Friedman on the Calgary Flames: ‘I’m not sure how busy they’re going to be’
By Ryan Pike
10 months agoBrought to you by odds site Betway!
The Calgary Flames dealt with one of their Magnificent Seven, their pending 2024 unrestricted free agents, on Tuesday night, sending Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick. That turned the Magnificent Seven into a Sublime Six.
On Wednesday’s pre-draft edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman cautioned that he’s not sure how many moves the Flames will make over the next few days.
Here’s Friedman:
“I have to say this: I’m not sure… famous last words…. I’m not sure how busy they’re going to be for the rest of the week. I think there’s interest in Zadorov. I’ve heard Hanifin isn’t anywhere imminent of going anywhere. And I’ve heard Lindholm, they’re still trying to sign him. They are still working at signing him. And look, what did Dubois just sign for? 8.5. So that’s the market, right? If not more. So I think they’re working their way through it now. I don’t know that they’re going to make any more moves. I think the one thing Conroy is determined is not to rush.”
It goes without saying that Elias Lindholm is the Flames’ top priority right now, but Friedman’s comments on general manager Craig Conroy being determined not to rush aligns with what our pal Pat Steinberg has been saying lately on Flames Talk. Bear in mind that the Flames don’t need to have everything dealt with this week, and making sure they handle the big files well – maximizing the return on key pieces if they can’t re-up them in Calgary – is the most important thing Conroy can be doing right now.
What’s the saying that Brad Treliving used to trot out? When other teams see a team in need, they tend to offer anchors rather than lifeboats. There’s no doubt that Conroy and the Flames are getting plenty of attention from the other 31 NHL clubs these days. The challenge will be sorting the anchors from the lifeboats and making the right moves over time, and not making moves dictated by any particular time pressure.
(That said, it’s probably advantageous not to head into training camp with big existential questions dangling over the group.)
The 2023 NHL Draft goes June 28 & 29 in Nashville.
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