The Calgary Flames couldn’t have drawn up a much worse start to their season.
Playing in front of the home fans on Thursday night, they hosted the Seattle Kraken and were gracious hosts — the Kraken scored 6 goals and the Flames got just 1.
That could end up being what much of this season feels like, and so there’s going to be a constant curiosity about what might happen with some of the Flames’ more experienced and talented players.
It won’t take long for trade talks to heat up the rumor mill if the Flames keep losing games 6-1.
One guy that seems certain to demand interest is Zach Whitecloud, who intriguingly was only brought to Calgary in January in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights.
If the Flames don’t improve quickly, Whitehead could be on his way back out of town.
Zach Whitecloud Trade Rumors
Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report dug in during a new article on Thursday about the idea of Whitecloud as a trade candidate. Whitecloud was the No. 5 player on the B/R new NHL trade board, which suggests he’s both a worthy talent and also has a solid likelihood of being moved.
The fact that the Flames brought Whitecloud to town recently probably is working against this, but the rest of Calgary’s rebuilding mess might point toward this being an eventual outcome.
“The Calgary Flames are continuing their rebuilding program as they enter this season,” Richardson writes. “That’s made Zach Whitecloud a frequent subject of trade rumors since the 29-year-old defenseman was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in January.”
Whitecloud isn’t winning in Calgary right now, but he was part of a winner in Vegas, which adds to his value.
“On Sept. 4, Ryan Lambert of The Hockey News included Whitecloud on his list of players who could be moved if their teams struggle early this season,” Richardson writes. “He would certainly draw attention from contenders looking for shutdown defensemen with Stanley Cup experience.”
The Flames have younger defensemen that could use a mentor. That’s probably the biggest argument to keeping Whitecloud during a potential lost season.
“Whitecloud remains invaluable for the Flames as a mentor for promising defensemen like Zayne Parekh and Simon Nemec,” Richardson writes. “Nevertheless, we can’t dismiss the possibility of a contender making a big early pitch if the Flames stumble through October.”
The Selling Point
There are two massive reasons that other teams would want Whitecloud and would pay up to get him from the Flames.
The first is that he has a cap hit of just $2.8 million. For a talented defenseman, that’d be a steal in the middle of the season.
Then there’s the ease of pulling off a trade — Whitecloud doesn’t have any no-trade clause in a modern NHL where such clauses are quite common. He can’t veto a trade to any team.
Calgary would have its pick of offers if the Flames choose to deal Whitecloud. No, it’s not a foregone conclusion, but it’s easy enough to see the path to the point when they do indeed trade the defenseman away.
Flames Put on Notice About Zach Whitecloud Trade After 6-1 Loss