The TDP

With the NHL Trade Deadline just 1 week away, and some small trades starting to take place and set the market, I figured now would be a good time to have some fun and write up some Flames predictions.

I have no inside information within the organization, as you will soon see from some of these proposals. I’m just a guy who follows the Flames and likes to watch hockey, but I think there could be an opportunity this year for the Flames to do more than just ship out expiring contracts for picks.

It’s getting to the point where the Flames need more immediate help if they want to take advantage of their young core. Adding a pick that won’t be able to help until 4-5 years from now, if ever, isn’t the worst thing in the world but it definitely shouldn’t be the Flames top priority. If they can find a couple pieces now that they see as longer-term solutions, now’s the time to grab them. Get new players introduced to the system and their new teammates early, and try to get a head start on next season.

This could be a very important Trade Deadline for the Flames in the long run.

1. Kris Russell is traded to Pittsburgh

Up until now I truly believed that the Flames would actually re-sign Kris Russell. Not that I think re-signing him was better than trading him or anything, it was always just my gut feeling on the matter.

With how hard it is to find defensemen who can play well at this level, with Russell being an Alberta boy, and the Flames wanting to solidify their defense-core long term, I figured that there very well could have been a deal to be made here. Heck, there still could be. Who knows what happens between now and July 1^st, but I’m starting to believe that Russell will be traded.

So what’s changed?

Well the Wideman suspension is one thing that’s changed. Even without his 20 game suspension a Dennis Wideman trade was going to be hard to hammer out. Now that he is suspended it’s almost a certainty he will, at the very least, finish the season as a Flame.

Ladislav Smid has also taken another trip to the IR and, depending on the severity, that could be the end of any trade value he had created with his solid play throughout the season.

The Flames have too much money tied up defensively, and signing Russell commits even more money to the blueline for next season. With them having a limited ability to trade other large contracts clogging up their bottom 3 defensive spots, it doesn’t make sense to sign Russell now.

Where could he go? I have my eye on the Penguins personally.

Kris Russell to the Penguins for Matt Murray.

Why the Penguins do it: Pittsburgh is an interesting case. Jim Rutherford has shown in the past that he is willing to trade futures to help the Penguins win now, and it makes sense as they have 2 of the best players in the world in Crosby and Malkin. The team needs another top 4 defender and has reportedly contacted the Flames about making a trade for Russell since as early as last year’s trade deadline. This might be the year they get him.

For the Flames this could be their opportunity to grab a young, top notch goaltending prospect in Matt Murray. According to most out there, this year’s draft isn’t nearly as deep as last years. If I’m the Flames then I'm going to try to start squaring away my goaltending duo for next season, instead of adding more picks.

2. The Flames ship out Deryk Engelland

As I mentioned earlier, the Flames already have too much money tied up in the blueline. Ideally the team would probably want to ship out Wideman and Smid to alleviate that pressure, but with Wideman’s status up in the air, and Smid taking another trip to the IR, moving Engelland may be the only course of action for Brad Treliving.

Engelland is a solid defensive defender who is slightly overpaid but only has 1 year left on his deal after this year and is a solid bottom pairing guy who can slip into the top 4 in times of crisis. The Flames may try and target a goalie with a larger salary and maybe even longer term. Grabbing a young guy like Matt Murray goes a long way to solving some goaltending questions, but you can’t put all your eggs into one, unproven, basket. The Flames would probably still like 1 more guy who can act as a buffer for their young goalies.

Flames send Deryk Engelland to the Jets for Ondrej Pavelec.

Why the Jets do it: The Jets have young goaltenders Michael Hutchinson and Connor Hellebuyck ready to, at the very least, be a 1A/1B tandem in the crease. They also have Pavelec signed for another year at a $3.9M cap hit, but have to pay him $4.75M in actual salary. The Jets are a budget team and would probably like to avoid paying that if they can.

Engelland is a big body for their bottom pairing who can step into the top 4 if needed. He also has some experience playing forward in the team ever needs to dress 7 defenders.

3. The Flames make a legitimate hockey trade

The Flames seemingly have a log jam of similar forwards in a bottom 6 role that are young and still have potential, but have yet to consistently put it all together. Guys like Joe Colborne, Mikael Backlund, Markus Granlund, and Josh Jooris have all show flashes of brilliance while struggling to consistently put up points.

My guess is that the team will part ways with Markus Granlund. He is the youngest of the group and probably has the most potential, but for me he’s a lot of what this team already has.

He’s a center but is probably better suited on the wing since he is bad at face-offs. He’s speedy and smart, has good hands and uses his line-mates well. He has a good motor that gives, but he is still rather inconsistent and can get pushed around easily. The Flames have lots of those guys, so I could see the Flames ship out a package around Markus Granlund for a similar value prospect who brings something a little different to the table.

Flames trade Markus Granlund to the Stars for Brett Ritchie.

The Flames have been linked to liking Ritchie in the past. He also happens to fill a big need on the Flames team as a big, right handed Power Forward with top 6 potential. On paper he looks like the perfect guy to pair with Johnny and Mony.

Why the Stars do it: The Stars in general are just a very deep, and young team so they shouldn’t feel pressured to move anyone. However, adding Granlund would add another smart versatile forward who can play in any and all situations. They may even be able to get the Flames to add to the deal, giving them more incentive to consider a swap of prospects.

Update: Flames have traded Markus Granlund to Vancouver for Hunter Shinkaruk.

4. Hudler will end up in California

Jiri Hudler has been an absolutely amazing professional ever since joining the Flames and he has taken on a leadership role for them since the rebuild started. He is a very good professional who the young guys can come in and emulate.

I’ve been a big fan of Hudler since he joined the Flames and watching him leave is going to be sad. But life goes on, and this is a business and *insert more clichés here*. Simply put the Flames are in no position to give Hudler the type of contract he will be looking for and with the Flames well outside a playoff spot and Hudler a UFA at seasons end, a move just has to be made.

Over the years a handful of teams within Calgary’s division have gotten to see Jiri Hudler up close and personal. Namely the Kings, who Hudler had a monster game against last year to eliminate the Kings from playoff contention and clinched a playoff berth for the hometown heroes. The other team is the Anahiem Ducks, who the Flames battled against in the second round of the playoffs last year.

With the Kings losing Gaborik for the rest of the regular season, and the Ducks struggling offensively for most of the season, I suspect these 2 teams will be right at the top of the list of teams who are interested in adding Hudler at the deadline.

It’s hard to say what the return for Hudler would be. The market for top 6 wingers still hasn’t been set yet, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Flames are able to acquire a decent young prospect OR a couple of picks in the top 90 of this year’s draft.

So there you have it. My completely uninformed, ignorant, and soon to be proven wrong Trade Deadline Predictions. Now that I’ve built up a busy deadline for the Flames, they’ll probably sit on their hands and do nothing.