Flames' Mackenzie Weegar Linked to Atlantic Division Team

Calgary Flames defenseman Mackenzie Weegar

Who's next out the door for the Calgary Flames? Though they insist they aren't going to follow the Rasmus Andersson trade with a continuing sell-off in short order, there are a number of top players that teams around the league will be making substantial pitches for.

Not the least of which is Mackenzie Weegar.

The Ottawa Senators are looking for a top-four defenseman, and Weegar would be a perfect fit, says insider Bruce Garrioch in the Ottawa Citizen. Weegar has got quite a bit of term left at a reasonable price.

League executives told Postmedia on Tuesday that the club may have held talks with the Calgary Flames about MacKenzie Weegar.

Though he does have a full no-move clause, Weegar, 32, is Ottawa-born and raised, and there's no reason to expect he wouldn't waive his NMC in the event of a trade there.

"The belief is that the Senators are among several teams interested in Weegar because he fits what the club needs in its top four and brings cost certainty with a $6.25 million U.S. per-season deal that runs through the 2030-31 campaign."

Like most other Flames in this down season for the team, Weegar's surface stats have taken a hit this season. The versatile two-way defender has just 16 points in 52 games, with a very un-Weegar-like plus/minus rating of -16. He was +110 in his last six seasons before this one.

The Sens "kicked the tires" on Andersson before the Flames shipped him to the Vegas Golden Knights, but now they'll try again on another top-four D from Calgary.

“It makes some sense for Ottawa,” a league executive told Garrioch. “The Senators were in on Andersson, and Weegar would be a fit. He brings some grit and some good leadership. He’s a good player who can help them. He’s competitive and he can play on the power play."

The Senators are unlikely to make their way back to a playoff spot this season, so the rental market at the deadline is out of the question. But Weegar as a long-term solution would be a nice fit.