Four potential trade fits the Flames could consider to boost blue line depth
The Calgary Flames have a problem on defence.
It’s not exactly a phrase one would’ve expected after a productive offseason that featured the returns of Nikita Zadorov and Michael Stone, the acquisition of MacKenzie Weegar, and the signing of restricted free agent Oliver Kylington to add to the stable stable of Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, and Noah Hanifin.
But with Stone on the shelf because of a lower-body injury, Kylington dealing with a personal family matter back in Sweden, and a bit of a banged-up Tanev, suddenly the Flames are reaching into the bullpen to call on the likes of Connor Mackey, Dennis Gilbert, and Nick DeSimone to carry some minutes as a part of the third pair.
“Weāve got guys, what did we play them last night, 23 to 27 [minutes]?” coach Darryl Sutter started last week. “That means those guys are doing everything they can and this depth stuff we talked about in the summer, itās a bunch of bullshit.
“There isnāt one guy in training camp that even took a step towards being a sixth or seventh or eighth defenceman and weāre playing them now, so itās time to ripen the apple a bit for them.ā
It hasn’t gone smoothly, clearly, with each of the three rotating through in audition form.
None in the trio has logged an average of north of 12 minutes, either, leaving the top five — and first four when Tanev was absent from the lineup — eating a heavy portion of playing time considering the November schedule.
There’s no official timetable on a return from either Stone or Kylington to help ease the load, prompting a pondering as to whether or not the Flames should be scouring the trade market or waiver wire to see if there’s a left-shot option Sutter could possibly have a bit more faith in.
Might be tough, given the team has roughly $1.5 million in cap room to make a room. But not impossible.
Here are some potential low-cost candidates the Flames could consider:
1. Vladislav Gavrikov, Columbus Blue Jackets
Calgary has kept with the Hanifin-Andersson combination for much of the season and has seen positive signs from the Zadorov-Weegar duo, too. That could leave an intriguing, true shutdown pair of Tanev and 26-year-old Vladislav Gavrikov.
Gavrikov isn’t going to provide much in the way of offensive punch, but the almost pure defensive defenceman, who is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $2.8 million price tag, could be a lock to lockdown significant defensive depth minutes alongside Tanev — the Flames’ best own-zone blueliner.
The Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t exactly projected to make a playoff push, leaving Gavrikov as a rental option on the trade market.
2. Jarred Tinordi, Chicago Blackhawks
Jarred Tinordi could check some boxes for the Flames in that he’s big, he’s a left-shot blueliner, he’s cheap, and he’s on an expiring contract. He’s also logging decent minutes for the Chicago Blackhawks, averaging 17:28 over 15 games with the club.
He hasn’t been entirely unproductive, either. The 6’6″, 229-pound defenceman has four points (two goals, two assists) with 23 blocked shots, in those 15 games. His advanced metrics are a bit concerning, but not unexpected on a struggling Chicago club.
3. Carson Soucy, Seattle Kraken
It’d be tough to call Carson Soucy an available rearguard on the trade market, especially considering the Seattle Kraken currently sit north of Calgary in the Pacific Division standings. But the left-shot versatile defenceman is a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Kraken and Flames have connected on a trade before, with Calgary coming away with Calle Jarnkrok — another rental — in advance of last year’s trade deadline.
At 6’5″, the 28-year-old Soucy is a towering option that’d pair nicely with Tanev. He also has the flexibility to play both the left or right side should Calgary run into further lineup quandaries.
4. Ilya Lyubushkin, Buffalo Sabres
Ilya Lyubushkin clocks in at an ask of $2.75 million that does carry additional term into next season, and it does seem unlikely the Buffalo Sabres would part so quickly with a player they signed on the onset of free agency in July, but he could be an option closer to the deadline should Calgary desire term and a willingness to instead pluck a right-shot blueliner off the board.
Lyubushkin has good size at 6’2″ and 201 pounds and has a steadying presence as a more stay-at-home type.
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