The Calgary Flames are in a bit of a conundrum. Sitting nine points out of the second wild card spot in the West, general manager Brad Treliving is still not labelling his team as a seller. He still feels his team has a shot to make the playoffs, but also does not want to sacrifice his team's long-term progress.
"I think a lot gets made on buying and selling, but it's all about making your team better," Treliving said, according to NHL.com's Aaron Vickers. "Sometimes you're trying to make your team better for tomorrow and sometimes you're trying to make your team better for today. Very clearly, we could probably help ourselves tonight [in a trade] that would send 19- and 20-year-olds out the door, and we've got no interest in that. That's not going to happen."
"In terms of the buying and selling, those teams that are looking to add on a rental basis or [are] prepared to give up assets, those are more likely closer to the deadline when they have a sense of where they're at," Treliving continued. "There are teams in good shape right now, and you get a sense of what they may be looking at, but in terms of us and placing us in buying or selling mode...if we can help ourselves today at a cost that makes sense, perfect. If not, we're not interested in that. If we can help ourselves moving forward, with futures, picks, prospects, people that we think can fill holes for us moving forward, we have lots of interest in that."
Flames forwards David Jones and Jiri Hudler, along with defenseman Kris Russell, are a core part of the team and have been rumored to be available for trade, but the GM claims he has not committed to anything yet.
"Lots of talk and lies and all of that sort of stuff," Treliving said, according to Vickers. "It's still a ways away from the deadline, so people are still getting an idea. You're seeing such tight bunching in the standings, so people are deciding which way they're going to go here. But we're in communication with everybody and we have a good sense a couple weeks out of where and what teams may be looking for."
It was announced yesterday that veteran goaltender Karri Ramo will miss the rest of the season after suffering "a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage in his left knee during a game last week," according to CBC.ca. With only backup Jonas Hiller and an unprepared Joni Ortio to rely on, could this diminish Treliving's motivation to still try for the playoffs? Dennis Wideman's suspension could also be an issue heading down the stretch.
Treliving still is not making anything concrete as of yet, taking it day by day.
"You're balancing that. You make your calls and do your work and start all over the next day. You watch the scores and see where everybody's at," the GM said, according to Vickers. "You're happy one day and miserable the next; it's a great way to live. As much as we sense that we're close to the deadline, we're an eternity away. A lot of things can change for teams between now and the 29th."
