Rumour Report: The latest on Jacob Markström, a former Flame on waivers, and more!
6 months ago
With the New Year comes new rumours, as the NHL trade deadline is less than two months away.
It seems increasingly likely that the Flames will be sellers at the deadline, even if their goal for the next few seasons is to compete. They have three expiring unrestricted free agents – Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, and Noah Hanifin – all three of which could net them a sizable haul. On top of that, netminder Jacob Markström has been in the news as of late.
So without further ado, let’s dig into some Flames rumours!
The latest on Jacob Markström
On the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman noted that the Flames haven’t gone to Markström with any trades, and wouldn’t do so unless it’s a destination he’d want to go to. On top of that, Friedman pointed out that the trade has to be a “high bar” for the Flames to even consider it, essentially they want a haul.
Sportsnet’s Eric Francis released an article on Monday about how the talks surrounding trading Markström are premature. With the Vegas Golden Knights winning the cup last with un-established netminder Adin Hill and several others during the season, teams are wary of trading for a goaltender that’s making a significant amount with term on his contract.
In the same article, Francis mentioned that the team is not going to tear the team down, even though they may be sellers at this years’ deadline. Trading Markström, who is a bonafide number one, is a step toward a rebuild, not a retool as the Flames hope to do.
It’s also worth noting that the 33-year-old netminder is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, with Dustin Wolf being recalled. The injury is not believed to be serious, thankfully.
If Markström is moved, it would likely be in the summer where teams have more flexibility in their cap situation.
Radim Zohorna on waivers
Former Flames winger Radim Zohorna is on waivers, as the Pittsburgh Penguins are likely attempting to send him to the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Ironically, this is not the first time the Penguins have sent the 27-year-old down to the AHL, as the last time they did, the Flames picked him up on waivers. The left-winger played just eight games with the Flames before they traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Dryden Hunt at the 2023 trade deadline.
This season was Zohorna’s first real opportunity in the National Hockey League, scoring four goals and seven points in 31 games with the Penguins. It’s to be seen whether or not a team claims him on waivers, but the 6’6”, 220 lb winger has size and could be useful come playoff time for a contender.
The Flames objectives at the deadline
The Daily Faceoff released an article regarding every Western Conference team’s objective at the 2024 trade deadline. Interestingly, the Flames have their own section called “Deadline Central”, between the “Trending Sellers” and “The Sellers” sections.
It’s noted from Frank Seravalli’s article that the top objective for the Flames is to maximize the return on their three unrestricted free agents, Tanev, Hanifin, and Lindholm. All three of these players ranked as top five Trade Targets from the latest Daily Faceoff list.
Seravalli also mentioned that while the Flames will be looking to trade those three players at the deadline, it’s possible not everyone will go. It’s been rumoured that talks are back on between the Flames camp and the Hanifin camp, and keeping the 26-year-old left-shot defenceman would help their long-term plans.
It’s also worth mentioning that Seravalli noted that it won’t all just be young prospects and draft picks, as the Flames will be looking for NHL-ready prospects or roster players.
It will be an exciting deadline, so stay tuned for more rumours!
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.
Recent articles from Ryley Delaney
