Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Flames Rumors

Could Calgary Flames Make Pitch For Karlsson?

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Calgary Flames seem to be producing in all facets of the game despite a shootout loss today as they still haven’t had a regulation loss in eight straight games. Their top lines are producing, their defense seems to be beginning to develop the chemistry that everyone had hoped and goaltender Mike Smith has been a great acquisition. With everything going right for Calgary, it seems like the team isn’t likely to be too active at the trade deadline this year.

Yet, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes that despite all that, he wonders if the Flames should consider looking for an even bigger prize. With the recent rumblings about the possible availability of Ottawa Senators star defenseman Erik Karlsson, Francis wonders if Calgary should go for it all and trade for him now. While on the surface, a deal might seem unlikely as the Flames are already loaded with a group of solid defenders and have few draft picks to trade (just two picks in the first three rounds over the next two years).

The scribe writes that finding a spot for Karlsson would be the least of the team’s problems. He would be a welcome addition no matter how good their defense of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, Travis Hamonic and Michael Stone is. He would immediately help an average power play and could offer the team a multi-dimensional player. With some cap room to play with, Calgary could afford most of Karlsson’s contract ($6.5MM AAV) already, although that could end the team’s bid to re-sign Mikael Backlund during the offseason this year.

What could they offer? Quite a bit. While the team might lack draft picks after going out and acquiring Hamonic in the offseason, the team has a number of quality prospects, including Harvard University defenseman Adam Fox, considered to be one of the top college blueliners. They have two quality goaltending prospects in Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons as well as defensive prospects like Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington as pieces they can offer Ottawa.

Fox, who many believe may choose to stay at Harvard for four years and take the unrestricted free agency route to avoid Calgary’s already crowded blueline, might be the perfect trade chip while he still has value. Add in Andersson, Kylington and last year’s 2016 first-rounder in Juuso Valamaki and the team has quite a bit of defensive depth — perhaps too much.

Francis believes that the team might want to consider making a big move like acquiring a future Hall of Famer, who could take the Flames to another level as they start climbing up the Pacific Division and get ready for the playoffs. General manager Brad Treliving already once this year went out and acquired Hamonic as a big defensive addition. Why not one more?

Flames Keeping Tabs On Ottawa's Mike Hoffman

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Although Flames winger Micheal Ferland has emerged as a top-six winger this season, Calgary could still be on the lookout for winger help between now and the trade deadline.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 960, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested (audio link) that Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman is a player that they’re at least keeping tabs on, calling them a team on the periphery.  Hoffman would certainly add another offensive threat on the wing but he also has two years remaining on his contract at a cap hit just below $5.2MM.  With Calgary needing to re-sign or bring in replacements for several key players in that timeframe (including goalie Mike Smith, center Mikael Backlund, winger Matthew Tkachuk as well as Ferland himself), there’s no guarantee that they’ll want to take on someone signed for a couple more years at this time even if Hoffman would fit in well with what they need.

Minor Transactions: 01/19/18

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

There will be plenty of minor moves again today as the NHL prepares for the weekend, and we’ll keep track of them right here. Keep checking back throughout the day to find out if your favorite team has tweaked their roster.

  • The Winnipeg Jets are coming off their bye week, and have recalled Michael Hutchinson and Jack Roslovic. Hutchinson’s recall likely means that Steve Mason is still dealing with the concussion-like symptoms that took him out of the lineup last week, and provides an interesting opportunity for the younger netminder. Hutchinson has dominated the AHL this season and is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. Showing that he’s capable at the NHL level, even in a limited sample, would go a long way to earning him a contract in a few months.
  • Buffalo, fresh off another loss at the hands of the New York Rangers, have recalled Nicholas Baptiste from the Rochester Americans. Baptiste has played four games for the Sabres this season, and has 17 points in 34 games during his time in the AHL. The third-round pick had four points for Buffalo last season, but isn’t expected to make an immediate offensive impact.
  • The New York Islanders have placed Casey Cizikas on injured reserve, recalling Ross Johnston from the minor leagues in the process. Johnston can fill a physical role on the Islanders, as the 6’5″ 236-lbs winger currently leads the AHL in penalty minutes with 113. He does have 11 points through 37 games, but won’t be used for his offensive ability in the NHL.
  • The Calgary Flames are off their bye week, and with that they’ve recalled Marek Hrivik and Andrew Mangiapane from the AHL. The pair were sent down to continue playing, but were always expected to be brought back up when the week break ended. The Flames are back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets.
  • Ken Appleby is back up with the New Jersey Devils, this time under emergency conditions. Appleby will likely serve as the backup for Keith Kinkaid tomorrow, while Corey Schneider continues to deal with an injury. Appleby, 22, has now spent time on an ECHL, AHL and NHL roster this season.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled Kyle Rau from the AHL ahead of their game tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s Rau’s first call up of the season, but he does have 33 NHL games under his belt with the Florida Panthers. Rau was signed to a one-year, two-way deal on July 1st, and has 21 points in 36 games for the Iowa Wild.
  • With Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Nate Thompson dealing with injuries for the Ottawa Senators, the club has recalled forward Colin White from the AHL. The Senators take on the Maple Leafs tomorrow night, and needed a twelfth body to line up at forward. White has 16 points in 30 games for the Belleville Senators this season, but is a big part of the Ottawa plan going forward. The first-round pick could get a longer look down the stretch.

Minor Transactions: 01/15/18

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL is back at it after an eventful weekend, and now have just a couple of weeks until another break for the All-Star game. Things are tightening up in the standings, and the next month will feature teams finally deciding to sell at the deadline. For all the league’s minor moves, keep it right here.

Calgary Places Jaromir Jagr On Injured Reserve

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After discussing a parting of ways last week, the Calgary Flames placed veteran Jaromir Jagr on injured reserve Sunday with a lower-body injury and have recalled winger Ryan Lomberg to take his place, according to Todd Cordell of HockeyBuzz.

The two parties had been reportedly looking into finding Jagr a new home after reports came out that the two parties had decided to split. The 45-year-old veteran has not been a good fit in Calgary this year as he has struggled through the year with injuries and has just one goal and six assists in 22 games. The Flames gave Jagr’s agent permission to seek a trade and there was also talk that a European team also had interest in the veteran. However, eight days later, nothing has changed and the team opted instead to open a roster spot.

While Lomberg is not one of the top forwards on the Stockton Heat, the team called up the 23-year-old, who is known to be a fan favorite with the Heat due to his blue-collar work ethic and attitude. The undrafted free agent has four goals and seven assists in 33 games this year and also has accumulated 82 penalty minutes.

Flames Have Shown Interest In Zack Smith

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the Senators struggling mightily this season, it has been expected that they will be sellers in the weeks to come.  One player that has been suggested as a candidate to be dealt is center Zack Smith and Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Calgary is believed to have shown an interest in his services.

Smith is in the first year of a four-year, $13MM contract he signed last January, foregoing unrestricted free agency in the process.  At the time, he was in the midst of his second straight season with at least 15 goals and 30 points and was providing Ottawa with strong secondary scoring along with his usual gritty style of play.

Mar 28, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Zack Smith (15) warms up before playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsThings haven’t gone as well for the 29-year-old this season, however.  Smith has battled injury issues, missing time with three separate problems (upper-body, thumb, and shoulder) and when he has been in the lineup, he hasn’t been as productive as he has in recent seasons.  Through 27 games, he has just three goals and six assists despite logging over 16 minutes of ice time per night.

It’s understandable that Calgary would have interest in adding some help down the middle.  Sam Bennett has played well since moving to the wing while there is some uncertainty regarding the future of pending UFA pivot Mikael Backlund.  Matt Stajan, their fourth line center, is also set to be an unrestricted free agent as well so landing someone with several years of team control would make some sense.  Smith’s physicality would also fit in well in the tougher Western Conference.  It’s worth noting that he has a ten-team no-trade clause and it’s not known at this time if the Flames are on that list or not.

Considering his struggles this season, whoever acquires Smith would be taking a bit of a risk that a change of scenery helps get him back to the level he has played over the past couple seasons because if not, he will be an expensive depth player.  However, it’s fair to infer that Ottawa’s asking price can’t be too high given Smith’s struggles so while there is a bit of risk, there is certainly the potential for a higher reward as well if he returns to his 2015-16/2016-17 form.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2018 All-Star Rosters

at CDT | by 29 Comments

The NHL released the rosters for this year’s All-Star game in Tampa Bay, leading to an inevitable onslaught of discussion over who missed out and who didn’t deserve to go. The event will take place on January 27-28th. The full rosters can be found below:

Atlantic Division:

F Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning (captain)
F Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning
F Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
F Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers
F Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins
F Jack Eichel – Buffalo Sabres
D Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning
D Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
D Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings
G Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning
G Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens

Head Coach: Jon Cooper

Metropolitan Division:

F Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals (captain)
F Taylor Hall – New Jersey Devils
F Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
F Josh Bailey – New York Islanders
F John Tavares – New York Islanders
F Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
D Seth Jones – Columbus Blue Jackets
D Noah Hanifin – Carolina Hurricanes
D Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
G Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
G Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals

Head Coach: Barry Trotz

Central Division:

F Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche
F Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets
F Brayden Schenn – St. Louis Blues
F Eric Staal – Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars
D P.K. Subban – Nashville Predators (captain)
D Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues
D John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
G Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
G Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette

Pacific Division:

F Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (captain)
F Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
F Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
F James Neal – Vegas Golden Knights
F Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks
F Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
D Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
D Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes
G Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
G Marc-Andre Fleury – Vegas Golden Knights

Head Coach: Gerard Gallant

Poll: Should Your Team Make A Play For Jaromir Jagr?

at CDT | by 4 Comments

All signs have begun to point to a split between the Calgary Flames and legendary winger Jaromir Jagr, with either a trade or mutual termination the likely outcomes. Jagr never did fit in properly with the Flames, unable to find any chemistry in his limited minutes. It’s not clear if there would be any interest from other teams in the NHL, but should there be?

Jaromir JagrJagr, 45, has just seven points on the season with Calgary but there are still reasons to believe he can contribute in the right situation. His ridiculously low shooting percentage of 3.1% on the year doesn’t help his numbers, and he’s actually still a positive possession player—though not quite the dominating presence he’s been down-low throughout his career.

If the reason for his struggles really are the lack of a real training camp, believing there is actually some short-term improvement to come seems plausible. If he’s given a regular role and steady minutes, perhaps the same 45-point player from last season could emerge. That kind of addition could be quite important for a club looking for some depth up front, if they can get past the off-ice eccentricities that come along with the second all-time leading NHL scorer.

Would you want your team to pursue Jagr for a playoff push, or is this the end of his NHL career? Vote below and leave your thoughts in the comments.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Calgary, Jagr Discussing Possible Exit

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Elliotte Friedman reports that the Calgary Flames and Jaromir Jagr are working towards a split. He reports that the Flames intend to treat the 45-year-old veteran with respect and have told his agent they have their permission for him to seek a trade. There were already rumors Friday about Jagr’s future. Friedman also reports that a European team may also be involved, which could end Jagr’s long-time NHL career.

Jagr, who is in the middle of his 20th NHL season, signed a one-year $2MM deal on Oct. 3, one day before the season started. However, Jagr has struggled with both injuries and production and hasn’t been a great fit with the Flames. He has just one goal and six assists in 22 games this season. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg tweets that Jagr’s lack of a training camp and a proper offseason of workout is what likely led to his inability to adjust in Calgary.

The Flames haven’t had the season they were hoping for so far as detailed in a story earlier today. The team believed it had the young nucleus of talent to put together a big season with players like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk. The team went out and made several moves, including trading for defenseman Travis Hamonic and goaltender Mike Smith, as well as adding Jagr as a veteran complement to help out in the bottom lines. Although Jagr had trouble finding a job this year, he did score 16 goals last year and 27 in the 2015-16 season with the Florida Panthers.

Frustrations Boiling Over In Calgary

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Calgary Flames are 4-4-2 in their past ten games, have a .500 record at home this season, and currently hold down the fifth spot in the Pacific Division with 44 points through 40 games. They’re 20th in goals for, 17th in goals against, 20th on the power play, and 25th on the penalty kill. If the season ended today, they would finish 12th in the Western Conference, three points outside of a playoff spot. By every metric, the 2017-18 Flames have been mediocre.

However, when your team acquires solid defenseman Travis Hamonic for a first-round pick and two second-rounders, expectations are raised. When your team “solves” it’s goalie problem by bringing in respected veteran Mike Smith for a player, prospect, and pick, expectations are raised. When your trio of under-23 star forwards – Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk – combine for over 160 points the season prior, expectations are raised. Mediocre is not good enough for this Calgary team and now the Flames are feeling the heat.

Head coach Glen Gulutzan appears to be the first one to have reached his limit on the sub-par play. Yesterday at practice, Gulutzan lost his cool and went on a profanity-laced tirade (video). Discernible lines included criticism of the team’s attitude after “one f***ing game”, referring to the team’s upset win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday,  and “We’re so f***ing good? You check the f***ing standings?”, which obviously speaks for itself. Gulutzan capped off his outburst by whipping his stick into the stands as words were not even enough to express his frustration and displeasure with his players. After practice, Gulutzan defended his actions, stating that the NHL was not “warm and fuzzy” and that what the media saw was the reality of the bleak situation in Calgary.

While the effort and results in Calgary have been poor all year, this has been the first time that the lack of success has made major headlines. However, if the team continues to struggle, it surely won’t be the last. The Flames are expected to win this season and for seasons to come and, if that doesn’t happen, Gulutzan’s tirade will be forgotten among the many oncoming repercussions.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top