It was a quiet final day before the trade deadline, but the Flames finished a significant makeover
Craig Conroy has seen closely the job from the other side of the table, but his first swing as general manager all the way from summer through the trade deadline gives him a difference perspective.
“It’s a lot different,” he said after Friday’s trade deadline-day work was done. “You think you know watching Brad (Treliving) do it, seeing Jay Feaster do it, but it’s not as much fun as people think. It’s nerve-wracking. You’re dealing with people, their families, and good people, too. I am glad it’s over.”
The Flames were relatively quiet on the day before the final buzzer sounded, with their lone swap a deal that brings in another young defenseman in Nikita Okhotiuk from the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round pick. The Flames also re-signed Kevin Rooney, a pending unrestricted free-agent, to a one-year extension at $1.3 million.
Then again, all of the big work was done in the time leading up to the deadline. Since taking the reins, Conroy has dealt away five pending UFA players: Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils (who was flipped on Friday to the Winnipeg Jets), Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in separate trades, Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars and most recently Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“We wanted to do what we thought was fair by the players and that worked for us moving forward,” Conroy said. “We didn’t come to term with any of the guys. As you move forward, we tried to get ahead of it earlier so we knew where everybody stood and as it went along. … All great players, all good people, and I wish them all the best, but again, I knew we had to do this for the organization and the franchise moving forward.”
There was also talk goalie Jacob Markstrom was close to being traded to New Jersey, after which he had some pointed remarks at the organization, but Conroy said he and the netminder don’t have any fences to mend.
“One thing I know, Jacob’s a competitor,” Conroy said. “And he cares about these guys. I know there’s been noise, but all he does is play well. So Jacob and I are going to be fine. I’m obviously not on the road trip, but the one thing I know, he cares about this team, he cares about this organization. And he’s going to be exactly what he’s been, one of the best goalies in the league.”
Amidst all of the trades, the Flames, among a whack of other selections, end up with a pair of first-round picks: Vancouver’s this year and one from the Vegas Golden Knights in 2026. From dealing away so many players, the Flames have a handful of defence prospects and a whack of draft picks.
“I saw how hard it was to get first-round picks,” he said. “If you wanted to make trades, help your team, find a younger player that makes sense on a trade, maybe you do a player plus a first-round pick. It goes a long ways to get real players you want. They’re also a chip to be able to move, but they’re also there if you are able to pick the pick. We’re happy with how our draft board’s filled up and it gives our amateur scouts a ton of opportunities.”
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