NHL Trade Rumors: Calgary Flames linked to Mark Stone, Mats Zuccarello

According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Calgary Flames are looking to add a forward due to James Neal’s injury. They’ve been tied to Mark Stone and Mats Zuccarello.

The Calgary Flames currently sit on top of the Pacific Division. However, they’ve got to hold off the San Jose Sharks, who are close behind them. The latest NHL trade rumors have them tied to two intriguing forwards – Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators and Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers.

This report comes from Nick Kypreos in the latest Headlines segment as a part of Hockey Night In Canada. You can hear his comments around the 2:13 mark. The Flames have also been tied to some veteran defensemen, but right now, their interest appears to be in forwards.

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A huge reason for the Flames’ recent interest in forwards is James Neal‘s injury. Calgary’s big free agent signing last summer is suffering from a lower-body injury, which he suffered during a game against the Florida Panthers. The Flames’ interest in forwards is a pretty good sign they’re worried about when Neal can come back healthy.

Stone would be the most pricy of the two options, but he’d also be the best fit. It’s not a secret the Flames rely quite heavily on their top two forward lines. They’ve got an amazing top line and one of the league’s top shutdown lines. Stone would join the latter with young star wing Matthew Tkachuk and center Mikael Backlund.

It’s worth noting his brother Michael Stone is a defenseman for the Flames. Mark would likely just be a rental forward, as there’s virtually no way Calgary could afford him after this season. He hits the free agent market after this season, where he’s expected to get a huge long-term deal.

This season, Stone already has a career-high 27 goals in 57 games. He also has 57 points. The Flames would likely have to give up a first-round pick and a top prospect to get him. Calgary doesn’t have much of the latter, though, so that’s a bit concerning.

Zuccarello would be a nice consolation prize. He’s more of a scoring forward, though. The Flames shutdown line is extremely good right now, so maybe they don’t want to tinker with it. Zuccarello could help improve Calgary’s third line and add a weapon to their power play.  Much like Stone, Zuccarello will be a free agent after this season.

The Flames are clearly interested in adding a forward. It’ll be interesting to see if they do anything before the trade deadline. Expect them to add someone, even if it’s not someone of Stone or Zuccarello’s caliber.

For updated NHL trade rumors, check out our Rumors page.