3 Calgary Flames that will follow Nikita Zadorov out the door
The Calgary Flames are one of the more disappointing teams in the NHL over the last two of years. They were a big-time Stanley Cup contender three years ago but they have fallen off.
It doesn't help that they lost Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk but they did bring in some other good players to replace them like Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. It just hasn't worked.
They were hoping to rebound this season but that doesn't appear to be the case. They are 11-14-4 for 26 points. That has them ten points out of a top-three division spot and two points out of a Wild Card spot.
They aren't far out of the race but there is a large cluster of teams right in the bubble of the Western Conference. The Arizona Coyotes are currently in that final Wild Card spot and there are seven other teams within four points of it.
The Calgary Flames have been going through some changes lately
We can only hope that the right moves are made to get this team back into contention. When they are a good team, the NHL is a better place. When they played against the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, it was must-see TV. The NHL needs the Battle of Alberta to be strong.
Over the summer, the Flames shipped Tyler Toffoli out of town. At the beginning of this season, Nikita Zadorov requested a trade and he was eventually sent to the Vancouver Canucks. It seems like more could be on the way. These three could be following Zadorov out the door:
Chris Tanev is a player that the Calgary Flames could move on from
Chris Tanev is currently a bit beat up but he will be back for the Calgary Flames. He is a defenseman in the final year of his contract. These types of players are highly sought after ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.
There are going to be a lot of teams checking on him as the weeks go along. The Flames won't get a rebuild-defining return for him but they could get a nice asset back for a pretty good defensive player.
Tanev spent the first 10 years of his career with the Vancouver Canucks. He is now in his fourth season with the Calgary Flames and it appears to be his last. He is 33 years old but will turn 34 later this month.
Every team in the league that believes they will be in the playoffs needs depth on the blue line. Tanev will be one of the bigger names on the market.
He only has one goal and six assists for seven points but offense isn't a big part of his game. He is solid in his own end so he could be very valuable in the right situation.
Lots of teams would want Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin
The Calgary Flames have had some good years with Noah Hanifin. He was the fifth overall pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2015 NHL Draft and played his college hockey at Boston College.
Carolina traded him to Calgary with Elias Lindholm in exchange for Micheal Ferlund, Adam Fox, and Dougie Hamilton. This is a hockey trade that ended up mostly working out for both sides.
Now, he is on an expiring contract so the Flames could be looking to move him. Just like Tanev, teams might be excited to add a good defenseman ahead of the postseason.
Hanifin defends well but he also brings a lot more offense to the table than Tanev. So far this season, Hanifin has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 29 games played. Everyone would love to add that type of production to their back end.
If Hanifin were put on a really good team again, you might see his production take another step forward. Although he has been in the league for 9 years, he is still just 26 years old. The Flames should be trying to move him for a good return as soon as possible.
Elias Lindholm would be great for a team looking to add a great forward
As mentioned before, the Flames acquired Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin at the same time. It would be interesting to see them traded away in the same year as well. Maybe they could even package them together as they were before.
Lindholm, however, is a forward unlike the previous two guys named. He is the definition of a high-end second-line center. He doesn't have 90-100 points like a top-line guy but he will get anywhere from 60-80 most years.
In his NHL career, he has 210 goals and 321 assists for 531 points in 772 games. He also plays well away from the puck.
This season, he has seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 29 games played. If he jumped ship to a team with even better weapons around him, you may see those numbers soar.
Lindholm could probably use a change of scenery after seeing a lot of other good forwards he's played with move on. Things haven't been the same for him since Tkachuk and Gaudreau left so it is time to see him on another team with wingers that can help get him back to his normal production.
The Flames might have to lose a few more games to declare themselves as sellers. It is hard to see them winning enough to become buyers so they might just sell anyway. There is a chance here with all of these expiring contracts to start building back up for the future.
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