The Flames need to commit to selling at the trade deadline

The first quarter of the 2025-26 NHL season has gone anything but well for the Calgary Flames.

While the league has shown incredible parity through the early stages, the Flames have been left struggling at the bottom of the Western Conference and Pacific Division standings, with few signs of improvement. 

With a 5-12-2 record, the Flames will have to decide whether to sell ahead of the Trade Deadline or keep their faith in the current group. 

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton broke down what their plans could be, compared to a similarly struggling team in the Nashville Predators. 

Yaremchuk: The Flames only have four wins through 18 games. It is ugly in both of these Western Conference markets. So the question is, which team should sell the hardest ahead of the trade deadline?

Hutton: It’s the Calgary Flames… the Flames just feel like, realistically, that they should sell off pieces that they don’t need. They have some good young players there, a great young up-and-coming starting goalie, and then you have a chance in a draft to get a player like Gavin McKenna or someone who can really change this organization. You have a new arena to be built. 

There are so many things trending for them that I do believe it would be a waste of it all if the Flames just rattle off a bunch of wins. Then they get themselves in the playoff picture, and then they’re four points outside of a Wild Card spot at the end of the season, and you’re sitting there going: ‘Why did we do that? Why didn’t we beef up a little bit and make this team better?’

For me, it’s the Calgary Flames. They’re at a point in their rebuild, and they need to make some changes here.

You can catch the full Flames breakdown and the rest of the episode here…