Realistic return for Strome?
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FlamesNation Mailbag: Short-term Flames, Connor Zary’s role and Ryan Strome’s future
Photo credit: Mike Gould
The summer is flying by, pals. The draft is behind us. Free agency is behind us. The Stampede is behind us.
We’ll be back on the ice for training camp before you know it. As we close out July, let’s delve back into the mailbag!
The Flames acquired Ryan Strome from the Anaheim Ducks for a seventh round pick back at the trade deadline. What the Flames can get for him probably depends on how his game looks and how his season goes. Corey Perry, half-retained, netted the Kings a second-round pick. But we’ve also seen a lot of variation: Scott Laughton landed a third, Timothy Liljegren got a fourth, and David Kampf got a sixth.
If Strome can generate some buzz and a team thinks he can help put them over the top, the Flames could get something nice for him. But it’s far from guaranteed.
If the price is right, might the Flames sign any of the remaining unrestricted free agents? Who do you like of these players?
At this point, I don’t think the Flames have much of an appetite to add veterans to their current group. They seem pretty committed to giving younger players some runway, which would be tough to do if they add anybody else.
What players don’t make it passed the deadline. And who’s our most valuable trade chip that won’t jeopardize the future ?? Boom
The most likely player to be moved by the trade deadline would be Ryan Strome. But depending on how things are going – and whether or not the Flames opt to lock him in long-term – you could see Morgan Frost, too.
The most valuable trade chip is probably Zach Whitecloud, though, but I’m not sure if the Flames are in any hurry to move him given how big a piece of their team he’s become so quickly.
Why not play Zary in a top 6 center position for the first 40 games. If it works then he could be a part of the puzzle moving forward. If not he probably has more points which boosts trade value.
What are the odds we see Connor Zary in Calgary by the end of the season
I really like Connor Zary’s skill set, but I think he’s more effective as a speedy, dynamic winger rather than as a centre. He hasn’t shown the ability to juggle the defensive responsibilities of centre while also maintaining his offensive pressure. He’s probably best suited as a top nine winger… if there’s a consistent spot for him.
Look at it this way: the Flames’ top three centres right now look to be Morgan Frost, Mikael Backlund and Ryan Strome. Backlund is the defensive tough-minutes centre. Frost and Strome are skewed towards offensive situations. Is Zary good enough as a centre to displace those three guys from their roles? That’s sort of the challenge with playing Zary as a top nine centre: it’s not clear if he’s established himself well enough to have a clear top nine role up the middle.
Ryan in honour of LB going to Philly can you please give us the all time stars you forgot wore the flamming C starting line up? As with the dome closing could you give us a top 5 game performances by a visiting player? Thanks!
Love this one. In goal: Curtis Joseph. On the blueline: Bryan Marchment and Brad Stuart. Up front: Jaromir Jagr, Paul Henderson and John Tonelli.
Top performances by Saddledome visitors coming next month!
With the market on centers reset to AAV 12-15million, if Frost were to be re-signed what do you expect his contract to fall? Would it price him out of Calgary? No offence he is not of the calibre of Bedard or Carlson even Fantili.
If Morgan Frost gets a new deal with the Flames, it’s probably a longer-term deal – like five or six years – and the AAV probably has to begin with a six for that to make any sense for him.
With the way the market for centres is going, with a good start to the season, you might end up having Frost’s AAV creep into the $7 million range. The big question is whether he shows enough early in the season to show that he has a clear role with the Flames as the club’s prospects make the jump to the NHL – can he help the team move their progression forward without blocking the young centres in the system? I don’t have the answer right now, but we’ll see if one emerges in the coming months.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan.Pike [at] BetterCollective.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
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Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
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