Flames Veteran Wants GM To Be a Trade Deadline Buyer — But Will Team Change Course?

The Calgary Flames are in a position few expected this deep into the season, in the thick of a playoff race. But any expectation that the players — who continue to overcome injuries and inconsistencies — are capable of shutting things down for a higher draft pick is ridiculous.

A tank is all talk. Players aren't capable of it. If they are, you probably don't want them on the team.

And management, which answers to an ownership that makes a significant amount of money for every home playoff game, is somewhat handcuffed, too. Purging pending unrestricted free agents is one thing, but talking about trading away one of your top players (Rasmus Andersson) with term remaining on his contract while also considering locking him up to a long-term deal is a whole other level of decision-making.

Ultimately, Flames GM Craig Conroy will make those decisions with advice from colleagues including President of Hockey Operations Don Maloney, and likely from majority owner Murray Edwards, too.

There is a delicate balance when it comes to commitment to a youth movement. The young players need others around them who understand what it takes to win — maybe a Stanley Cup winner or two. They need chemistry. They need to know what it feels like to win. They need hope.

In a call with The Hockey News writer Carol Schram this week, one of those veteran Stanley Cup winners, Flames center Nazem Kadri, shared his desire for management to add talent at the NHL trade deadline. Not subtract.

Related: How Former Flames Defenceman's Gamble Backfired in Free Agency

“I think that's the goal, is to try to improve, try to become more competitive,” he said in a phone interview with Schram on Monday. “If you get one or two pieces, all of a sudden you’ve got some momentum, and you're heading into the playoffs fully equipped. That's what we would love to see.”

That's unlikely — unless the improvement continues to align with Conroy's vision of adding players with youth and term. He's not about to completely abandon the plan based on some success.

It may be up to the players who have taken the team this far already. They've lost Anthony Mantha, Justin Kirkland and now Connor Zary to injury, but in their absence they're seeing Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier and Rory Kerins step up and keep the Flames competitive.

As Kadri said, they're "a team that never quits."

“It’s hard to compete with, because how do you truly beat somebody that keeps getting up and coming back for more?," Kadri said. "We've definitely been able to find some chemistry and have a good mix of great leadership and some young kids that are coming up and playing well and establishing themselves as NHL players.

“That really sums up what we're all about."