Calgary Flames May Not Find Jonas Hiller Trade Partner

As the trade deadline nears, it’s appearing quite credible that the Calgary Flames will be unable to trade the expiring contract of goaltender, Jonas Hiller.

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The goaltending trade market has seen limited action, but the little action it has already seen may be the entire extent of it come trade deadline.

James Reimer being dealt to the San Jose Sharks by the Toronto Maple Leafs has thus far represented the biggest deal, with Anders Nilsson’s departure from the Edmonton Oilers to the St. Louis Blues representing the only other move of any sort of value.

The Calgary Flames could’ve looked to sell Hiller, possibly with some retained salary, to either side as they were clearly seeking depth ahead of play-off pushes.

Jonas Hiller stood on his head on more than one occasion during the play-off run the Calgary Flames enjoyed last year, and there is every chance he could rekindle that form if given a proper chance to do so.

However, with the buyers market seemingly weak and the big deals already seeming to have been made on the goaltending front, the Calgary Flames may have to settle for letting Hiller go at free agency for no positive return or re-signing him, hopefully to a lesser contract.

A package deal could still occur, again though it seems the Calgary Flames would need to retain some of Hiller’s salary as his cap hit isn’t greatly trade-friendly based on his numbers this year.

There are certainly some interesting players still available, but should they even be considered if the Calgary Flames are given the option?

If the Maple Leafs hadn’t already dealt Reimer, I still believe a deal for Jonathan Bernier would’ve been a solid return for the Calgary Flames. A pure hockey deal in the hope that Bernier can turn his career around somewhat in a new environment.

This too, though, seems somewhat delusional now, as the Toronto Maple Leafs have already given up one potential starter and would unlikely trade so late for another, especially one with a bigger cap hit and expiring deal.

For the Calgary Flames, trade deadline represents a chance to step back and assess where they want the organisation to go in the next few years, and then make the correct deals.

No more building for the short-term, a long-term plan is the only way forward and Jonas Hiller’s contract represents one of the first steps in determining what that way forward is.

Next: Flames Deal Hudler To Florida Panthers

What do you think; have the Calgary Flames missed the boat in terms of finding a trade partner for Jonas Hiller?

Will someone come in last minute for him and surprise us all?

Or will the Calgary Flames seek to re-sign him for at least another year?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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