8 Centres Named As Potential Flames Trade Targets

As we shared earlier this week, the Calgary Flames are on the hunt for a centre. A top-six, right-shot centre, if general manager Craig Conroy has his druthers. And even further, it should be someone who fits their long-term plan and be in the 23-25-year-old range. That's a pretty focused shopping list.

But at this time of year, it's not such an easy task to find exactly what you're looking for on the trade market.

Analysts, like Flames Nation's Robert Munnich, have come up with a list of eight potential candidates for the Flames to focus on, though they don't all check off everything on Conroy's checklist:

Kirby Dach, Montreal Canadiens
Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Carolina Hurricanes
Barrett Hayton, Utah HC
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild
Peyton Krebs, Buffalo Sabres
Joe Veleno, Detroit Red Wings

Dach fits Conroy's wishlist items to a T, but the Habs had to give up a first and third round pick to acquire him from the Chicago Blackhawks, so that possibility seems remote. The 6'4", 215-pounder is a top-liner for the Canadiens right now.

Necas is also a perfect fit — right-shot, 25 years old. He was actually on the trade block after last season as he was looking for a fresh start elsewhere, but the Hurricanes seemed to work things out with him for the time being, signing him to a two-year, $6.5 million AAV deal. He doesn't seem to be available at this point any more than Dach.

The rest of the names on the list are left-shots, and the only ones who would seem to be potentially available would be Krebs (age 23) and Veleno (age 24), who have been thought to be looking for a fresh opportunity, and possibly Zegras, 23, who was seemingly on the trade block last season.