Legendary NHL executive Brian Burke, who spent decades as a general manager in the league, has often quipped that the NHL trade deadline is a time where GMs make mistakes. It’s the last chance for GMs to add to their clubs before the playoffs, and as a result there’s a frenzy of activity – often filled with moves that look bad in retrospect.

We took a look back at the 79 trades the Flames have made within a week of the trade deadline each year, and attempted to single out the five worst deals. We freely admit that we’re judging these deals with the benefit of hindsight, and we’re judging them with the lens of whether the value for the Flames as in line with what they were getting back (or sending out).

Mar. 18, 1997: The Flames trade Robert Reichel to the Islanders for Marty McInnis, Tyrone Garner & 1997 sixth-round pick

A fourth-round pick in 1989, Robert Reichel joined the Flames in 1990-91, and emerged as one of the team’s rising stars during a period when economic factors led to the holdovers from the powerhouse 1980s teams departing the team en masse. Reichel had back-to-back seasons with 40 goals and more than a point-per-game (in 1992-93 and 1993-94), and then spent the 1994-95 lockout back in Czechia with his old club team. Following a league-wide labour dispute, Reichel returned to North America and felt he was underpaid relative to his point production. (Spoiler: Yeah, he was.)

So after spending 1995-96 without a contract and playing in Czechia, he returned to the Flames on a new, bigger deal in 1996-97… and just couldn’t live up to it production-wise. Maybe the best course of action was to ride it out and see if he could get his swagger back over the remaining two seasons of his new deal, but the Flames opted to sell low on Reichel, sending him to the Islanders in exchange for OHL goaltender Tyrone Garner, middle-six forward Marty McInnis, and a sixth-round pick.

McInnis was a decent NHLer – he only played a single full season with the Flames before being traded in 1998-99 – but he’s not the player you would hope to be the centrepiece of selling off a player of Reichel’s calibre.

Mar. 4, 2009: The Flames trade Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust & 2010 first-round pick to the Coyotes for Olli Jokinen

The 2008-09 Flames were puttering along pretty nicely. Jarome Iginla passed Theo Fleury as the franchise’s all-time leader in points during the season, and Mike Cammalleri ended up being a really savvy off-season add. Mark Giordano returned from a season in Russia with some confidence. Heck, the entire team seemed to have a pretty nice mix of veteran poise and youthful pep.

At the trade deadline, the Flames made two fairly significant moves. One of them ended up on this list: adding Jokinen, at the cost of a first-round pick (at a time where the Flames’ farm system was extremely shallow) and two useful young forwards. Jokinen himself performed pretty well, posting 15 points over 19 games after the trade, but the Flames went 8-11-0 after his arrival and they never seemed to find a rhythm as a group after his arrival. We understand wanting to add to the group, but adding another forward to a deep group at that price tag was puzzling.

Injuries also piled up, and the depleted Flames lost to Chicago in six games in the playoffs. Jokinen struggled the following season, and was traded to the New York Rangers in 2010 (along with Prust, who had been reacquired by the Flames in the meantime).

Mar. 28, 2013: The Flames trade Jarome Iginla to the Penguins for Ken Agostino, Ben Hanowski & 2013 first-round pick

We don’t want to judge this trade too harshly, because at the time Iginla was a 35-year-old pending free agent and his deal carried a no-move clause. He was able to dictate where he ended up, which served to limit the market of potential teams that could make deals with the Flames.

But one of the most consistent goal-scorers in NHL history was traded for a late first-round pick and a pair of relatively unknown college prospects. Hanowski was a third-rounder and Agostino was a fifth-rounder. Both were pretty good college players, but in the pantheon of collegiate performances neither was considered in the same ballpark as Johnny Gaudreau at the time.

Apr. 1, 2013: The Flames trade Jay Bouwmeester to the Blues for Reto Berra, Mark Cundari & 2013 first-round pick

Jay Bouwmeester developed a bit of a divided reputation among Flames fans of this era, as he had a big cap hit ($6.68 million) and didn’t put up the offensive numbers that would usually accompany such compensation. But he played a ton and didn’t usually give up a ton of goals or scoring chances. He did a lot to help the Flames. But with Iginla on his way out and rumours about the future of Miikka Kiprusoff – he turned down a trade to Toronto and then retired following the season – the Flames understandably looked to cash out on a significant asset.

For a cost-controlled blueliner with a year left on his contract that regularly could play 30 minutes a night, the Flames received a late first-round pick, an AHL defenceman and a fairly well-regarded European goaltender. You can’t help but shake the feeling that they should’ve gotten more.

Mar. 1, 2017: The Flames trade Jyrki Jokipakka & 2017 second-round pick to the Senators for Curtis Lazar & Mike Kostka

So here’s the thing with this trade: it really doesn’t make a ton of sense.

Okay, at the time Jyrki Jokipakka had proven to be a decent but unspectacular NHL depth defender, while Mike Kostka was a rock-solid AHLer. It was unclear what Curtis Lazar was going to be as a pro; he was in the final year of his entry-level deal with Ottawa and Flames assistant coach Dave Cameron had previously been head coach in Ottawa and had Lazar there.

We conceptualize this swap as two trades: Jokipakka for Kostka, a downgrade for the Flames, and a second-round pick for Lazar. Based on Lazar’s performance in the NHL to that point, it was a roll of the dice that rested on Cameron (and the Flames) unlocking Lazar’s potential. In retrospect, it feels like an overpay, which makes both component pieces of this trade feel like the Flames didn’t get sufficient value back.

What past Flames trade deadline deals do you think have aged poorly? Let us know in the comments!

Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!

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