When the Calgary Flames traded Mackenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri, both still under contract for several more seasons, the organization finally signaled a commitment to a full rebuild.
The exciting part of the packages in return for these two players was largely rooted in future draft capital. However, nearly a month after both moves, the return for these players continues to improve as Olli Määttä, brought in as part of the Weegar deal, and Ryan Strome, who came from the Anaheim Ducks, have been the most productive NHL pieces of the four players involved in these trades.
Maybe improvement wasn’t what Flames fans wanted to see following the deadline, with many likely hoping the team would bottom out and land a top-three pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. That is certainly still a possibility, but if these two keep producing at the level they have since arriving in Calgary, it will be tough for this team to lose games consistently.
Määttä & Strome Leading Flames’ Recent Charge
Since the deadline, the Flames have a 7-5-1 record, one of their better stretches of the season, and, in large part, it is thanks to Määttä and Strome’s team-leading 10 points each in 13 games over that stretch since coming to Calgary.
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Määttä’s 10 points come via two goals and eight assists, with six of those being primary assists. That compares to just one assist in the 22 games he played with the Utah Mammoth this season. Strome’s 10 points, (four goals and six assists), are one more point than he produced in 33 games with the Ducks this season.
In comparison, since the trades, Weegar has registered just one goal and two assists (three points) in 12 games for the Utah Mammoth, and Kadri has posted four goals and five assists (nine points) in his first 12 games back with the Colorado Avalanche.
When making these deals, the Flames would never have thought they would be the beneficiaries of more current NHL production. As mentioned, all the value in these deals was perceived to be in the future draft picks.
However, if Määttä and Strome can continue this level of play, the full evaluation of the Weegar and Kadri deals can’t necessarily be done until we see what the Flames can potentially flip the two veterans for next season.
Määttä & Strome Positioning Themselves as Great Trade Pieces
For Strome, it’s hard to say, but with Määttä, we know his value was a third-round pick a season ago when then-named Utah Hockey Club brought him in from the Detroit Red Wings to stabilize their injury-riddled blue line, and that was after only playing just over 100 minutes with the Red Wings and recording zero points with them in 2024-25.
Even without their current production for the Flames, these two will always have some value given their pedigree and NHL experience. Most may think these guys are on their last legs, with a combined 26 seasons of experience (13 each).
However, they are both still only 32 years old, and while they may not have their best years ahead of them, they still have a few more seasons left.
Strome was selected fifth overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, he has racked up 173 goals and 326 assists for 499 points in 910 NHL games. He has always had great vision on the ice and is a great thinker of the game, which compensates for many of his weaknesses, such as his foot speed. He’s not a guy who is incredibly noticeable, or one who produces advanced analytics numbers, but he has six-straight 40-point seasons and would be on pace for his seventh if the Ducks had more room in their lineup earlier in the season.
Määttä was selected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at 22nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has battled several injuries throughout his career, which have kept him among the more underrated defensemen in the NHL for a long time.
However, Määttä recently surpassed the 200-point milestone, now at 206 points in 796-career games. He’s a tremendous skater who can have an impact in all three zones when given the opportunity.
Is The Value Strome & Määttä Creating Sustainable?
Before joining the Flames, they were averaging career lows in time on ice. Määttä only played 12:10 in the seven games he got into for the Mammoth, and Strome coincidentally averaged the same amount of time on the ice in his 33 games for the Ducks.
With that, we’re seeing the Flames got great buy-low opportunities on both deals, but much of the value is coming from these two getting much more opportunity. Strome is playing over 16 minutes per game, including power-play time, and Määttä is playing north of 22 minutes per game.
However, the big minutes shouldn’t take away from how well the two are playing as they’ve been the most productive Flame players since the deadline. However, they likely won’t continue to produce at a 0.76-point-per-game pace.
Considering their time in the league, teams know what they are getting with these two players. Even if they continue to produce at the pace they are, I don’t see anyone giving up major assets to get them.
However, the Flames are doing a great job showcasing that these two trade throw-ins can still compete at a high level and with control over both through next season, they are in a great spot to either flip them in the offseason to a desperate team next season to add a couple more mid-round picks to their stockpile.
Either way, there are plenty of younger players on this roster already, and many more to come. There is nothing wrong with those guys learning from Määttä and Strome, who have combined for more than 1,700 NHL games.
These deadline moves keep looking better and better for the Flames. It’ll be interesting to see what they have in store for the offseason, with a roster that still consists of a number of players they could move.