The Calgary Flames need to sell now before it's too late

If there was any doubt about what the Calgary Flames should be doing with their pending UFAs, it has become quite obvious in recent weeks.

Nearly 30 games into the 2023-24 season, the Flames own a disappointing 11-14-4 record, and look much more like the same struggling team we saw a year ago rather than that of 2021-22.

Though they sit just two points shy of a playoff spot, you’re lying to yourself if you believe this Flames team is capable of doing any sort of damage in the postseason. At best, they would limp in and more than likely be eliminated quickly. At worst, they remain in the hunt but wind up missing the playoffs by a few points, similar to last season. Because of this, it is crystal clear that the Flames need to sell.

General manager Craig Conroy has remained quite patient with his pending UFAs, and for good reason. There was no rush needed to trade them before the season began, and giving this team a chance to see how they would perform was a reasonable strategy. Now, it is clear that this roster simply isn’t good enough, and moving out pending UFAs will help improve that down the road.

The Flames are in a great spot to sell given that they have several highly valuable rental players — Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin. All three would be great pickups for any team in hopes of competing for a Stanley Cup, and should all bring in solid returns to help the Flames improve in the future.

Though the trade deadline isn’t until March 8, Conroy hasn’t much reason to continue holding onto the three players. Thankfully, Tanev’s latest injury doesn’t appear to be anything serious, but the fact that it could have been shows why it’s best to move these guys soon. You can’t risk any of them getting injured before moving them, and the longer you keep them around, the higher those chances increase. That is why the time has come for the Flames to become sellers.

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