After freeing up some cap space with a recent trade, the Calgary Flames do not appear interested in acquiring rental players at the trade deadline.
This week, the Flames traded pending free agent Michael Frolik to the Buffalo Sabres, which opened up some cap space for the team. With the Feb. 24 trade deadline fast approaching, all eyes will be on the Flames as they decide what to do with the newly acquired salary room.
“From what I understand, they’re not really that interested in rentals,” Elliotte Friedman said during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. “They prefer somebody with term, that’s what their preference is if they try to add someone.”
According to CapFriendly, Calgary has about $4.8 million in cap space available, which could be used before the trade deadline. Another thing to consider, as Friedman noted, is where Elias Lindholm will be playing long term in Calgary’s line-up.
“If he’s a centre, I think they look for right wings,” Friedman said. “I think if he moves back to the right wing, they’ll look at some other options that they can possibly do.”
Calgary general manager Brad Treliving previously mentioned that the Flames plan to use their cap space before this year’s trade deadline in February.
Possible trade candidates for Calgary, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, include Tyler Toffoli, Chris Kreider, Mike Hoffman, Zack Kassian or Evgenii Dadonov.
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