9 young players the Calgary Flames should target this trade season

The Calgary Flames are in a very interesting spot after their 6-8-2 start to the season, but with several UFAs likely to be traded, they need to make a decision on what direction the organization is heading in moving forward.

If a re-tool is the way, the Flames are reportedly looking to acquire young, NHL-ready talent rather than draft picks, and if that’s the case, adding to a core of Matt Coronato, Dustin Wolf, Jakob Pelletier, Connor Zary, and others could be the way to go.

With that in mind and with five players set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer, these are nine players that the Calgary Flames should look to target as trade season quickly approaches, whether realistic or not, in order to help further their youth-oriented re-tool. The criteria I applied to qualifying players for this list are (1) the player must be 23 or younger and (2) the player must be “NHL-ready”.

9. Oliver Wahlstrom – New York Islanders

Oliver Wahlstrom is a player who hasn’t been connected to Calgary often in the past, but recently, Elliotte Friedman has done just that, claiming that the Flames could very well be interested in the Islanders former first-round draft pick.

This may be speculation more than anything, but if the Islanders are interested in any of the Flames’ top assets, then convincing them to give up the 23-year old is exactly what Calgary should do. Despite being just 23, the Islanders forward has skated in 171 NHL games already, and while he’s yet to break out, he has shown plenty of potential, putting together 33 goals and 63 points over that time.

He’s not a finished product and he might not ever be a star in the NHL, but if the Islanders believe they can compete by acquiring one of Calgary’s trade assets, then it’s imperative that Calgary target him, and with the Islanders in town on Monday night, it gives them the perfect chance to see him up close and personal.

8. Shane Wright – Seattle Kraken

While Shane Wright is probably not available for the Flames from the division rival Seattle Kraken, Calgary have plenty of pieces that Seattle could use as they look to go one step further in the Stanley Cup playoffs than they did a year ago. After being drafted No. 4 overall back in 2022, Wright has skated in just 11 NHL games, tallying one goal and one assist over that time, but in the AHL, he’s been solid, notching nine goals and 13 points in just 18 games played with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

It’s not expected that the 19-year old will make the leap to the NHL this season, but if a team is patient with his development, he could be a top-six centre for years to come, and the Flames should be all over that. With Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom and other valuable pieces that could be of interest to Seattle, landing Wright would be a franchise-changing move for Calgary, as it would give them a true potential superstar to build around.

Don’t expect this one to happen unless the Flames blow the Kraken away, but given his lack of development in the 18 months he’s been with the organization thus far, there’s always a chance if Seattle believe one of the Flames veterans with an extension could help them become a genuine Stanley Cup threat in the Western Conference.

7. Nick Abruzzese – Toronto Maple Leafs 

The buzz around Abruzzese being acquired by Calgary in a move with the Toronto Maple Leafs began after Sportsnet’s Eric Francis proposed the idea on social media, but given his connections to Matt Coronato, who is expected to be a huge part of Calgary’s future, it’s certainly a move that makes sense.

While the former fourth-round pick shouldn’t be the centerpiece of a deal between Calgary and the Maple Leafs, he’s got tremendous potential after posting 19 goals and 59 points for the Toronto Marlies through 81 games over the past two seasons. He may have only shared one season with Coronato, but with respectable size (5-foot-11, 180 pounds), he can certainly be effective at the next level, and if the Flames can land a bigger prospect or the Leafs first-round pick alongside him, they’ll no doubt be happy with the return.

For more on Abruzzese, check out my recent article: Rumour: Calgary Flames could target a talented prospect from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

6. Matthew Poitras – Boston Bruins

Given Elias Lindholm’s link to the Boston Bruins this past summer, it comes as no surprise that Flames fans have kept a close eye on their prospects, and after a dominant run in the OHL, Matthew Poitras may just be the best of the bunch. In 131 games with the Guelph Storm over two seasons, Poitras added 37 goals and 145 points, and now, he’s making an impact at the NHL level for a loaded team.

In 15 games for Boston this season, Poitras has four goals and four assists for eight points, and while the Bruins see him as a key piece of their future, if they believe Lindholm can be an effective 1C alongside Brad Marchand or David Pastrnak, there’s a good chance Calgary can push for a blockbuster deal. Like Shane Wright, he’s considered a key piece of the team’s future, so prying him away from the Bruins may not be easy to do, but if there’s an opportunity, the Flames could be looking at their 1C of the future, so making a deal here could be the blockbuster that Craig Conroy needs.

5. Peyton Krebs – Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres expressed interest in several of Calgary’s impending UFA’s like Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and Chris Tanev over the summer, and while the Sabres slow start may have them questioning those moves, there’s no doubting they need to inject more experience and veteran leadership into their lineup. While the likes of Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Owen Power are obviously untouchable, if the Sabres could upgrade at several positions, a player like Peyton Krebs could potentially be had by the Flames.

The Okotoks, Alberta native has shown flashes in the NHL, but has yet to produce like many believed he would, as he has just 16 goals and 49 points through his first 146 NHL games between Vegas and Buffalo, making him a great candidate for a change of scenery. At 22 years of age, one of the NHL’s former top prospects still has time to settle into his role and if the Flames want to continue getting younger alongside the likes of Zary, Pospisil, Coronato, and Pelletier, there could be no better option than Krebs.

3. Nils Hoglander – Vancouver Canucks

The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks have been linked on several veteran players this season, and while draft picks are great to have, the Flames have seemingly made it clear to other teams that they want young, NHL ready players. One player the Canucks have seemingly yet to get going was on full display in Calgary during their latest meeting, as Nils Hoglander scored the second of two Canucks goals, and would be a perfect reclamation project for the Flames.

The 22-year-old has long been seen as a key part of Vancouver’s future, but given their start to the season, it appears they’re pivoting towards a genuine Stanley Cup push, and if they can get him alongside other assets for a Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, or Nikita Zadorov, it would be a great deal. The Flames are reportedly not interested in doing business with Vancouver, but if sending one of those three defenseman there gets them a talent like Hoglander along with a potential draft pick, it’s a move Calgary should make every time, as he could become a key piece of their present and their future.

2. Fraser Minten – Toronto Maple Leafs

Eric Francis may have name dropped Nick Abruzzese as a potential filler in a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but make no mistake about it, if Calgary want to do business with Toronto and they want to look at young, NHL ready players, then Fraser Minten is the player they should be most actively targeting.

The 19-year old has been an absolute star for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL over the past two years, tallying point totals of 55 and 67, and after a short stint with the NHL team, he’s back in Kamloops again, already notching 6 points in five games this season. With size (6-foot-2, 192 pounds), skill, and plenty of confidence, Minten has the ability to be a genuine star in the NHL, and while there’s a chance he can crack the top six in Toronto, with that group already being solidified, the Flames could give him a much better opportunity in Calgary.

The Leafs believe that Minten will be a key part of their future, so it’s going to take a major deal to get him away from Toronto, but if they want to win in 2023-24 bad enough, acquiring Hanifin, Tanev, or Zadorov may just mean sacrificing one of their top prospects to get it done.

1. Kent Johnson – Columbus Blue Jackets

While many Flames fans on social media have joked about a reunion with Johnny Gaudreau from the Columbus Blue Jackets, they’re certainly a team that Calgary should be dealing with and after his demotion to the AHL, their biggest target should be Kent Johnson.

There’s obviously something missing or something going wrong in Columbus, as Johnson has shown flashes of superstar potential in the NHL, but the 21-year-old is yet to put together sustained success at the NHL level. In 2022-23, he played in 79 games for the Blue Jackets, tallying a solid 16 goals and 40 points. With the right linemates, he has the potential to be a genuine top-six centre in the NHL.

While the Blue Jackets may not want to give him up this early, it’s clear that something just isn’t clicking with the organization, and if they wish to reunite Gaudreau with Elias Lindholm for a top line of Gaudreau-Lindholm-Laine, this would be the player Calgary should be targeting, as he could be a centrepiece of their rebuild for years to come.