Calgary may longer be able to avoid a much-needed teardown with veterans wanting out the door
Nikita Zadorov’s trade request becoming public is just the latest distraction for the Calgary Flames.
It could also be exactly what the franchise needs.
The Flames are yet again spinning their wheels with a whack of big decisions to make about their future direction. Having those resolutions made for them would put the franchise on a track all too often avoided in the Stampede City — an actual rebuild.
Zadorov is among a handful of key players due to become unrestricted free agents, a list that also includes centre Elias Lindholm and other defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev.
As it stands now, the odds of re-signing any of those players are smaller and smaller. Why would those skaters wish to remain with a team that is off to a measly 4-8-2 record heading into Tuesday's road clash with the Montreal Canadiens and appears to be going nowhere near the playoffs?
Why would the Flames, ahead of only the shockingly struggling Edmonton Oilers and AHL-calibre San Jose Sharks in the overall standings, actually want to keep them in the fold?
Sure, those players are very good, even on a bottom-tier Flames squad, but it doesn’t appear to make sense to re-sign Lindholm to a long-term deal for top-line centre money. He is due to be 29 years old in a few weeks, essentially at the apex of his career, with a skillset that will wane sooner than later. With only two assists in his last nine games, and looking nothing like a first-line player alongside slumping Jonathan Huberdeau, Lindholm is not doing an favours for his contract demands.
As for Zadorov and Tanev, they are both dependable, gritty and solid third-pairing defensemen, capable of being in a top-four role under the right circumstances. Both are perfect players for a playoff team. However, the Flames look nothing like a playoff team, which makes them both more valuable as traded assets.
Hanifin is the trickier one. He is soon to be 27, and there is great value keeping him in the fold on a defence corps that also includes Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. That said, if the terms do not jive for both sides, it will not happen.
The Flames are facing a crossroads similar to the one stared at in the summer of 2022. In hindsight, the path taken at that point — to keep pushing forward with Stanley Cup title hopes — was the wrong choice.
The time has come for the Flames franchise to steer in a new direction, especially if it is being forced upon them.