Friday Fan Poll: 10 Days to the Trade Deadline

Last Week’s Results: Last week was all about the wild win over the Sharks (also the last the Flames have won) and what the most important part of that victory was. 39% of votes chose that killing the 2:00 min 5on3 Shark PP was most crucial to victory (also the last successful penalty kill that I can remember). Thanks for voting!

Week 7: 10 Days to the Trade Deadline

With the NHL's trade deadline less than two weeks away, the Flames have quickly moved into the position of sellers following three straight losses and are now sitting 11 points out of a playoff spot.

So, being in their current position, as a rebuilding team remember, the Flames have the opportunity to net some assets in return for some of their upcoming free agents. In fact, the Flames only have two players right now on their NHL roster with no trade/movement clauses and they are Matt Stajan and Dennis Wideman, both of which likely aren’t too appealing to other teams right now.

The Flames currently have 5 pending UFA’s (unrestricted free agents) playing full time in the NHL plus Jakub Nakladal who has recently gotten into game action over the last week or so. These players are Jiri Hudler, David Jones, Kris Russell, Jonas Hiller, and Karri Ramo.

The most appealing player out of these five would likely be Jiri Hudler as his offense has started to heat up over the last two weeks or so. The Flames also haven't opened contract talks with Hudler, likely showing that he'll be gone in the offseason anyways.

The Flames also have 6 pending RFA’s (restricted free agents) in the NHL plus most notably Tyler Wotherspoon playing in Stockton. In the NHL the Flames have Joe Colborne, Josh Jooris, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Markus Granlund, and Joni Ortio looking for new contracts this offseason.

Anyways, there's a few holes within the organization that need fixing over the next couple of months. One of the most prominent is the outcry from fans for the Flames to find a true #1 goaltender, but if that actually can be accomplished remains to be seen. The Flames also have a dry spot in their prospect pool along the Right Wing, and a key issue to fix will be trying to find a suitable future Right Wing for Johnny Gaudreau for the long-term future.

Here's the question of the week: What should be Brad Treliving's top priority in trades over the next ten days?

Remember to vote and cheer on the Flames! Thanks!

by Michael MacGillivray