What should Calgary Flames fans expect heading into the trade deadline?

We are rapidly approaching one of the most exciting times of the NHL season.

The trade deadline is just over a week away, set for 1 p.m. MST on Friday, March 7. Though we’ve already seen several teams make big moves, several more deals are expected to be made at or ahead of deadline day.

The Calgary Flames were one of those teams who have already got in on the action, as they acquired Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee in a big trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that saw them ship out Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2025 second-round pick, and a seventh-round pick in 2028.

Shortly after the deal was made, Conroy commented that he was open to making more moves going forward, though they had to be ones that made sense for the long-term plans of this organization, which, despite being in the hunt for a playoff spot, is still in the early stages of a rebuild.

That rules out the chances of the Flames targeting some of the bigger rental players on the market, as they will not be moving out any high draft picks or prospects for individuals they don’t see as part of their long-term plan. And, though it’s impossible to rule out any sort of move, it seems it could be a very quiet deadline in Calgary. Here’s why:

Flames don’t have much to move

As mentioned, the Flames aren’t going to be moving high-end draft picks or prospects. Zayne Parekh is currently their most-prized possession, though he’s far from the only exciting prospect this organization has in the fold.

Conroy has also remained adamant that he isn’t going to be trading out some of their core veterans, including Rasmus Andersson, whose name has been floating out in trade rumours from the beginning of the season.

Heading into 2024-25, the thought was that some pending UFAs, such as Kuzmenko and Anthony Mantha, would be dealt at the deadline for potential picks and prospects. Kuzmenko has since been moved, while Mantha wound up suffering a season-ending ACL injury in November.

The Flames don’t have many other pending UFAs on their roster who will garner much interest.

Tyson Barrie was recently placed on waivers and went unclaimed. Joel Hanley only recently started having a significant role. Kevin Rooney is a borderline NHLer, and Dan Vladar is having another underwhelming season.

Is it possible one of those four will get moved? Of course it is, though the returns would be quite minimal. Aside from Barrie, the Flames may see more value in holding onto them in hopes of making the playoffs rather than moving any for what would be nothing more than a late-round pick in return.

Depth could be added

The one thing we could see Conroy do is add a little depth up front, albeit for a minimal cost. Bringing in a penalty-killing centre could make sense, as it wouldn’t require the Flames to part ways with any major assets.

The centre position is the Flames’ biggest need, as the remain somewhat thin in that position at the NHL level and don’t have a whole lot of call-up options with the Calgary Wranglers.

Adding a defenceman doesn’t seem as likely. Kevin Bahl has returned from an upper-body injury, and even if another blue liner were to go down, there are several Wranglers players they are likely to give opportunities instead.

Bigger trades likely to occur in offseason

Despite being able to acquire a centreman in Frost, the Flames are still actively searching for a right-shot centre who fits into their long-term plans. One name linked to them on several occasions is Dylan Cozens, who is locked in long-term on a contract that carries a cap hit of $7.1 million.

Cozens fits the Flames’ timeline and is a player they would love to add despite his struggles the past two seasons. However, such a move would require plenty of moving parts and is far more likely to occur in the offseason.

Aside from a potential depth add up front, Flames fans should be prepared for a pretty quiet trade deadline in Calgary.

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