Outside of the odd speculation tying the Calgary Flames to Jack Eichel, Duncan Keith or Vladimir Tarasenko, the club has done well to stay under the radar as it schemes for a summer of significant change.
After months of navel gazing, Brad Treliving’s blueprint for redemption will start to be unveiled as the club submits its expansion protected list July 17, braces to see who they will lose July 21 and then plunges into the draft July 23 and 24 where it’s likely the GM will be busier than most.
Then comes free agency July 28.
Yes, in the next three weeks plenty will be said about where Treliving believes the team went wrong, and how best to try upgrading a squad that finished four points out of the playoffs, behind eventual Stanley Cup finalist Montreal.
A look at seven of the storylines sure to unfold before month’s end.
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Will Mark Giordano be back?
At this point it’s hard to believe there’s much hope the captain will be back with the organization for his 16th season.
The Flames will certainly protect Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson and Chris Tanev for Seattle’s expansion draft, leaving the future of the soon-to-be 38-year-old up in the air.
Unless the team is willing to cough up a significant asset or two to persuade Ron Francis not to pluck Giordano as a Kraken cornerstone, Flames coach Darryl Sutter will start next season without the team’s No. 1 defenceman.
And don’t fool yourself — the Kraken would snap up an asset and leader like Giordano in a nanosecond.
Given his age and the fact he has just one year left on his $6.75-million contract, it’s tough to fathom the Flames would be willing to mortgage more of the future to keep the community leader and recent Norris Trophy winner in town.
Treliving has mentioned several times the lesson from Vegas’ expansion draft was not to pay exorbitant tolls to protect additional players.
It’s the biggest quandary of the off-season for a Flames team that is going to take heat from a frustrated fan base no matter which way they go.
If Seattle doesn’t take Giordano, their next best option is likely to snag local Washington product Derek Ryan in their exclusive free agency window.
What to do with Johnny?
Just before he left town for the summer, Johnny Gaudreau paid lip-service to wanting to stay in Calgary past the expiry of his contract next summer.
He has less than three weeks to find common ground on a possible extension with the team or the club has to consider shopping him before a no-trade clause kicks in July 28, limiting the number of teams the Flames can deal him to, as a rental, to five clubs.
Following a 99-point season three seasons ago, his stock has diminished steadily, making him a lightning rod for controversy among Flames fans and observers who debate whether he’s worth more than the $6.75 million he’s currently making.
You can bet his representatives believe he’s worth much more despite a flat cap and a history of playoff disappearances.
Are the odds longer that he’ll be able to come up with a contract extension in time, or that the Flames can find a trading partner willing to give them ample return for the 27-year-old?
Calgary Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau (13) juggles a puck with his stick during warm top before taking on the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL qualifying round game action. (Jason Franson/CP)
Who else is a trade candidate?
Surely someone from the team’s core has to be moved this summer.
But who?
At this point there are only a handful of relative untouchables in an organization that has spent the last few months contemplating radically different options for a group that was one of the league’s biggest disappointments last season.
You can bet the club is listening to anyone asking about Sean Monahan, who is coming off a subpar season that ended with hip surgery.
Matthew Tkachuk made it clear at his parting media availability he wasn’t thrilled about the reduced ice time he got under Sutter, prompting outsiders to speculate he’d like a change of scenery.
Mikael Backlund has three years left at $5.35 million.
Dillon Dube is a talented young prospect with a bright future, but has already drawn plenty of criticism from Sutter, who is notoriously hard on youngsters (see Juuso Valimaki).
The list of those up front who the Flames would be loath to trade includes the likes of Andrew Mangiapane, Elias Lindholm and first rounders Connor Zary and Jakob Pelletier.
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Who will back up Jacob Markstrom?
Not a big issue, as Sutter likes to ride his star goalies hard.
It’s a buyer’s market and there are plenty of experienced lads on the free-agent market who the Flames can pay to play 15-20 games.
The list includes Devan Dubnyk, Antti Raanta, James Reimer, Petr Mrazek, Carter Hutton, Jonathan Bernier, Anders Nilsson, Linus Ullmark, Laurent Brossoit, Aaron Dell and even David Rittich.
Dell, 32, is intriguing as he is a product of nearby Airdrie, Alta., who spent two years with the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks.
Who will they sign before the expansion draft?
The Flames still need to sign another experienced forward to satisfy the expansion draft eligibility requirements.
Based on how much of a Sutter-type player he is, the most likely candidate is 28-year-old Brett Ritchie, who walked onto the Flames’ roster on a PTO last year and is primed to once again sign for the league minimum to stay with the club for another year.
Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel (9) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP)
Is there any fire to go with the smoke around big names?
Talk that Eichel could be a Flame is entertaining, but not all that realistic given the asking price for one of the game’s premier centres.
Of all the teams that would love to add Eichel – if he is moved by the Sabres, who disagree on how his neck injury should be treated – the Flames are largely devoid of the type of top young assets Buffalo is looking for.
Keith’s interest in moving closer to his eight-year-old son in Penticton, B.C., puts the Flames on his radar, but the Oilers are the frontrunners to complete a possible trade for the 37-year-old.
The Flames would likely have interest if Giordano is indeed lost to Seattle, but if Keith is moved it would likely be before the expansion draft.
Tarasenko’s reported trade request out of St. Louis is an interesting one as the five-time 30-goal scorer is in the same boat as a lot of core Flames players in that his stock is low right now.
The 29-year-old winger has had three shoulder surgeries in the last three years, making him a big risk at $7.5 million each of the next two years.
Will they trade their first-rounder?
Treliving traded his top first-rounder twice during last year’s draft before landing Zary, so he isn’t afraid to move up or down the draft board.
Due to the lack of looksees scouts have had on youngsters because of COVID-19, this year’s draft class is as big a crapshoot as it has ever been, opening the door for plenty of draft floor activity.
The Flames are slated to select 12th overall.
For now.
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