The Flames’ season may be over, but the work for their front office is only just beginning. Not only is the beating heart of their franchise, Johnny Gaudreau, a pending unrestricted free agent, but they also have potential future captain Matthew Tkachuk as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent who is inching closer to his own unrestricted free agency. The next month is set to be one full of crucial negotiations for the Flames, and according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the team would like to begin those as soon as possible.
Friedman reports that the Flames will move “aggressively” to extend those two players, in order to have a quick understanding of “what the landscape is” in terms of their futures. The Flames can hardly be blamed for their urgency, given the importance of both Gaudreau and Tkachuk to everything they have been building. Flames GM Brad Treliving has previously said that he would “move heaven and earth” to retain Gaudreau, and one has to assume he will carry that same attitude towards retaining Tkachuk. But as is the case with most contract negotiations in the NHL, Treliving’s “heaven and earth” will likely take a backseat to the most important factor: dollars and cents.
Now, for some other bits of news from across the NHL:
- Before free agency can begin, there is another major event on the NHL’s calendar that will need to be completed: the entry draft. We previously covered how it’s not a guarantee that Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright will go first overall to the Montreal Canadiens, and there is now another development regarding that connection. Friedman reported yesterday that the Canadiens’ brass led by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes will meet face-to-face with Wright at the NHL combine. Just as making the first overall selection comes with a lot of opportunity so comes a lot of responsibility, and the interactions between the Canadiens and Wright could go a long way towards making the team feel more comfortable in his projection if he does end up the number-one pick.
- Injuries proved fatal for the Golden Knights this past season, as the team missed the playoffs for the first time in their franchise’s history. One of the Golden Knights still dealing with an injury is goaltender Laurent Brossoit. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that Brossoit had hip surgery and that the team is “hoping” that he will be available for the start of next season. With starter Robin Lehner already recovering from his own surgery and the late-season breakout of Logan Thompson in mind, it’s clear that Vegas’ future in net is anything but settled.
Just posted this on the Copp thread, but it’s as relevant or more here:
Deal that’s not as crazy as it sounds at first…
Kreider to CGY for Tkachuk and then NYR flips Tkachuk to NJ for the #2 pick and a second round pick. Maybe a few smaller pieces to even it out, but that general framework.
Kreider replaces what Tkachuk gave the Flames but locked into a long term deal at a team friendly price and the Flames use the savings to keep Gaudreau.
Rangers can’t afford Tkachuk either so they flip him for the #2 pick and take either Wright or Cooley to center Panarin. Lafreniere takes Kreider’s spot on Zibenajad’s line. Having that #2 pick on an ELC gives the Rangers a window to really contend.
Devils get one of the best players in the league who gives them a true power forward.
Not, it definitely sounds crazy.
Funny stuff! Maybe you are new to hockey and not aware that Kreider is 31 while Tkachuk is 24. Calgary is not making that trade.
You are definitely wrong, it sounded crazy from the get go and just got worse from there
I like it more than when I first said it.
Kreider’s window matches CGY’s so his age doesn’t concern me, his cap hit is fantastic and I can’t see how they’d acquire a better player to fit that line in the event they must deal Tkachuk.
The Flames are an old team without a great system. If they can somehow keep both and field a good team, more power to them. But, if they can’t…the quality of the player is far more important than the age of the player given their window.
Stop posting this proposal!
@forwhomjoshbelltolled – I wouldn’t say “crazy”, but I can’t see enough reasons why Matthew would want to go to NJD. He’d be nuts to agree to a “sign-and-trade” to go there, and if he gets dealt because of lack of NTC, NJD would be on the hook for a Q.O. that might very well just get rejected by his side, anyway (I realize they have the cap space). The one thing Kreider can’t deliver is the same chemistry with Lindholm and Gaudreau. Those three were this season’s “Perfection Line”, in spades. I’d think ‘Tre’ may need to rearrange some deck chairs in regard to depth scoring, similar to what EDM has had to do for the past couple of years. The B of A wouldn’t be the same without Walt Jr. #1 being front-and-center, though.
Why do you think he’d balk at playing in NJ? Not the best young team, but one with a lot of prospects. Jack Hughes would be a pretty enticing center to play with, etc.
@forwhomjoshbelltolled – I just don’t see it as a good fit for him. The prospects angle is valid, but if he was told there wasn’t any more room at the inn for him, I’d hope they would ask him where he’d like to be dealt. I see the state of NJD as “almost ready to figure out where they’d like to be in a couple of years.” He’s enjoyed being on a winning team, even though the playoff success isn’t there yet. He might even take a slight hometown discount if the captaincy is promised, too. I don’t get the feeling that the Devils are anywhere close, so while playing with Hughes is a compelling argument, I could see him in OTT with his brother, if things got that dire. Many of us here have wondered what it would be like to have those two on the same team, as the STL speculation was brought up just before Brady made his commitment.
Devs are a lot closer than you think Mac, they get the goalie situation figured out and a few better forwards and its off to the races
@SpeakOfTheDevil – That dreaded phrase, “get the goalie situation figured out” is what’s keeping them stuck in neutral, at least for the time being. Top flight netminders don’t grow on trees, as we all know, and it is crucial that AHL development works, rather than being a crap shoot. At least they can say, “Hey, we’re not as screwed up as the Coyotes!” (or the Habs right now). Being in the Metro is no cakewalk, so they have to work harder than some in weaker divisions. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that home-grown talent can speed things up, but that remains to be seen.
Daws showed some promise last year but he is definitely not ready for the big time just yet, if we could sign or trade for a reliable starter like say Hellebuyck i wouldnt mind a 60/40 split so he stays in the pros and learns on the big stage. It also wouldnt hurt if we fired our goalie coach into the sun, dude is just flat out awful
@SpeakOfTheDevil – Up until this past year, the mere idea of acquiring Hellebuyck would set off the entirety of Manitoba. Now, though, it may not be as far-fetched, judging by the apparent discombobulation going on there. I just looked up the bio on your goalie coach, and while it states he was instrumental in Binnington’s success while in STL, his other claim to fame is being marvelously mediocre in NCAA-D3. Your statement of “flat out awful” may be somewhat charitable. Too bad Mitch Korn isn’t available right now, eh?
I only bring his name up because of the rebuild/retool they sound like they are about to go thru, a team in New Jerseys position could take advantage of a situation like that a turn an obvious flaw into a strength with one carefully crafted trade.
Ah the goalie whisperer, you know the day Trotz got fired i immediately created scenarios where Ruff could be fired as the coach, Trotz to be hired and bring Korn along with him since they seem inseparable but alas there is no justice in this world
Thank god for Elliott and Jeff there wouldn’t be any news …