3 players the Calgary Flames need to trade after embarrassing postseason exit

2. Mark Jankowski

The Calgary Flames’ bottom six forward group needs an overhaul. Mark Jankowski, much like Bennett, could be left standing without a chair to sit in, so to speak. He’s a member of their fourth line. Last year, Jankowski was great. This year, he took a huge step back, as he only had seven points in 56 games and zero points in six games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Jankowski is an RFA and is likely due a raise from his $1.675 million cap hit this season. If they don’t tender him a deal and re-sign him for cheaper, maybe it works out. But the Flames can’t afford to have someone making about $2 million on their fourth line.

He’s certainly not a huge part of the problem in Calgary, but he’s a part of it regardless. Fourth line forwards are a lot easier to replace than people think. From 2017-18 to 2018-19, Jankowski combined for 57 points in 151 games. That’s pretty good from someone who got roughly 13 minutes of ice time per game. And though he wasn’t that good this year, he has a history of being a pretty solid penalty killer.

If the Flames want to trade Jankowski, I think they wouldn’t have a very difficult time. Someone’s going to want to take a flyer on him and see if he bounces back.