Pals, players will report for Calgary Flames prospect camp – and the 2024 Young Stars Classic tournament – in about a month. That means we have a month of waiting for Flames hockey to return.
As we wait, let&#8217;s dive into the mailbag!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Can teams still sign and make trades for players before the season starts? Or is there a deadline for that?
&mdash; Car Culhane (@cculhane96) <a href="https://twitter.com/cculhane96/status/1822666351573676114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Teams can sign players and make trades pretty much all the time, aside for a few restrictions:
<ul>
<li>There&#8217;s a holiday roster freeze laid out in the CBA, which is typically the week around Christmas.</li>
<li>The trade deadline is 40 days from the end of the season, and players must be on a team&#8217;s reserve list before the trade deadline to be eligible to play in the playoffs. If you&#8217;re not a playoff team, you can make trades and add players after the trade deadline.</li>
</ul>
The in-season waiver period begins 12 days before the start of the regular season. Typically, there isn&#8217;t a lot of roster shuffling – as in trades – until the waiver period begins, as teams want to see how everybody looks in training camp before making decisions on them, and then they would much rather trade them for assets rather than lose them for nothing on the waiver wire.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Ryan could a Laine trade make sense fit the flames? Keep up the great work! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flames</a>
&mdash; Big Daddy (@bigdaddybustard) <a href="https://twitter.com/bigdaddybustard/status/1822646665691660359?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
So here&#8217;s my only objection: I&#8217;m not sure what the point would be. Let me explain&#8230;
Laine is a 26-year-old left shot winger. He carries an $8.7 million cap hit with two years left, and his deal has a 10 team no-trade list included. His production has been kinda all over the place over the past four years, and he played just 18 games last season as he dealt with a collarbone injury and then entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Is Laine a talented player? Yes. Is he somebody that could be acquired on the cheap as a reclamation project? Yes. Is he somebody that would need to be heavily sheltered at five-on-five (and need a bunch of power play time to juice his stats)? Probably yes. But would doing that potentially block one of the Flames&#8217; young forwards – predominantly wingers – from getting some of those opportunities? Also yes.
The Flames already have players like Andrei Kuzmenko and Anthony Mantha on the books who could be one year &#8220;pump and dump&#8221; sell-offs at the trade deadline. Adding Laine to that group could make it a bit challenging to give guys like Martin Pospisil, Connor Zary or Matt Coronato power play reps, and given where the Flames are at right now, they should prioritizing giving those types of players those types of opportunities.
Like I said: I&#8217;m not really sure what the point would be.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Would Anderson be good enough to trade for a team 1 for 1 for a young # 1 center man . (Hypothetically zegras)?
&mdash; Ryan Gardiner (🔥2024 lottery winners🔥) #flames (@RayGardiner3) <a href="https://twitter.com/RayGardiner3/status/1822688729242177633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
What do you want in a Anderson trade? Return timeline ect…
&mdash; Martin pospisl #1 fan (@PospisliForHart) <a href="https://twitter.com/PospisliForHart/status/1822689328696373693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
When will the flames trade Rasmus andersson?
&mdash; Adam (@flamesfan2002) <a href="https://twitter.com/flamesfan2002/status/1822690301502276075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Let&#8217;s deal with a few questions in a somewhat logical order&#8230;
Should the Flames trade Rasmus Andersson? I would say yes, but only if they think he&#8217;s not going to be part of their core when the team gets good. If you look at the team&#8217;s salary structure – and the key players on the roster and in the system – they have MacKenzie Weegar, Daniil Miromanov, Andersson, Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz and Artem Grushnikov as right-shot blueliners to work into future plans. If you presume that the team&#8217;s preference is to have everybody play on their natural side, suddenly Andersson seems like he could be the odd man out simply because of his age when the team starts emerging from the wilderness.
When should the Flames trade Rasmus Andersson? If they decide that he&#8217;s not in their future plans, I would imagine they&#8217;re listening to see what the market looks like for him&#8230; and will continue to do so until they get their price. The Flames have a pretty robust data apparatus because of the work Chris Snow did with the club, and as a result they likely have an idea of what they would be willing to pay everybody on a future contract and what they would be willing to accept for them in a trade. If they get their price, sooner may be better than later, as then they can work in more of their young players on the blueline. But there&#8217;s really no rush or ticking clock until the 2025-26 season, so I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;re in any hurry to push him out the door.
(Andersson&#8217;s current deal carries a six team no-trade list, so he has some control over where he goes. He&#8217;s also someone who&#8217;s been a really good Flame over the years, so I think if he does get moved they&#8217;ll do what they can to ensure he goes somewhere he wants to be.)
What&#8217;s a realistic trade return for Rasmus Andersson? Andersson&#8217;s a really versatile blueliner who&#8217;s probably a second-pairing player on a strong playoff team, but he can play in any game situation and eat up big minutes. Utah traded a pair of second-rounders to New Jersey to acquire John Marino, who has three years left on his deal with a $4.4 million cap hit. In the past three seasons Andersson has significantly more points than Marino, which suggests that he should net the Flames significantly more than Marino netted the Devils. This is entirely my speculation, but the Flames&#8217; ears probably perk up with the offer of some combination of a young centre, a top prospect or a first-round selection. Heck, maybe more than one of those pieces.
<blockquote>From John via e-mail: &#8220;So the Avalanche signed one of our UFA defensemen…how about in 2027/28 we sign one of theirs. Do you think there is any chance Makar ends up with his hometown Flames for the new arena opening?&#8221;</blockquote>
Cale Makar could become an unrestricted free agent upon the expiry of his current contract, assuming Colorado doesn&#8217;t sign him to an extension before then. The Flames will have a brand-new building, a group of young players who will have gone through the rigours of a re-(verb) process, and potentially oodles of cap space. If Makar looks like he&#8217;ll hit the UFA market, you would be a fool if you don&#8217;t at least call his agents to suss out his availability, price tag, and interest in playing in southern Alberta going forward.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
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Pals, players will report for Calgary Flames prospect camp – and the 2024 Young Stars Classic tournament – in about a month. That means we have a month of waiting for Flames hockey to return.

As we wait, let's dive into the mailbag!

https://twitter.com/cculhane96/status/1822666351573676114

Teams can sign players and make trades pretty much all the time, aside for a few restrictions:
<ul>
 	<li>There's a holiday roster freeze laid out in the CBA, which is typically the week around Christmas.</li>
 	<li>The trade deadline is 40 days from the end of the season, and players must be on a team's reserve list before the trade deadline to be eligible to play in the playoffs. If you're not a playoff team, you can make trades and add players after the trade deadline.</li>
</ul>
The in-season waiver period begins 12 days before the start of the regular season. Typically, there isn't a lot of roster shuffling – as in trades – until the waiver period begins, as teams want to see how everybody looks in training camp before making decisions on them, and then they would much rather trade them for assets rather than lose them for nothing on the waiver wire.

https://twitter.com/bigdaddybustard/status/1822646665691660359

So here's my only objection: I'm not sure what the point would be. Let me explain...

Laine is a 26-year-old left shot winger. He carries an $8.7 million cap hit with two years left, and his deal has a 10 team no-trade list included. His production has been kinda all over the place over the past four years, and he played just 18 games last season as he dealt with a collarbone injury and then entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

Is Laine a talented player? Yes. Is he somebody that could be acquired on the cheap as a reclamation project? Yes. Is he somebody that would need to be heavily sheltered at five-on-five (and need a bunch of power play time to juice his stats)? Probably yes. But would doing that potentially block one of the Flames' young forwards – predominantly wingers – from getting some of those opportunities? Also yes.

The Flames already have players like Andrei Kuzmenko and Anthony Mantha on the books who could be one year "pump and dump" sell-offs at the trade deadline. Adding Laine to that group could make it a bit challenging to give guys like Martin Pospisil, Connor Zary or Matt Coronato power play reps, and given where the Flames are at right now, they should prioritizing giving those types of players those types of opportunities.

Like I said: I'm not really sure what the point would be.

https://twitter.com/RayGardiner3/status/1822688729242177633

https://twitter.com/PospisliForHart/status/1822689328696373693

https://twitter.com/flamesfan2002/status/1822690301502276075

Let's deal with a few questions in a somewhat logical order...

Should the Flames trade Rasmus Andersson? I would say yes, but only if they think he's not going to be part of their core when the team gets good. If you look at the team's salary structure – and the key players on the roster and in the system – they have MacKenzie Weegar, Daniil Miromanov, Andersson, Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz and Artem Grushnikov as right-shot blueliners to work into future plans. If you presume that the team's preference is to have everybody play on their natural side, suddenly Andersson seems like he could be the odd man out simply because of his age when the team starts emerging from the wilderness.

When should the Flames trade Rasmus Andersson? If they decide that he's not in their future plans, I would imagine they're listening to see what the market looks like for him... and will continue to do so until they get their price. The Flames have a pretty robust data apparatus because of the work Chris Snow did with the club, and as a result they likely have an idea of what they would be willing to pay everybody on a future contract and what they would be willing to accept for them in a trade. If they get their price, sooner may be better than later, as then they can work in more of their young players on the blueline. But there's really no rush or ticking clock until the 2025-26 season, so I don't think they're in any hurry to push him out the door.

(Andersson's current deal carries a six team no-trade list, so he has some control over where he goes. He's also someone who's been a really good Flame over the years, so I think if he does get moved they'll do what they can to ensure he goes somewhere he wants to be.)

What's a realistic trade return for Rasmus Andersson? Andersson's a really versatile blueliner who's probably a second-pairing player on a strong playoff team, but he can play in any game situation and eat up big minutes. Utah traded a pair of second-rounders to New Jersey to acquire John Marino, who has three years left on his deal with a $4.4 million cap hit. In the past three seasons Andersson has significantly more points than Marino, which suggests that he should net the Flames significantly more than Marino netted the Devils. This is entirely my speculation, but the Flames' ears probably perk up with the offer of some combination of a young centre, a top prospect or a first-round selection. Heck, maybe more than one of those pieces.
<blockquote>From John via e-mail: "So the Avalanche signed one of our UFA defensemen…how about in 2027/28 we sign one of theirs. Do you think there is any chance Makar ends up with his hometown Flames for the new arena opening?"</blockquote>
Cale Makar could become an unrestricted free agent upon the expiry of his current contract, assuming Colorado doesn't sign him to an extension before then. The Flames will have a brand-new building, a group of young players who will have gone through the rigours of a re-(verb) process, and potentially oodles of cap space. If Makar looks like he'll hit the UFA market, you would be a fool if you don't at least call his agents to suss out his availability, price tag, and interest in playing in southern Alberta going forward.

Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
<h2>The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda</h2>
Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.

Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at <a href="http://www.villagehonda.com/">www.villagehonda.com</a>.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116342" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag.jpg" alt="" width="727" height="404" />

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