Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving has shown incredible patience and a strong, clear vision in building this Flames team into the talented young outfit it is now. Unfortunately, a slow start to the 2015-16 NHL season apparently has the normally sure-handed Treliving spooked and, per a report from Mark Spector of Sportsnet, working the phone lines hard in pursuit of a trade. And not just any trade, but what Spector dubs a deal of the "big" variety.
Per Spector, a quick poll of the NHL's various GMs revealed not a single man who said he hadn't heard from Treliving this past weekend. What name sits atop Treliving's wish list (and that of every other GM and head coach in the NHL)? None other than Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. Spector's report suggests that Treliving reached out to Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and kept the focus of their conversation squarely on Stamkos and what Tampa By plans to do with their pending unrestricted free agent.
Whether it's an indication of the depth of talks or not, Spector reports that Treliving showed willingness to part ways with a top young player in order to land Stamkos. Spector suggests Sam Bennett's name as a possible trade piece, though Spector doesn't seem to be saying that Bennett's is a name Treliving and Yzerman discussed. It would be shocking to see Treliving ship off such a talented young asset like Bennett - the former first-round pick is an elite puck mover who plays tough and projects to a leadership role in the future - but if the potential return is Stamkos, the blow would certainly be lessened. And interestingly, Bennett, a natural center, has just one assist through five games playing on Mikael Backlund's wing this season.
In the end though, it may be in Treliving's best interests to simply wait out the Flames' 1-5 start. Yes they're currently in last place in the Western Conference and yes, they looked particularly abysmal against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, but this team is too talented to fail over the long-term. The ship will right itself at some point it's just a matter of when.
Really, that could be what troubles Treliving the most though. As Spector notes, since 2005-06, teams who find themselves out of a playoff spot by late Nov. have only a 22.7 percent chance of making the postseason.
