As we barrel headlong towards the trade deadline, the Calgary Flames have yet to make a big splash. But Flames executive Don Maloney revealed on Sportsnet that they almost made one on Sunday night.

Based on Maloney’s comments, it seems logical to presume that the Flames’ preference is to use their picks to upgrade their current roster rather than raiding their prospect cupboards. The Flames’ top prospects right now are players like Dillon Dube, Andrew Mangiapane, Juuso Valimaki, Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington. (You might be able to include USHL standout Martin Pospisil and NCAA freshman sensation Emilio Pettersen.)

Slinging picks has been enough for other Western Conference teams to land some fairly big pieces so far:

Saying the Flames are “out,” may be premature – they’re probably playing wait and see. The Senators asking price for Stone, reported by our pal Pat Steinberg as including multiple picks and a top prospect, is probably too high. But as the 1 p.m. MT deadline approaches, that price may drop.