A few post-deadline thoughts:
1) I'll start with the move Calgary *did* make, rather than the one(s) they didn't. That, of course, was acquiring defenseman Oscar Fantenberg from Los Angeles for a 4th round pick in 2020.
In a vacuum, I have no problem with the deal. I kind of like it. Fantenberg brings little to the table offensively, however, his shot and chance suppression numbers were very good in Los Angeles. He's a defensive-minded guy who actually contributes positively in that area, rather than one who spends all of his shifts chasing play in the defensive zone (Erik Gudbranson, for example). He's 27, he has a little playoff experience in the NHL, quite a bit of it in the SHL, and his style of play nicely compliments the younger, more offensive-gifted players he'll partner with on the 3rd pairing any time he is in the lineup.
Would I have been comfortable with two of Rasmus Andersson, Juuso Valimkai and/or Oliver Kylington playing every night? Yes. In fact, I'd probably prefer it. With that said, Fantenberg can play a little and the cost of acquisition was very little. I have no problem with bringing him in for added depth. If the Flames are to go on a deep run, as hoped and perhaps expected, they're probably going to need seven or eight defenders capable of at least treading water. Fantenberg has a better chance of doing so than Dalton Prout.
My only hope is the Flames don't force the issue with Fantenberg and sit a kid or two every night simply because they dealt a pick for him. If he is going to take some playing time away, it has to be earned.
2) Missing out on Mark Stone hurts. I honestly can't think of a right winger who would be better suited to play alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund on the 2nd line. The Flames have a lot of quality assets and Stone is the kind of player you don't hesitate to spend them on. If it would have taken Juuso Valimaki, a depth player, and another small asset (like what Vegas gave up), I would have paid the price. I think the Flames would have too if not for money. The Flames don't have the cap space to make it work with Stone long-term, which is the only way you give up assets like Valimaki. In order to make room, they'd have to move James Neal and Derek Ryan or Michael Stone. Shedding that kind of salary is awfully difficult and very expensive in terms of assets. If you're doing all that, you're moving too much of the future, and I think that is (rightfully) why Stone is not a member of the Flames right now.
As fate would have it, Stone was instead traded to a division rival that has quickly put together a strong team – one that should be very competitive for years. I don't think the Stone situation could have played out worse from a Calgary perspective.
3) Perhaps realizing Stone was out of the question, the Flames reportedly took a healthy run at Jason Zucker prior to 3 p.m. ET. I think he would have been a great fallback option.
I know he's having a down season – 15 goals and 31 points in 62 games – and that's not something you like to see in a player with four years remaining at $5.5 million per. I'm not concerned about him, though. He is still generating chances, the percentages (both on-ice and individually) simply aren't working in his favor right now. Relatively speaking, I think he would have been a nice buy-low option – much like Nino Niederreiter was for Carolina. It's too bad the deal fell through.
4) What transpired at, and leading up to, the deadline makes it that much more important the Flames finish strong and secure the top seed in the Pacific Division. Not that the Flames can't compete – they can – but I would not want to see San Jose or Vegas in the opening round of the playoffs. They are way too dangerous.
An already strong Sharks team added a very underrated scoring winger (Gustav Nyquist) without subtracting anything from the roster. Their top-9 is scary good, and they have two players capable of dominating games on the back end. If their goaltending is even average, they're legit Cup contenders. Again, not someone you want to see in the opening round.
Vegas can trot out seven legitimate top-6 forwards in Stone, Max Pacioretty, Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Paul Stastny, Alex Tuch, and Reilly Smith. If you count Brandon Pirri, who has always scored when given opportunity, that number moves to eight. You don't want to play a team with that much pop, and Marc-Andre Fleury in net, early on. Picking a winner is *almost* flipping a coin at that point. Being forced into that situation would be very disappointing given the year the Flames have had to date. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
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