Calgary Flames Roundtable: Late-season collapse

Question five: That being said, who do you think could be traded this off-season?

Jonathan Boulanger

I definitely think either Brodie or Bennett or both could be dealt this offseason. I would be ok with Brodie being dealt because I think he could be replaced rather easily with one of the team’s stellar defense prospects whether it be Juuso Valimaki, Andersson, Kylington or Adam Fox. As for Bennett, he’s still too young for me to be on board with trading him. He’s only 21 and could become a solid player for the flames for many years if he is simply awarded some patience. He has shown flashes and is already quite valuable in my opinion.

That being said, you can’t give him all the time in the world and at some point he has to start playing like the 4th overall pick that he is. If not, it might be time for a fresh start for #93. The reluctance around trading him is rooted in the potential regret the Flames may face if he blossoms into a star somewhere else. The cautionary tales are present with guys like Tyler Seguin after he was traded from Boston, Taylor Hall after he was traded from Edmonton and even Miikka Kiprusoff after he was traded from San Jose to Calgary back in the day. Once again, be careful Brad.

Ian Gustafson

I think TJ Brodie could be on the move and possibly one of our goaltenders such as Gillies.

Tomas Oppolzer

I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw at least two of Travis Hamonic, TJ Brodie, Micheal Stone, Sam Bennett, and Micheal Ferland moved. The Flames need a top 6 winger and they also have prospects like Rasmus Andersson who are more than ready to make the jump but have players on the main roster blocking their way.

Related Story: What's going on with T.J. Brodie?

Benjamin Prokopy

I think the Flames’ most tradeable asset is TJ Brodie.  With so many defense prospects in the cupboard, the team can afford to move a blueliner.  And the smooth skating, offensively minded Brodie would be very attractive to teams in a trade scenario.

I’d also guess he would be the least protected defenseman.  The team isn’t likely to trade their captain, Giordano. Dougie Hamilton is in a class of his own, so likely untouchable.  And I don’t think the return on Travis Hamonic would be as high.

That leaves Brodie.  His $4.65M cap hit is not entirely prohibitive.  However his modified no-trade clause, which stipulates that he can select 8 teams to which he cannot be traded, could act as a barrier.

There are a number of prospects that could go as well.  Aforementioned defensemen like Rasmus Andersson, Oilver Kylington and Adam Fox may well be included in a deal.  I also think both Jon Gillies and David Rattich played well enough in Mike Smith’s absence to endear themselves to any team needing a reliable backup goaltender.

Finally, it wouldn’t surprise me if Micheal Ferland’s name was announced in a trade.  He gained a great deal of exposure on the top line with Monahan and Gaudreau.  He has a very attractive cap hit $1.75M, particularly for the caliber of player that he is evolving into.

Trading Ferland now solves a future problem for Treliving, as well.  Ferland’s contract expires at the end of next season (2018-2019).  At that time, the 20-goal scorer will likely ask for (and deserve) a raise, barring any performance issues next year.  Unfortunately, Matthew Tkachuk’s entry-level contract expires at the same time as Ferland’s.  Tkachuk was on pace for 30 goals before being shut down with a suspected concussion.  Should that continue next year, he will be due a very big raise (somewhere close to linemate Mikael Backlund’s $5.35M, I would expect).

With Backlund’s raise taking effect next season, the Flames are running short on cap room, all things being equal.  Treliving, I’m sure, knows that cap space needs to be available for a new deal for Tkachuk.  As such, there may simply be no room for a Ferland deal come next season’s end.  Obviously, getting value for Ferland now is the better option against letting him go in free agency.

Dan Raicevich

Anyone not named Gaudreau, Giordano, Hamilton, Monahan, Smith and Tkachuk should be available.

I would definitely try to help strengthen my depth on the scoring wings. I would also try to look and add some bottom six depth too, thats for sure. It sure looks like Rasmus Andersson is ready to play in the NHL. Could he be a chip used to bring a big scoring winger back?

That includes the coaching staff as well. That is where the change needs to be made the most. While Glen Gulutzan might be a players coach, has had some form of success as well, it just appears to me that he has no control over the locker room there. I mean one goal goes in and its like they fold a hand of Pocket Aces.

The Flames need hire a veteran coach who is demanding on the players. Im sorry to say it because Gully has the best flow of any head coach in the NHL too. But he is a little soft on the group, and they need a coach who is very hard on the players.

Ramina Shlah

I would definitely agree that TJ Brodie is most likely the one being traded. He hasn’t been that great or consistent since not being paired with Mark Giordano. And as much as we can attribute that to maybe Dennis Wideman was the anchor, it’s been made clear that he makes his own mistakes.

The only problem is that, since Brodie’s had somewhat of an off-year, I’m not sure how much trade value Treliving could get for him. That leaves another option that the others have mentioned with Micheal Ferland. I think Tre could work his negotiation magic and get some good value for him. While I really like and respect Ferland, he is somewhat inconsistent. But as the Sportsnet panel has mentioned, the Calgary Flames won’t be trading with their emotions.

Next: Takeaways from win over Vegas - That's a wrap!

Well, this was somewhat of a disappointing season, but at least they finished it on a high note. That’s all in this edition of the roundtable!