Flames GM Insists No Fire Sale Again This Season

The Calgary Flames are into a rebuild. That's evident from all the veterans they dealt off last season. But according to insider Pierre LeBrun of TSN's Insider Trading, general manager Craig Conroy tells us we shouldn't anticipate another fire sale this season.

I think Craig Conroy is confused as to why people are expecting that. He’s done all the fire sale that he’s going to do here over the past 12-15 months.

The Flames sent out top players Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Elias Lindholm in in-season trades in the past year, then shipped out No. 1 goaltender Jacob Markstrom as the offseason got underway.

Sure, there are still some big names on the roster, like Nazem Kadri, Mackenzie Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau and Blake Coleman, but don't expect them to be moved. Some, of course, would be for contract reasons that would make a trade very difficult, but there's another important factor, as well:

"The fact is, Conroy sees those veterans as wanting to be a part of this roster transition. (Conroy also) wants them to be a part of this roster transition," says LeBrun. "He doesn’t want to tear it down to the studs. He wants to build the right culture in Calgary and wants those veterans around through that".

Kadri, 34, is only in Year 3 of a seven-year deal that takes him through the 2028-29 season. Huberdeau, 31, who's off to a tremendous start to the season with six points in four games, is only in Year 2 of an eight-year contract. Weegar, 30, is in the second year of an eight-season pact that takes him through the 2030-31 campaign. And Coleman, 32, has three more seasons to run on his deal.

The Flames, meanwhile, aren't looking like a team reeling in the throes of an all-out strip-down. The've started the season at 4-0-0 with the top goal differential in the NHL, at +9.