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As they head into another summer after yet another disappointing season, the Calgary Flames are a club facing a great deal of questions this offseason. They have some young talent in place, but the 2013-14 season will probably bring more of the same results that we’ve seen from this team in the past few years.
Which means that teams could be calling them in regard to some of their veteran talent hoping that they’re willing to sell and enter a full scale rebuild, which is a term that Jay Feaster has largely tried to avoid to this point. At this point, that might make some serious sense for the Flames as an organization.
The prime candidate for a trade would be Mike Cammalleri. He’s a free agent after next season. He tied finished for the team lead with 32 points, while scoring the second most goals on the club last season. He’s a veteran presence and an asset on the power play. Teams would be interested in that if the Flames were willing to move him this offseason. But he’s not the only one.
You have a couple of guys who have a bit longer on their contracts, but probably won’t be around by the time this team is ready to contend. Moving an aging veteran like Alex Tanguay, whose contract is pretty reasonable, could be a solid move. A contending team could see him as a final piece and look to make a move. There’s value in him and his still fantastic shot.
Curtis Glencross is an intriguing name as well. He’s a more of a gritty type than the likes of Cammalleri or Tanguay, but capable of putting up similar point totals. He only has two more years remaining on his contract. He could look elsewhere for a new deal once his contract expires. If he’s not traded this summer, and the Flames are no closer to contending next year, expect him to be heavily shopped next summer.
There are other valuable veterans on this team. However, guys like Jiri Hudler and Dennis Wideman both inked new contracts to join the club last offseason. They’re not going anywhere. But if the Flames want to move forward as an organization, moving a couple of their veterans, whose contracts expire either next summer or the following offseason, makes a whole bunch of sense for the Calgary Flames.
