It’s been another disappointing season for the Flames, who sit 12th in the Western Conference with a .500 record and are down to a 19% chance of making the playoffs, per Hockey Reference. Early-season optimism around extending their many pending unrestricted free agents has now turned into trade discussions for most, already moving fan-favorite blueliner Nikita Zadorov out the door to the Canucks earlier this season.
The team has an extremely well-rounded offense with 11 players scoring over 20 points thus far, but they haven’t received top-end production from the higher-ups in their lineup. Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri currently hold a tie for the team lead in points with 32, and their 30th-ranked power play certainly isn’t helping them in the goal-scoring department. They’ve slipped significantly in terms of limiting quality scoring chances against under first-year head coach Ryan Huska, too, leading to an uncharacteristically low 23rd-place defense despite a bounce-back year from starter Jacob Markström.
On track to miss the postseason for the second-straight season in the post-Johnny Gaudreau/Matthew Tkachuk era, it’s no surprise multiple Flames have found themselves in trade rumors regardless of their contract status. GM Craig Conroy commented on what’s unfolded thus far and what we can expect to see from the Flames in the coming months in an interview with The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek published Wednesday morning. Asked about whether the Flames would go full scorched-earth at the trade deadline and ship out multiple high-caliber names without immediate replacements, the first-year manager expressed hesitancy.
“There is a balance between short- and long-term,” said Conroy. “You don’t know what you’re going to get for certain assets that you have — or what’s to come. Or maybe somebody here wants to re-sign with you. All those things are still out there… You want to get your young guys in, but you want to put them in an environment with some veteran guys that can show them how the NHL works. Because there’s going to be ups and downs with the (Connor) Zarys, the (Martin) Pospisils and the Dustin Wolfs.”
Reading between the lines, it’s clear Conroy isn’t chomping at the bit to give the keys to the team’s rookies just yet. Zary, namely, has had quite an impressive stint since being recalled from the AHL early in the season, posting nine goals and 21 points in 31 games while assuming top-six minutes and tying for fourth on the team in goals. But this is the 22-year-old’s first run in the NHL, and it’s been an injury-plagued and inconsistent development path for the 2020 24th overall pick. Conroy reiterated his desire to not let major assets walk for nothing, and players like top-line center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin will still likely find new homes by March 8, but his approach for the future allows the Flames to take money back in those deals in the form of serviceable veterans.
However, what Conroy’s retool plan means for Wolf is less clear. A couple of teams have called about Markström, per a report Tuesday night from The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, but the Flames haven’t been shopping him. The 33-year-old has two seasons remaining after this with a $6M cap hit and a no-movement clause, meaning whether a deal comes to fruition is entirely out of Conroy’s control. Despite his menial 11-11-2 record, Markström’s advanced numbers are squarely back in the above-average territory this season with a .908 SV% and 10.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. It’s not the form he displayed en route to his second-place Vezina Trophy finish in 2021-22, but his GSAx figure ranks ninth in the NHL at the time of writing. If the Flames still have the intention to try and return to the playoffs in the next few seasons with some personnel changes, it doesn’t make much sense to trade away a cost-effective top-ten goalie.
Wolf’s .930 SV% and four shutouts in 21 games with AHL Calgary this season speaks for itself, though, even if his short time in the NHL this year (five games played, 1-2-1 record, .893 SV%) wasn’t all that promising. He’s still just 22 years old and deserves a spot on the roster sooner rather than later. It would surprise no one to see Conroy aggressively step up efforts to move backup netminder Daniel Vladar, who’s been one of the worst in the league this season with a .883 SV% but an inexplicably higher points percentage than Markström with a 6-5-2 record in 13 appearances.
There’s plenty of time yet for the Flames, though, which have just under two months until the deadline. If they do intend on being active players, which seems like an accurate assessment by all accounts, Conroy needs the runway to form what will likely be multiple financially complex deals.
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