November 13, 2024 | 10:38am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

FLAMES KEEPING OPTIONS OPEN THIS SEASON

Rasmus Andersson, defenceman

The Calgary Flames remain in the thick of things in the Pacific Division after a good start to the season, but being in the playoff spot in November isn’t going to divert GM Craig Conroy from his overall plan.

Going into Tuesday night’s matchups in the NHL, the Flames were third in the Pacific ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. After losing 3-1 to the Canucks last night, the Flames have dropped down to the second wildcard spot in the West, two points up on the Oilers, as Vancouver has three games in hand.

With some assets to potentially move this season, and the off-season speculation that Calgary will be more inclined to move out players with term to complement the notion of a rebuild, Conroy is taking his time to evaluate his group before making any bold decisions.

During Tuesday’s edition of “The Latest” on TFP, David Pagnotta reported the Flames aren’t going to tear down their roster, but they are going to keep tabs on the trade market and react based on how the team performs, overall, in the coming months.

“They’re in a really interesting position because they haven’t fully embraced – going into this season – a rebuild because they thought they would still have pieces to remain moderately competitive, which they appear to be at this stage,” Pagnotta said on Tuesday. “They had a nice win against LA the other night, but this team, with the teams right behind them that are eventually going to improve, they’re going to have some pieces that they could potentially move later on in the season if they dip a little bit.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be a full-on fire sale; I don’t anticipate that happening, at this point, but they do have some pieces that they could potentially move to fill up the younger asset pool, to fill up some draft picks and still not tear it all down.”

Pagnotta suggested Andrei Kuzmenko, who is in the final year of his contract, could be a target for some teams later in the season. He does own a 12-team no-trade list and will have some say in where he ends up, if moved – Calgary was on his previous no-trade list, but he signed off on being traded to the Flames last season when the Canucks traded him.

Kuzmenko also has a $5.5 million cap hit, though $1 million of that was paid out in a signing bonus and he is earning $4.5 million in actual salary throughout this season.

Rasmus Andersson, who comes with a $4.55 million cap hit, another year left on his contract after this season, and a six-team no-trade list, could also be a trade target, according to Pagnotta, as his name has popped up in trade talk going back to last season.

“Rasmus Andersson is a player that, before the season started, was all over the trade rumor mill, and teams (could look) at him to potentially pry him out of Calgary closer to the deadline,” Pagnotta said. “He was open to a move because the team wasn’t competitive last year. Has his mindset changed? We’ll see how the season progresses from that perspective.”

TFP’s Dennis Bernstein also believes the Flames should look to “trade the high-value guys” including veteran centre Nazem Kadri, whom the team discussed with other clubs around the NHL Draft in June.

Kadri, 34, owns a full no-movement clause and has four more years remaining on his contract after this season. He also has a $7 million cap hit.