What a week, hey?

The Calgary Flames made four major transactions in the days, hours, and minutes leading up to Friday’s trade deadline. They shipped out two popular stars in Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar, acquired another veteran centre in Ryan Strome on the cheap, and swapped one prospect for another with the New York Rangers.

All in all, it felt like the Flames fit an entire year’s worth of moves into the span of 96 hours. It certainly gave the hockey fans in this city plenty to talk about. In the spirit of those discussions, we here at FlamesNation felt it was high time for a Roundtable, and it came down to me, Mike Gould, regular FN columnist and host of the Warmies and After Burner shows, to put it together. As you’ll see, I decided I didn’t want to leave anybody out, which means this is one of our longest Roundtables to date.

After coming up with four questions, I asked each of our participating contributors to submit a few sentences in response. You’ll notice that one of our beloved Barn Burner hosts decided to play fast and loose with the directive to “keep it brief,” which is why his answers are at the end of each section. (Cheers, Pinder!)

Mike Gould, columnist: Craig killed it. He made proactive moves and added a ton of assets. He’s not done — I expect Blake Coleman will still be traded at some point in the next 12 months — but as far as the teardown is concerned, we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Ryan Pike, managing editor: I think Conroy continued to do his thoughtful, thorough dismantling of the previous regime’s roster. It’s not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but making smart, prudent moves at specific times. It’s very much in keeping with what he’s been doing since 2023.

Dean “Boomer” Molberg, Barn Burner co-host: What’s not to like, right? Rarely does the team trading away the best player in a deal come out ahead, but it sure feels like Conroy has done amazing work here. The Kadri deal on many levels feels like a huge win. I didn’t see a Weegar deal in the cards given his subpar season, but the return seems strong. The Strome deal obviously made more sense once the Kadri deal dropped. They take on the full freight on the $5 million cap hit, but a seventh-rounder for an NHL centreman looks like a decent piece of business given they have tons of cap room. The Othmann deal will take a while to evaluate, but again seems like a good dice roll. Granted, the majority of Conroy’s deals thus far have been as a seller rather than a buyer, but his work here might have them shifting roles sooner than later.

Kent Wilson, FlamesNation editor emeritus: I give Conroy’s work a high grade. Not just because of the collection of assets, but the move to decisively commit to the rebuild, which the club has needed for a while. Making the departing players happy in the process wasn’t required, but it’s a nice bonus.

Flash Stevens, ‘Beyond the Boxscore’ writer: I think Craig Conroy just continues to make the right moves at the right times. I do think some other players could have gone, but I respect his wishes to keep good professionals in the room to be a buffer while the next generation develops.

Paige Siewert, Wranglers beat reporter: I feel really good about what Conroy did at the trade deadline. He may not have moved everyone that was rumoured but he still made some big moves that we may not have anticipated at the start of the season. It’s hard seeing Weegar go, but the logic behind it makes sense.

Robert Munnich, social media coordinator: You have to be happy with the work done by Craig Conroy. He has finally put this team into a desperately needed rebuild and did so by trading two players with term whose value would have never been higher than it is right now.

Ryley Delaney, writer: Good. They either got intriguing prospects, flippable veterans, or picks. With the Flames drafting as well as they have since Conroy took over, this will be a quick and successful rebuild.

Adrian Kiss, writer: It would have been nice for there to be one or two more trades, but all things considered, Conroy made some great trades and got out of some tough contracts, so overall I’m quite happy.

Paige Humphrey, writer: Trading some of these big names like Weegar or Kadri could seem like a ‘what are we doing?’ move, but the three seconds and the names that the Flames have now give them the opportunity to grow with many outstanding young players and basically start fresh as a new, young team.

Ryan Pinder, Barn Burner co-host: A clear direction has been set by Conroy for the Flames. The Weegar deal (five years left) was the first significant deletion under Conroy of a player with term where there was no pressure point to move the player. The only other significant swap with term was Markstrom to New Jersey (two years left), and in that instance, it appeared the hypothetical heir to the throne had arrived in Wolf. All the other swaps were necessitated by UFA status which made for obvious asset management decisions.

Just days later, the Flames moved Nazem Kadri with three years left. This is a significant change of course. The Flames are clearly now in a FULL ASS REBUILD, as they should be.

The Othmann swap feels like more AHL help at this juncture with the glut of wingers. Moving out a prospect having a relatively poor season made some sense, given the number of solid prospects in the system and the huge number of draft picks they hold. Strome fills the C void left by Kadri and looks like a prime ‘pump and dump’ candidate next season if he can return to form after a tough year in ANA. They now hold six 1sts and eight 2nds in the next three drafts, with Blake Coleman a likely candidate to be moved in the next year ahead of ’27 UFA status.

Another massive win for the Flames was removing a pair of long-term risky scenarios with aging vets. There is now no concern of Kadri or Weegar being ineffective players in their late 30s chewing up cap space. Finally, the roster for this season has been pared back to a point where the Flames are much more likely to be selecting in the top 3 at the draft.

A potentially huge week for the franchise.

Mike: There was understandably a bit of sticker shock with Weegar, especially considering the rumoured offer from Buffalo for Colton Parayko, but I loved the EA NHL GM Mode energy of getting all of Utah’s 2026 second-rounders. The Kadri deal was a home run, no bones about it.

Pike: In a word? Yes. They got a nice mix of players, prospects and picks. And salary cap flexibility, too.

Boomer: I was in the camp of essentially sending Kadri away if a team would take him. Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t run things. Yes, the Flames are retaining 20% of the Kadri money, but I would have never imagined they would get a first-rounder in return in this fashion. Can everyone win in this trade? Kadri is clearly happy. The Avs seem as good a bet as any to win it all. The Flames add more high-end picks in a rebuild. Orange whip? Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips. (Google it…)

As for Weegar, maybe if his season is more in line with his previous two, they aren’t looking to trade him at all. Could his disastrous year be a huge blessing in the end for Calgary? I think so. My gut says Weegar will rebound and be a solid guy for Utah moving forward, but it’s as though the Rebuild Gods decided to smile down on the Flames and help them move on a 32-year-old they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Kent: Yes. Given their ages, cap hits, and attendant risks, each guy got a good quality return. Some disappointment in the deals seems to stem from expectations around landing a top prospect, but that was never realistic.

Flash: I think they really did get the best they could have asked for with the age of the two players and how much term they still had remaining. They also increase the chances of their own draft pick staying as high as possible, which is the true benefit.

Paige S: I think so. There are future pieces to be excited about. Had the Flames been legitimately pushing for a playoff spot, I would have liked to see more immediate talent adds. But in this case, it works.

Robert: Yes. We have to keep in mind that Kadri and Weegar are two aging players with multiple years left on their contracts. Getting the assets they did for those two players is a home run for Conroy and the Flames.

Ryley: I think so. Looking at the other trades from across the league, there aren’t many other trades that involve a first (or three seconds) and a prospect.

Adrian: I think they got enough. Two really good hauls for both of them that really helped the Flames get future assets.

Paige H: I feel that it was time for Kadri to move on as he was growing out of the team. Nothing against him as a player, he just needed a change. Therefore, the draft picks and highly promising players we got for him in return seem more than fair. Weegar is a similar story. I also feel that receiving three second-rounders for the 2026 draft created an incredible opportunity for the franchise’s future.

Pinder: The Weegar deal felt fair with the volume of assets adding up to a nice return, though it lacked a centrepiece chip. It illustrated the risk that Utah was inheriting with five years left on a defender having a miserable season.

The Kadri deal is an obvious win for all three parties – COL/CGY and Kadri. Conny may have timed the peak of his value in Calgary. A first, a second, and a solid prospect is a great haul, and in line with the strong returns for centres at the deadline. The picks may be well down the line, but that also means those picks have a better chance of being closer to the top of the draft, depending on how long COL’s contention window is open. The Flames are also now not overloaded with assets in a single draft class. Seems savvy to spread out picks given how long it takes to know which draft classes end up being robust or thin.

Mike: I can’t wait to see what Strome can bring over the next year or so. If he can bounce back, wouldn’t it be nice to have another highly sought-after centre to dangle at next year’s trade deadline? I also think Maatta will be better than people expect, similar to what we’ve seen with Zach Whitecloud since the Rasmus Andersson trade.

Pike: Ryan Strome. He seems very excited to have a chance to contribute.

Boomer: I’m not sure I’d use the word “excited” for any of the fellas listed, all due respect, but I’ll go with Strome, I guess. He’s got nearly 900 games of NHL experience and is well-liked. Play centre and let the likes of Zary just focus on being the best NHLer he can be. Could he be someone who, in a year, Conroy is moving to a contender for another asset? Worst case, the cost was a seventh-rounder and some dough, of which they have plenty.

Kent: “Excited” is probably too strong a word. With no disrespect to any of these guys, they are mostly interim roster fillers. Othmann is somewhat interesting as a first-round pick who could turn into a bottom-rotation NHLer. Strome will likely play the Stajan role for a year, and might become a flippable asset if he can rebound.

Flash: The youngest man, Brennan Othmann, has intrigued me since his junior days, when he was a key factor in an OHL championship for the Peterborough Petes. I’m excited to see if the change of scenery can kick-start something for him in Calgary.

Paige S: Victor Olofsson. Colorado has insane depth throughout their NHL and AHL teams and obviously plays in a winning culture. I think he can inject some of that energy into this Flames lineup.

Robert: Brennan Othmann. He is the only player out of that group who has the potential to be a long term member of the Flames because of his age. He brings a little bit of speed and physicality to the Flames organization which is always a good thing.

Ryley: Definitely Brennan Othmann, as he’s the lone prospect on the list. It’ll be interesting to see if Ryan Strome can rebuild some value so they can flip him before next season’s deadline.

Adrian: Brennan Othmann. You kind of know what to expect with the others but there is still a lot of room for growth in Othmann’s game and I hope we can see it in Calgary.

Paige H: I am looking forward to watching Ryan Strome mesh with the team. I think he will bring positive energy to the team, alongside his skill, mental game and his unique experience of being a long-time NHL player.

Pinder: With the glut of wingers on the Flames roster moving forward (Huberdeau and Honzek will need spots next year), it’s tough to see clear paths for Olofsson and or Othmann. Maatta is a well-established, sturdy #6/7 defender, which isn’t sexy but is important.

Strome will be the most interesting to watch as the Flames have a huge need at centre ice. Backlund will turn 37 next year, Frost will be a pending UFA, and those are the only other NHL-proven centres on the roster under contract beyond this season (Pospisil and Zary have been better wingers than centres thus far). If the 32-year-old Strome can return to the form of his 31-year-old season (41 points in 82 games) that’s a very intriguing asset at a much-needed position. He’ll be given all kinds of opportunities to succeed in Calgary.

Mike: I would be shocked if they didn’t try to move up, especially with the Ruck twins now looking more like first-rounders than second-rounders. I’d bet quite a lot that Craig and Tod Button are super keen on those two. I also wonder if they can pull off a pick swap in a Morgan Frost or Blake Coleman trade — say, Frost and a 2nd for a 1st.

Pike: They’ll likely use their second-rounders to move up in the first round rather than add a pick.

Boomer: Bundling some of these draft picks to improve positioning has to be part of the master plan. I’m not sure how easy that’s going to be, however. I think once you’re in the late first round or second round, you can shuffle some things around, but I think some fans are expecting Conroy to get two picks in the top five. For all the “we’re open for business” talk, top-10 picks don’t move very often. Beyond that, I think it becomes kind of a case-by-case situation. Has a player slid lower than you’d expected? How many picks would it take to move up? Is that one player worth the package cost over who might still be there when your pick comes. Ultimately, I’d love to see them be aggressive. Depending on where the Vegas first-round pick lands, throw in some picks to jump up. Make a ballsy offer to a team and make them say no. Or yes. Exciting times ahead.

Kent: Moving up from the second to the first round is extremely rare. Sometimes you’ll see a team in the mid or late teens flip their pick for something in the early 20’s, like Calgary has done a couple of times. But you don’t often see a club successfully package second-rounders to get a first. If anything, Calgary might try to move up by putting together a second-rounder and Vegas’ pick (which is currently around 20th OV).

Flash: I sure hope so. They need the best shot at procuring elite talent, and if they want to trade up into the top 20 this year, they certainly have the ammunition.

Paige S: I could see it. They have a lot of levers they can pull, so why not throw those second-round picks into a deal to pick earlier in an upcoming draft?

Robert: Yes. I believe that they will use a couple of their second-round picks to help them move up in the draft. Because of the Flames have so many prospects in their system, you can take the approach of quality over quantity.

Ryley: Possibly. Tough to say, really, but if the Flames like someone in the middle or late in the first round, it seems plausible that they trade two or more picks to get that done.

Adrian: I don’t think they’ll end up using all their second-rounders. Whether it’s for a better pick or a player, I’d expect they’ll use those picks as trade chips.

Paige H: I am hoping that they do, and I would not be shocked at all if this was what they chose to do. We need more technically skilled players on the team, which you typically see in most of the first-round picks.

Pinder: With the glut of picks the next three years, Conroy has ultimate flexibility to use the picks three ways:

a) Bundle picks to move up at the draft;
b) Use the picks as trade currency to add roster players;
c) Use the picks to add more prospects to a suddenly deep system. The Flames have had two excellent draft classes in a row, according to draft and prospect experts.

I expect he will exercise all three options.

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