Dealing Away Veterans Will Benefit The Flames In The Long Run

The Calgary Flames currently are the NHL’s fourth-worst team with a 15-18-4 record. However, the Flames have gone 11-6-2 since Nov. 10, and they’ve got a respectable 9-5-2 home record, but winning these games might not be productive for the future of the organization.

If the Flames can figure out how to produce more offense – they’re currently the fourth-worst team in the league in goals scored per game with 2.59 – they might be able to nip at the heels of legitimate playoff teams in the Pacific Division and slip into a wild card spot.

But here’s the thing – while it no doubt would benefit this Flames team to justify Calgary GM Craig Conroy’s confidence in them by raising their collective game, what happens if Calgary rises only into the Mushy Middle of the league?

Because that finish, while admirable in the general sense, would mean that the Flames are poor enough to miss the playoffs, and at the same time, too good to get the top spot in the NHL entry draft. This would be the double-whammy, missed opportunity to grit their collective teeth, trade veteran players, and try to draft a top prospect.

A franchise player and an elite talent is something the Flames have lacked in recent years. When you see what a player has done as the top pick – just look at San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini, as well as Chicago Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard – you see why the Flames must be actively engaging with their future by making hard choices about their veteran players.

It already feels like a fait accompli that change is coming for Calgary – at least, when it comes to veteran defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who is hurtling toward being a UFA, and who could give them great value on the trade market. 

Once Andersson's trade materializes, the Flames will be a better team in the long run because they’re investing in younger players. Meanwhile, forwards Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman also have great trade value in their own ways.

Given that neither Kadri nor Coleman have full no-trade clauses – both players have partial no-trade clauses that allow Kadri to veto a trade to 13 teams of his choice, and Coleman to submit a list of 10 teams he’d approve being traded to – you have to think that same principle would be at play here: you take your lumps as an organization by suffering in the short-term, but you come out of it with generational talent you can't acquire any other way.

This year’s projected No. 1 pick is Canadian winger Gavin McKenna. This is a player who has the creativity and vision to elevate his game to elite status at the NHL level.

The Sharks are a prime example of what the Flames should do. The Sharks suffered for years as they dealt away veterans and spent time developing their prospects. But Sharks GM Mike Grier did things the right way – he knew pain was coming, and he toughed it out, took his lumps and emerged from the other side with a foundational star. And while we know not every team that tanks winds up with a talent like Celebrini, it's worth the effort to give it a shot.

You’re never going to land a Connor McDavid or a Nathan MacKinnon with a mid-first round selection. And that’s what will be so discouraging for Flames fans if Conroy doesn’t give his team better odds at winning this year’s draft. If you tank for the next 45 games, you’re not going to enjoy it, but you have the best chance at landing someone who can be a true difference-maker.  

With the right moves this season – and that means trading every one of the aforementioned Calgary stars – the Flames could get a terrific shot at a player who can move the needle in a way only a handful of players can.

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