The 2019 NHL Draft kicks off in mere hours and the Calgary Flames are slated to select 26th overall. That is, of course, dependent on whether they make any trades. With an uncertain salary cap for 2019-20, trade talks have reportedly cooled off a bit.

That said, all sorts of things can pop up again on the draft floor. Here’s what rumours have been circulating prior to the big draft weekend.

The most persistent chatter from our media friends has circulated around defender TJ Brodie. Reporters such as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston and TSN’s Bob McKenzie have discussed the possibility of Brodie moving elsewhere, which would potentially open up cap space for the Flames and a spot for Rasmus Andersson to play in the top two pairings.

There are plenty of teams that could use defensive help.

The Flames very nearly traded away Michael Frolik to the Minnesota Wild prior to the trade deadline. The move was hardly unexpected, as Frolik’s usage under head coach Bill Peters was pretty sporadic in the first half before he became cemented on the second line down the stretch.

Given the player’s apparent unhappiness – and frequent tweets from agent Allan Walsh about his value and ice time – it would make sense that the Flames would want to revisit finding Frolik a new home. Such a move could also potentially open up cap space or a spot for somebody like Sam Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane or Dillon Dube higher up the forward rotation.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in 31 Thoughts that the Flames have looked into the market for expensive veteran forward James Neal, who scored seven goals last season. It’s unclear if the Flames would need to take a similarly hefty contract back.

Finally, the Flames have traded their first round selection away under Treliving twice – in 2015 and 2017. Both times, it was for an established player to fill a need: Dougie Hamilton in 2015 and Travis Hamonic in 2017 (which saw the Flames trade their 2018 pick). In a cap-controlled world, first round picks will always have value.

Again, trade talks are reportedly quiet league-wide, but it might not take much for them to head up again.