From the offseason mess surrounding several players and their desires to leave the organization to the recent Nikita Zadorov trade request, the Calgary Flames have been surrounded by a whirlwind of trade rumors for months on end. With questions about their direction moving forward, Calgary will almost certainly move several key pieces ahead of the trade deadline.
The Devils and Flames have been trade partners as recent as late June, with the Devils having acquired star forward Tyler Toffoli in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick. The Devils’ defense and goaltending have been the reason for their lackluster start to the season, and the Flames have some potential remedies for these woes.
Nikita Zadorov
Starting off with the Flames’ freshest wound, the Devils have reportedly already shown significant interest in acquiring the hulking Russian defenseman. Zadorov checks all the boxes — he’s an analytically sound player who would satisfy that community, all the while being a physical presence that would satisfy the part of the Devils community that thinks the team is too “soft” and lacks a rival to the likes of Jacob Trouba, who has claimed several Devils’ victims over the past few seasons without repercussions — most recently forward Tomas Nosek.
To begin with his analytical background, being a genuine net-positive on both sides of the ice is a rarity for players with his defense-first mentality. When he has been on the ice this season, the Flames have an expected goals share (xGF%) of 55.78%. Among the five Flames defensemen with at least 250 minutes of 5-on-5 play, Zadorov boasts the highest expected goals for per-60 (xGF/60) and second-best expected goals against per-60 (xGA/60). It’s not just a this-season thing, either. His xGF% over the last three seasons hasn’t dipped below 54.5%.
His physicality needs no introduction — he’s been one of the league’s hardest hitters since he entered the NHL. As a defense-first, 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenseman, this comes as no surprise. Since 2021, Zadorov has led Flames’ defensemen with at least 1,400 minutes of 5v5 play in hits per-60 minutes, with 7.75. Personally, I don’t think hits are all that important — I’m of the opinion that teams who hit often don’t have possession of the puck, so a low-hitting team indicates to me that they control the pace of play more often than not — but it would be nice to have someone to knock the likes of Trouba and Connor Clifton around a bit. They’ve done more than enough damage to the Devils’ star players.
Related: Devils’ Colin Miller Giving the Team a Much-Needed Boost
In terms of acquisition cost, it won’t be cheap, but as a rental who has publicly requested out, I wouldn’t anticipate it being all too expensive, either. GM Tom Fitzgerald has a pattern of using third-round picks to get players who are likely worth a bit more than that, and I think that price would be a good starting point for the defenseman. I’d also assume that the Flames would want a young player with potential, so I would dangle someone like Tyce Thompson or Nolan Foote in that deal as well as a sweetener.
Chris Tanev
Chris Tanev is, and has been, one of the league’s premier defensive defensemen for the bulk of his career, and he’s been the subject of many a trade rumor recently as well. The Devils have shown interest in acquiring the veteran blueliner in addition to Zadorov, so it’s no surprise that he is on this list.
In terms of his playstyle, Tanev is the quintessential stay-at-home defenseman. His defensive metrics are among the best in the league. In fact, among all defensemen with at least 2,000 5v5 minutes since 2021, Tanev ranks first in xGA/60, even beating out the likes of Jared Spurgeon and Jaccob Slavin. This translates to a dominant xGF%, too. Since moving to Calgary in 2020, Tanev has posted xGF%s of 60.75%, 55.31%, 61.20%, and (so far this season) 53.65%. He’s a force to be reckoned with on the backend.
Then, once again, there’s the physical presence. Though he’s not really considered a hitter, per se, he isn’t one to shy away from confrontation. He’s constantly monitoring the netfront after the whistle, shoving and slashing intruders as many defensemen do. As far as Trouba is concerned, Tanev has fought the heavyweight as recently as Feb. 2023, so he’s certainly not frightened of him. He, much like Zadorov, also crosses off the boxes of both the analytics and physicality-first communities.
As a lesser-known name around the league, the cost to acquire Tanev might not be as expensive as it should be. In my eyes, it would cost less than Zadorov, and that seems to be the generally understood notion as well. Whereas Zadorov might cost a third-round pick and a young potential NHLer, I think Tanev would cost either just a third-round selection or a young player and a fourth or fifth. He’s my number one defenseman target for the Devils, and his procurement price is one of the reasons why.
Noah Hanifin
Noah Hanifin is the Flames’ big trade chip this season. One of the league’s very best puck-moving left-handed defensemen, Hanifin will cost a pretty penny — and rightfully so. To no surprise, Hanifin is among the Flames’ best rearguards in terms of xGF/60, being second only to Zadorov. He found his offensive game in the last two seasons, breaking out with regard to point production in his 48-point campaign in 2021-22. He’s a steady two-way defenseman who is more than capable of quarterbacking a power-play unit and being a staple on a penalty-killing line. Sounds good, right?
In all honesty, though, Hanifin is the least enticing option to me of all the available Flames defensemen. He undoubtedly has the highest offensive ceiling, but the Devils have a more-than-competent puck-moving left-handed defenseman in Luke Hughes. Not only that, but his price is going to be astronomically high. Even as a rental, I don’t see the Flames settling for less than a first-round pick and a good prospect. It’s just not worth it for what the Devils already have.
Dan Vladar
The Devils’ goaltending has struggled mightily to begin the season, with the team having the second-worst ranked team save percentage (SV%). Vitek Vanecek has not been remotely as consistent as he was in his 33-win season last year, and Akira Schmid has not been the goaltender that he was in the playoffs. As such, the Devils are letting in way, way too many goals and it’s causing questions about their playoff viability.
Vladar, to put it frankly, has never been a good goalie throughout his career. He “boasts” a career save percentage (SV%) of .896, a career goals-against average (GAA) of 2.97, and a career goals saved above expected (GSAx) of minus-19.8. In five games this season, Vladar’s repping a SV% of .868, a GAA of 3.70, and a GSAx of minus-5.7. Still, I think it might be a somewhat good idea for the Devils to consider trading for him.
Vladar effectively must be moved. The Flames have Jacob Markstrom, who is their bona fide No. 1 goaltender, and Dustin Wolf, who is their goalie of the future, and it’s a near-certainty that neither will be moved. As such, the price of Vladar is probably the most enticing reason to acquire him. If anything, it would be a cap dump, as Vladar is signed at $2.2 million through 2024-25. I would assume that the Flames would be somewhat eager to get him moved, so he could be had with a mid-late round pick coming to New Jersey for legitimately nothing.
Unlikely Trade Chips
Elias Lindholm might end up being moved too, as he’ll be a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) after this season. I don’t anticipate the Devils having any interest in him, though if Dawson Mercer continues struggling in a middle-six role, it might be a benefit to consider Lindholm for that role. Lindholm is an effective two-way forward who can reasonably play anywhere in the top-nine for New Jersey. He’d be good injury insurance and increase the Devils’ scoring depth if the likes of Mercer and Ondrej Palat don’t pick things up. It would be pricey, though; Lindholm is an excellent player. Even at a rental price, at half-retention, Lindholm would cost a first-round pick and a decent prospect (Topias Vilén, perhaps) at a minimum.
I previously stated that it’s incredibly unlikely that Markstrom will get moved, but I can’t help but consider him as a potential trade option. He had a Vezina-caliber season just two years ago, posting a .922 SV%, 2.22 GAA, and plus-10.8 GSAx in 2021-22 with the Flames. He’s struggled somewhat since, but he’s still been a viable starter and has stolen some games for Calgary here and there. It’d require a whole lot of cap magic, too, as Markstrom is signed at $6 million average annual value (AAV) through 2025-26, and the price would likely be something the Devils are more than uncomfortable with. The Devils would need to move Vanecek in the deal, as well as a first-round pick at minimum. It’s not something I, or anyone, should want from New Jersey, but he’s still a potential option.
Devils Can Easily Bolster Defense
With Colin Miller back, he and Hughes have formed a solid third pair — much better than what Brendan Smith was offering when paired with the youngster. Through four games and roughly 40 minutes of 5-on-5 action together, the duo has posted an xGF% of over 61.5%. Still, it might be of benefit to consider upgrading even further from Miller. Zadorov and Tanev are genuinely the perfect prospective partners for Hughes; Hughes would benefit from having a sturdy, defense-first partner that can cover for his mistakes as he grows. The Flames would benefit, too, as the Devils still boast a deep prospect pool that the Flames can take from if they choose to go down the rebuild path.
