When Will the Calgary Flames Start Trading Pieces Away
During an appearance on the Rod Pedersen Show on Monday, Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com, NHL Full Press and RG Media was asked about when the Calgary Flames might start waving the white flag on the season and start making trades as they did a couple of seasons ago.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Rod Pedersen: “So you were first on the Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey thing two years ago, right? I remember giving you kudos to that, for that, and it seems to worked out pretty good with the Devils. that the number one team in the NHL today. When do the Flames start trading again. You know, when do they raise the white flag?”
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Jim Biringer: “I think I gotta give it to the 20 game mark. I’m gonna be honest. But I feel like, look, we talked about it last year with the Rangers. And bring this comparison in and this analogy, there were a lot of off-ice distractions last year with the New York Rangers in that locker room. And I know, look, we’ll go back to Conor McDavid. What he says being professional, if we’re not, if we can’t keep that out of the room, what are we doing here? Like, why are we playing this game?
It feels like the Flames have too many distractions in their locker room. And I talked to some people, and no one likes what Mikael Backlund said before the season started, about, hey, we know Rasmus Andersson is getting traded. Not sure you should be saying that before your season even begins. I think we all know it. It’s the thing you don’t say, right? It’s a secret thing. We all know it, but we’re not going to say it out loud.
And I think Nazem Kadri‘s name continues to be out there as well, so they’re dealing with those distractions. How do we balance? We got 96 points last year. We were right near the playoffs. We want to be competitive, but we’re struggling with offense.
They finally put up five goals the other night against the Rangers, who are again, not a playoff team. If anybody thought Mike Sullivan was going to help them out, no, but I think we got to give it to the 20 game mark, and then we’re gonna have to see where this team stands and in the conference.
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And look, I think the best thing would that would happen, even though I would like to see them in the playoffs. I think they need a top pick in Calgary. Think they need like a Gavin McKenna type player that can drive the offense. We’re seeing what happens in San Jose. All these up-and-coming teams have a player like that. That would be best for Calgary.
And I think 20 games is where we’re going to start seeing them, maybe wave the white flag. It all depends on the record.”
NHLRumors.com Note: Nothing is likely to happen until Nazem Kadri plays in his 1000th game, as reported by Elliotte Friedman over the weekend. Teams continue to call on Kadri, but the Flames are starting to show some signs of life. He is their best offensive player right now. GM Craig Conroy believes in the team and wants them to be competitive, but before he adds or does anything, he wants to see the players find their way out of this whole.
Again, teams will keep calling the Calgary Flames about Andersson, Kadri, and other players. It all depends on whether they decide to pull the trigger on any of these deals.
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