Breaking: Calgary Flames UFA’s Likely To Be Moved
By Nathan Smith
This Calgary Flames off-season has been a busy and chaotic one thus far, as we’ve had a new General Manager and Head Coach, as well as the announcement of a new arena deal, and now as we move on to the on-ice product, there has been some potentially great, potentially bad news (depending on your viewpoint) revealed by a big NHL Insider.
According to Frank Seravalli, not only has Noah Hanifin indicated to Calgary that he will not be re-signing next off-season, but the expectation is that Mikael Backlund and potentially Elias Lindholm are on the way out too, giving Craig Conroy some massive decisions to make as we approach the 2023 NHL Draft.
The belief is #Flames have received a more direct answer from defenseman Noah Hanifin, who has clearly indicated that he does not plan to sign an extension in Calgary.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 22, 2023
That doesn't necessarily guarantee a trade, but Calgary has an answer on where he stands.
The Hanifin news comes as little surprise, as the belief has been that he wants to go elsewhere in free agency, and with great value, the Flames could get a fantastic deal for him, as he put up a career best 48 and 38 points over the past two seasons, and at 26-years of age, he will be highly valued by teams on the trade market as the draft approaches.
Finally, on #Flames: Bit of a surprise. Told Mikael Backlund is also leaning toward not re-signing in Calgary.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 22, 2023
That could change, and Flames hope it does. He's been a staple for 15 years.
Nonetheless, Craig Conroy has decisions to make.
Backlund on the other hand could be seen as a massive shock for some, as he has been a staple in this city and on this team for the better part of the past 15 seasons, but with eyes on a Stanley Cup ring, the belief is now that the 34-year old is leaning towards not re-signing with the team that drafted him back in 2007.
#Flames update: CGY recently made a big pitch, rolled out the red carpet ($) to try to re-sign C Elias Lindholm.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 22, 2023
CGY is waiting on a response from Lindholm and haven't been given definitive answer yet. But general league speculation is he's leaning toward not re-signing w/ CGY.
Lastly is Elias Lindholm, who perhaps holds the key to the direction of this team going forward, and despite the team reportedly going all out to lure him back to Calgary on a long-term deal, the belief around the league is that the 28-year old forward is ready to move on to brighter pastures following five seasons with the Flames.
So now, Conroy has a potentially franchise altering decision to make, on whether to land NHL ready packages like the front office did a season ago with Matthew Tkachuk, or they can look to land future prospects and draft picks in order to fully embrace a rebuild, and with Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri locked in long-term, the choice is crucial.
So what do you think Flames fans? Should the team rebuild? Should they take a chance on bringing any of these names back next season? Who should the team target in trade talks? As always, let us know in the comments!