After GM Brad Treliving suggested he wasn’t about to rest on the cap space he’d opened up for the team, Eric Francis of Sportsnet took a look at possible targets the Calgary Flames might pursue. After all, if the Flames are going to spend money, it’s logical to speculate as to who they’ll be spending money on.
Earlier in the week, the Flames moved Michael Frolik and his salary. The expectation is that Calgary will now look for a top-six forward. Francis suggested a handful of targets, starting with Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers. It’s an interesting choice considering Kreider has a no-trade clause and could veto a trade to the Flames. There’s also no confirmation yet that the Rangers are sold on moving him.
Next up, Francis suggested Zack Kassian of the Edmonton Oilers. To us, this is another non-starter. First, the Oilers are still fighting like dogs to maintain ground in the Western Conference playoffs. Like Calgary, they’re in and out and will hardly be willing to lessen their chances by removing one of the key contributors on a nightly basis. In fact, the latest reports are that the Oilers and Kassian are in talks regarding a contract extension.
Francis then turned to the Florida Panthers wingers Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov. Again, the Panthers aren’t likely to hurt their playoff hopes.
That leaves Tyler Toffoli of the Los Angeles Kings and the most likely of the options suggested.
Toffoli is a player who has long-been rumored as possibly on the move out of LA and the Kings a team looking to sell at this year’s deadline. With 23 points in 41 games for the Kings this season, Toffoli has 11 goals, but more than that, he’s been a player that could be counted on for 20-or-more goals since the 2014-15 season. On an expiring contract that sees him sitting at $4.6 million for the current campaign, the Flames have enough room to add him considering they moved $4.3 million to the Sabres just a few days ago.
Related: 7 Trades to Expect In The NHL As 2020 Begins
