very different situation. The Flames currently sit just a single point out of a playoff spot, which means that they may not be as interested in trading away key veterans. The Flames also have a shortage of unrestricted free agents (UFAs). This could mean they aren’t trading away many assets come March 7th, but here are some players that could be moved.
Calgary’s Key UFAs
The Calgary Flames currently have five UFAs on the roster. However, two of those UFAs are out for the season with injuries in Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland, which makes it three potential trade candidates. The most enticing piece on the roster is Flames backup goaltender Daniel Vladar. He currently ranks as #41 on Daily Faceoff’s trade target boards.
Vladar had an opportunity to contend for Calgary’s starting job but lost the role to Flames rookie Dustin Wolf. Vladar currently has a .891 save percentage and a 2.98 goals-against average. He has good size and has shown flashes of starter potential, but has shown he’s a 1b or backup at best. The reality is the market for Vladar isn’t that high. Most playoff teams have a solid number one and a backup they are comfortable with firmly in place. There could be a small market with teams like Carolina and Florida, who just traded away their backup. However, the return for a backup upgrade would be minimal. There’s a very real possibility with the Flames in a playoff race they elect to keep Vladar.
In addition to Vladar, the Flames have two depth pieces in defenceman Joel Hanley and forward Kevin Rooney. Hanley has played well for the Flames and earned a top-four role. However, the 33-year-old journeyman is likely a seventh or eighth on a top contender. Rooney currently centres the Flames’ fourth line and is certainly expendable, but again is likely a 13th forward on most top teams. The return for either of these two players is likely a late-round pick. Not someone who can improve the current roster. If a team comes calling Conroy should certainly listen, but with the low return, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Flames keep both and hope they can help the Flames reach the playoffs.
Veterans With Value
Calgary’s roster has two key veterans who have been the topic of trade conversations since before the season started. Veteran forward Nazem Kadri and defenceman Rasmus Andersson are two good players most playoff teams would love to add.
Kadri brings Stanley Cup-winning experience and has proven he can still be a big-time player at the age of 34. He would provide any interested team with an instant boost to secondary scoring and a reliable 200-foot game. The issue with dealing Kadri is twofold. Firstly, he has four more years remaining with a $7 million cap hit. At 34 now, this means having Kadri until he’s 38. The big cap hit also means most contenders would need salary retained to fit in Kadri. Combined those factors with the fact Kadri has a full no-movement clause and a deal becomes more complicated. Kadri has stated he’s happy in Calgary and he would only consider a move to a few teams. So despite the interest in the veteran forward, a deal like this is far more likely during the offseason than at the deadline.
Rasmus Andersson has proven to be a solid top-four NHL defenceman. With a reasonable $4.55 million per season cap hit and one more year on his deal, Andersson is probably the Flames’ best trade asset. He would provide an upgrade to almost every team in the league and with his age and contract status he could be a long-term upgrade for any potential suitor. However, despite the fact the Flames could get a good return, they are currently pushing for the playoffs. Combine this with the fact that Andersson isn’t a pending UFA and the chances of him moving become less. Andersson has made it clear he would like to resign in Calgary, and the Flames have no pressure to move him yet, so it’s likely he’ll remain a Flame this season unless someone blows the doors off the Flames front office with an offer.
Calgary’s Biggest Move Already Done?
On January 30th, the Calgary Flames made a major trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, well ahead of Friday’s deadline. Shipping out former first-rounder Jakob Pelletier, winger Andrei Kuzmenko, and two draft picks for young forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost. The trade looked to address two areas of concern for Calgary. Firstly, they got a promising young centre in Morgan Frost. Calgary had been struggling down the middle, with only two true NHL centres Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri on the roster. Down the road, Frost should provide Calgary with a middle-six centre to grow with and give them flexibility in their forward group. Calgary also received a two-time 20-goal scorer in Joel Farabee. The hope was Farabee would be able to boost to the Flames’ scoring as they have struggled offensively all season.
After just eight games played, it’s too early to know if the deal with play out the way the Flames hoped. This trade, however, was not just for this season, as both Farabee and Frost are in their mid-twenties and under team control. The likelihood of Calgary making another big trade before March 7th seems unlikely.
Areas the Calgary Flames Could Upgrade at the Trade Deadline
Calgary still has a few areas of concern they’d love to address. Calgary desperately needs a right-shot centreman. Not having a single right-hander on the roster to take important faceoffs is a massive cause for concern. Down the stretch winning a defensive faceoff can be big. The Flames are relying on their top centermen on their weak side far too often.
Calgary could also use an upgrade at left defence. MacKenzie Weegar has been playing with a bit of a revolving door on the Flames second pairing. No knock against Joel Hanley who has won the job away from Jake Bean and Daniil Miromanov, the reality is that Calgary needs to find a long-term solution to pair with Weegar in their top-four. There are some enticing names like Bowen Byram and K’Andre Miller who fit the Flames’ age range. The trouble is, either one of those likely requires a larger price.
The Flames also struggle to score goals. However, goal scorers come the trade deadline become a top asset. Calgary really shouldn’t be looking to give up any top prospects or high picks for scoring. They also shouldn’t really be in the market for a rental.
Playing Low Stakes
The Flames have a few key areas of concern and some interesting assets. However, this deadline could end up being quiet. Given the current stage of their rebuild and their position in the standings, it’s more than likely the Flames make only minor moves. Seeing them send a mid to late-round pick for a player like Michael McCarron to fill a fourth-line centre role may be as big as it gets.
Main Photo: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
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