Report: Calgary Flames open to trading first-round pick

The Calgary Flames have been one of the busiest teams on the trade market the past two seasons. GM Craig Conroy has been re-tooling on the fly and this season, Conroy's made it very clear there's no upcoming fire sale, and any trade Calgary pulls off, will be a deal that adds talents to their lineup.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman touched on the Flames trade talks in his latest 32 Thoughts article and shared some of Conroy's interview with Eric Francis, where the Flames executive opened up about being open to moving his first-round pick. In the right scenario, of course.

The faceoff leading to Seattle’s 1-1 goal last weekend illustrated a problem the Flames eventually will address. With Elias Lindholm in Boston, they don’t have a right-shot centre, leading to disadvantages in the circle. It’s not a huge thing yet, as Calgary continues its joyous start during this roster re-set. “Sending a first-round pick for a guy who would be here for a year doesn’t make much sense,” GM Craig Conroy told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. “But if it was a first-round pick for a guy who would be here long term, we would be open to that.”

The Flames have been one of the biggest surprises this season, starting the year off with a 5-0-1 record. The team has been led by defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who has eight points in six games, and are seeing a bounce-back season beginning for Jonathan Huberdeau, who has recorded a point-a-game early on this season.

Conroy has $19 million in cap space to work with, so the options are unlimited at this point when it comes to creativity and flexibility to make a trade. It's all going to come down to the Flames finding a trade partner, who is open to moving out a young, up-and-coming talent, where Conroy can then become comfortable to include his first-round pick in the deal.