The Calgary Flames have made it clear time and time again that they are not rebuilding. Owner Murray Edwards is not interested in stripping things down and going through years of struggle. What they are doing, however, is a similar, yet not as painful, retool.
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General manager Craig Conroy has acquired a ton of draft picks during his short time in the position, but has said he prefers acquiring young players who are already NHL calibre, or very close to being. One such player who fits that bill is Marco Rossi, who I recently discussed as a potential target for them this summer.
Rossi isn’t the only young, skilled player that could be up for grabs, either. Another is Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti. The 22-year-old, who was selected 10th overall in 2020, was viewed as a cornerstone of the Jets organization not so long ago. Things have changed in a big way recently, however, and could lead to him being traded this summer.
Jets Scratch Perfetti in Playoffs
While plenty went wrong for the Jets in their 4-1 series loss to the Colorado Avalanche, one major topic was the playing time, or lack thereof, of Perfetti. Despite a solid second NHL season in which he had 19 goals and 38 points in 71 games, he fell out of favour with Rick Bowness late in the season and wound up being healthy scratched in the Jets’ first four playoff games.
Perfetti suited up for Game 5, but by then, the series was already over. The Avalanche simply overpowered the Jets, who, after an offensive explosion in Game 1, weren’t able to find the back of the net very often, scoring just eight goals in their final four games. One can’t help but wonder if that could have been different had the nearly 20-goal scorer been in the lineup all series.
What makes Perfetti especially intriguing for the Flames is that he can play down the middle of the ice. Though they have several highly-touted prospects up front, they are lacking at the centre position, both on their current roster and in their pipeline. Adding a player with as much skill as Perfetti would improve that drastically.
Flames Have Intriguing Pieces
Should the two sides have discussions on Perfetti, the Flames have several ways they could approach it. With the Jets in a stage where they would like to continue trying to be a contender, they would likely prefer getting players that help their current roster over prospects. If that changes, the Flames do have prospects they can offer up, but should they prefer a roster player, Conroy does have an interesting one who could be on the move this summer.
Andrew Mangiapane, who is just two seasons removed from a 35-goal campaign, has seen his totals dip as of late. The 28-year-old may need a change of scenery to get his game back on track, and has just one season remaining on his contract with a $5.8 million cap hit.
Mangiapane does have an eight-team no-trade clause in his contract, and while the teams he has on this list are unknown, it’s no secret that many players have the Jets on their respective lists. While Winnipeg may not be the most desirable of destinations, the fact is, they won 52 games this season.
Not only would Mangiapane get to join a team that is currently much stronger than the Flames, but he would also get to play with more skilled forwards who could help his offensive game get back on track. As is well known in Calgary, he is very defensively sound as well, which would make him even more intriguing to the Jets.
With players like Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov no longer on the roster, the Flames are likely to have a lot of cap space next season. That also means that if need be, they would be able to retain some of Mangiapane’s deal to make things work from a money perspective.
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Worth noting is that, despite Perfetti’s struggles to get in the lineup late in the season, the Jets aren’t just going to hand him off. He still has a very high ceiling, and whatever issues he had with Bowness no longer matter following the 69-year-old’s retirement. While they will almost certainly take calls, Mangiapane alone may not be enough to get a deal done. As mentioned, however, Conroy has also been stockpiling picks since becoming the Flames’ GM. Parting with one or two as well as Mangiapane to bring in Perfetti is something he should be all over, should the Jets oblige.