Flames could look to add top-six forward at trade deadline

The Calgary Flames were a team with plenty of potential after perhaps the busiest offseason of any team, replacing their dynamic duo of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk with well-rounded additions that included Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and Stanley Cup winner Nazem Kadri.

However, the team has struggled with consistency this season. Currently sitting in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, questions are swirling around what moves the Flames will make to improve their roster before the March 3 trade deadline. Today, TSN’s Chris Johnston talked about what he’s heard about Calgary’s deadline plans.

According to Johnston, Flames general manager Brad Treliving has been looking to bolster the team’s forward group “throughout much of the season.” Johnston says that could come with a top-six forward in mind, unlike the team’s depth additions at the deadline last year.

It’s a thought process likely sparked by the disappointing offensive output of Huberdeau, who’s scored just 10 goals and is well south of a point-per-game pace with 36 in 51 appearances.

There have been some positives among Calgary’s current group of top-six forwards. 24-year-old Dillon Dube is seeing an increased role alongside Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli, and he’s responded with a career-high 33 points in just 54 games.

Jakob Pelletier has also been elevated alongside Kadri and Huberdeau at times. However, he has just one assist in eight NHL games as his minutes remain limited under head coach Darryl Sutter.

He also notes that Treliving could also explore adding a defenseman to shore up their blue line. They could use a more well-rounded partner for Nikita Zadorov on the third pair, as veteran Michael Stone is averaging just 13:07 of ice time per game and has posted poor advanced defensive numbers.

Johnston said he thinks the front office is “as perplexed as the rest of the hockey world” about Calgary’s ups and downs this season. The team has had hot stretches, but they’ve largely been immediately wiped out by losing streaks. As a result, they’ve sat on the fringes of a playoff spot after finishing first in the Western Conference last season.

Given their somewhat uncertain standing in a tight Western Conference wild card race, it makes sense that Calgary would take a wait-and-see approach with eight games left to play before deadline day.

Johnston does believe the team will ultimately make a move. Still, spending assets on an addition could be premature if the team can’t string together wins to solidify a playoff position.