Calgary Flames make a bizarre statement about the trade deadline

With the selling of Chris Tanev last night, it seemed to everybody that the Flames were going to tear it all down. The Flames still have Hanifin, Markstrom and possibly Kuzmenko to sell off. It seemed like the Flames could be gearing up for a huge selling deadline, which could really speed up their rebuild if they play it right. However, it seems like in true Flames fashion that they are only going halfway in on the sell as more news comes out about their possible trade pieces.

Where to even begin with this statement. First off, they say they want to send the «right message» to the team which makes absolutely no sense. This comes out the next day after just selling off one of their best defensemen, so obviously the message isn't that they're pushing for the playoffs.

They've now sold off both Lindholm and Tanev, and they seem to be lost on their direction. It seemed like they were going for a full fire sale and rebuild, as the return they got for these two players was mostly centered around future assets. With this statement it seems like they may not be headed that way. They also have pending UFA Noah Hanifin who has already said that he won't re-sign in Calgary, so holding on to him would be an unbelievably stupid move from GM Craig Conroy.


Not selling Markstrom this deadline wouldn't be the worst idea by any means, but they should definitely cash in on an inconsistent goalie before his value can drop. Markstrom is having another great season, so the Flames could've probably got decent value for him. He does have 2 more years under contract, so the Flames still have time to move the goaltender in future years. Craig Conroy needs to figure out the direction that the team is headed in, or else it may end up costing him his job.