Latest news with #CraigConroy
National Post
5 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Talks provide Flames, Rasmus Andersson some 'clarity on where we're headed'
Article content The Calgary Flames and Rasmus Andersson know what comes next. Article content Whether that's a contract extension or a trade isn't something they're speaking about openly, but they've agreed on what direction they'll be working towards in the coming days, weeks and months. Article content Article content 'We've been talking to his representation,' Flames GM Craig Conroy said on Thursday morning. 'We understand where they're at and they understand where we're at and we're going through that process, but at least we have some clarity on where we're headed.' Article content Article content Andersson's future has been a source of rampant speculation since the end of the season and that will only ramp up over the next week as the NHL's 2025 Draft approaches on June 27-28. Article content The 28-year-old blueliner has played all 536 games of his NHL career with the Flames, who picked him in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. But he's an unrestricted free agent next summer and is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Article content With a well-stocked cupboard of defensive prospects, including Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz, in the pipeline, there's a strong argument that it doesn't make sense to sign Andersson to a big-money, long-term deal. Article content And, for Andersson, there may be a better contract elsewhere. That's something he was all-too-aware of when he spoke at the Flames end-of-season availabilities in April. Article content 'I don't know what's going to happen, honestly,' Andersson said 'I have to sit down with my family. Conny and all those guys upstairs, they have to sit down and talk about what's best for the team. Article content Article content 'I wish I could say 'Hey, I'm signing July 1,' but I can't at the moment. Or 'I'm getting traded July 1.' I just don't know, right? I hope the fans know I've loved every second of it. I've never taken it for granted. I hope I'm here for many years to come, but this is where it's a big decision for me and the Flames. It's the first time in my career I'm in this spot.' Article content Article content Andersson played for Sweden at the IIHF world championship in May and it's understood that he has taken some time to figure out his priorities as he approaches free agency for the first time. Article content He didn't have his best year in 2024-25 and, while some of that can be attributed to the fact that he was playing with a broken fibula for the last 12 games of the season, he still finished minus-38 and put up his lowest points total in years.
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Flames ‘continuing to plug away' on contract negotiations with Dan Vladar, says Conroy
Article content Second-string goalie Dan Vladar was emphatic in his end-of-season interview about his desire to stick around the Saddledome, while the Flames seemed similarly keen on continuing with their current twine-minding tandem. Article content But two months later, and less than two weeks before Vladar would become an unrestricted free agent, there's been no news of a contract extension for the 27-year-old from the Czech Republic, raising the possibility that rising star Dustin Wolf might have a different sidekick when the puck drops on the 2025-26 campaign. Article content 'We're talking to his representation and seeing where his mindset is at,' Flames general manager Craig Conroy told Postmedia on Thursday when asked for an update on negotiations with Vladar. 'We're open, just like he was open to a contract. But both sides have to come to terms with that. We're just continuing to plug away at that one.' Article content Vladar is at the tail-end of a two-year contract that carries an annual cap hit of US$2.2 million. Coming off the heaviest workload of his NHL career, and after finishing the season on a 6-1-1 run, it's safe to assume that he's looking for at least a slight raise. Article content The Flames have plenty of salary-cap wiggle room, but teams are often hesitant to be allocating too much loot to their backup puck-stopper. Article content Vladar and Wolf split starts last fall, but the youngster emerged through the winter as the obvious workhorse in Calgary. Wolf, en route to his runner-up finish in the Calder Trophy race, was tapped for 76 per cent of the crease time in the second half of the season. Article content In 30 appearances, Vladar posted a 12-11-6 record with a 2.80 goals-against average and .898 save percentage. It did not go unnoticed by teammates and staff that he was handed a lot of tough assignments, including the second half of any back-to-back sets. Article content Article content 'We talk about Wolfie a lot and the season he did have, but I think a big reason why he had such a good year was the way Dan was, too,' said Flames head coach Ryan Huska on locker clean-out day. 'We had a great tandem. You look at our team and that was probably the strength of our team this year — those two guys in net gave us a chance to win every night, and it was rare when one of them had an off-night. Article content 'When you're planning ahead, you know you have one area covered. For me as a coach, I know we're going to be good in net.' Article content The big question is, have those plans changed since mid-April, when their backup stressed he would 'love to be back' for a fifth season with the Flames? Article content
Calgary Herald
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Around the NHL: What the latest rumours could mean for the Flames
Trade rumours around the NHL are starting to grow louder. Article content The Stanley Cup will be handed out in the next week or so, the draft is a little over two weeks away and free agency will open soon after that. Article content While the Calgary Flames themselves haven't been involved in any moves just yet, that doesn't mean the rumours that are swirling don't affect them. Article content So let's take a look at some of the chatter from around the league and what it means — if anything — for the Flames: Article content Article content Article content Players like Robertson don't come on the market all that often. He's only 25 years old and has put up 80 points for the past two seasons and had 109 in 2022-23. Article content For a team like the Flames, he'd instantly become their top scorer and would be a cornerstone to build around for the next half-decade. You'd at least want to give the Stars a call if you're Craig Conroy, right? Article content With all of that being said, the price is surely going to be astronomical. Are the Flames really at the point in their retool where they're looking to trade away young assets? Robertson would make them better, sure, but would he turn them into a Stanley Cup contender? Article content It's probably worth mentioning, though, that the Stars are very much in win-now mode. They've lost in the Western Conference finals in each of the last three seasons. They could be one of the teams that could use a guy like Rasmus Andersson, so who knows, maybe there's a deal to be done? Article content Article content Article content LeBrun reported that while the Flames are one of the teams that are in the market for a second-line centre, they would prefer someone with more size. Rossi is listed at 5-foot-9. At 23 years old, he definitely fits the age profile of what the Flames have been looking for and after putting up 60 points last season would provide a bit of offensive pop, too. Article content
National Post
05-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
FLAMES RETOOL TRACKER: Under-25 power rankings on defence
Article content As we've been power-ranking the Calgary Flames ' future pieces at other positions, we have limited each list to five. Article content Article content But the Flames have such an impressive stockpile of defence prospects that we figured we'd go a little deeper on this one. Besides, you dress a half-dozen rearguards for every game, ideally three left shots and three righties. For that reason, we've gone with that same split here. Article content Article content Age: 24 Article content Working in his favour: With his 6-foot-6 frame and extended-length Bauer, Bahl's reach is approximately one city block. He ranked among the NHL's leaders this season in stick checks. Article content Still working on it: He doesn't need to be looking for open-ice hits or picking fights, but if he could develop a bit more of a mean streak, it would be bad news for opponents. Article content Big-league potential: He's already established as a Top-4 fixture and a trusted penalty-killer. Article content One of three Flames regulars to average north of 20 minutes a night this season, Bahl has cemented his status as an important presence both now and for the future. As he skates toward restricted free agency, it's believed that general manager Craig Conroy is willing to go as long as five or six years on Bahl's next contract. With the possibility that Rasmus Andersson could be traded, many have already tabbed his towering pal as the ideal partner for top prospect Zayne Parekh. Article content Article content Working in his favour: Of the Flames' junior-aged defence prospects, you could make a case that Morin's game currently is the most mature and well-rounded. Article content Several months ago, Morin would not have cracked this list. The Flames weren't satisfied with his testing scores in the fall, which explains why he wasn't tapped for a single exhibition appearance before he was reassigned to junior. They were, however, thrilled with the way that Morin responded to their challenge — both on the ice, where he piled up 81 points and posted a plus-43 rating in 85 total outings as a workhorse for the QMJHL champion Moncton Wildcats, and in the weight room.
National Post
02-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
FLAMES RETOOL TRACKER: The depth on defence
Article content No matter what way you cut it, the future of the Calgary Flames defence looks bright. Article content Article content The team has loaded up in the NHL Draft over the last couple years and also has a few early-20s talents who could break through soon. In a couple years, there's potential for the Flames blueline to be pretty … dare we say spectacular? Article content This summer, though, the focus will be almost entirely on what they choose to do with one of their veteran leaders and how it impacts the NHL roster next year. Article content As we go through every position in our Flames Retool Tracker series, the blue-line has always felt like it would be the most interesting week of the bunch. Article content To get it started, here's a look at the organizational depth chart: Article content The big question Article content This isn't just the biggest question facing the Flames defence, it's going to be the dominant question surrounding the team as a whole until it gets sorted out. What do they do with Rasmus Andersson? The Swedish defenceman himself seemed to know that a long-term contract to stay in Calgary might not be forthcoming when he spoke with the media on garbage bag day. Not with guys like Zayne Parekh ready to break through soon. If a deal isn't worked out — and it seems unlikely — he'll have to be traded before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The return that GM Craig Conroy gets could be franchise-altering, even if Andersson underperformed in 2024-25. Is it best to move him this summer if there's a good offer on the table, or give him a chance to show he's back at his best before flipping him at the deadline? Article content Article content Article content Let's assume the Flames move Andersson this summer. What does the defence look like next season? Joel Hanley had a great year for the Flames, but he's an unrestricted free agent and just makes more sense elsewhere. Getting Kevin Bahl re-signed — he's a restricted free agent — is a priority and MacKenzie Weegar is a proven No. 1. The two of them are a nice foundation. After that? Parekh is too young to play in the AHL and it would be a total waste to send him back to the OHL for another year. He's going to be around. There will be inevitable growing pains, but the sky's the limit for him. The Flames will be wanting to see more out of Jake Bean, but he's a proven NHLer and you'd expect him playing most nights, while it's a crucial year for the 27-year-old Daniil Miromanov if he wants to stick around in the NHL and Brayden Pachal provides a reliable, physical option on the third pairing. The Flames are in pretty decent shape even without Andersson, especially as they'll be hoping one or two of the guys we're about to speak about take another step and push for NHL playing time.
