Calgary Flames Linked to Early-Season Trade

The NHL's trade market is heating up, but to this point, there's been no significant in-season deals completed. With American Thanksgiving coming up, that's usually a milestone date that management teams circle, as they get a sense of what kind of team they are working with this season.

If one team is going to make a move, it sounds like it could be the Calgary Flames. Rasmus Andersson, Nazem Kadri, and Blake Coleman have all recently been linked to deals, and for Andersson, he was almost dealt twice during last offseason.

Kadri reportedly won't join Carolina, but he only has 13 teams on his no-trade list, so there's some potential for a move back to Colorado, Vancouver, or even Montreal. 

On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff Live, former NHL goaltender Carton Hutton admitted he felt the Flames could be the team to pull off something early on this season:

Yeah, I guess Calgary would be the team that’s maybe looking to be a seller. It’s just so early. You look at the standings in the East and you have the Florida Panthers at 6-6-1 and in last place with Washington, and you’re two wins away from being in the playoffs. It is a weird dynamic. Teams for me to watch are going to be Buffalo. What are they going to do in the next little bit, as we look at (Alex) Tuch and some players that are expiring there. Are those players that move on? I feel like it’s a little bit early, but I think this next month will really tell you. American Thanksgiving, we’ll see what you’ve got at that point.

The Flames sit 3-9-2 on the year, dead last in the Western Conference, and GM Craig Conroy isn't going to sit on his hands for much longer. Expect to see some bodies moved out in the coming weeks.

Photo credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images