The season is still young but one thing that's becoming pretty clear is the Calgary Flames could use another top-6, or top-9, forward.
With the team smartly going with duos to try and balance the offense (Johnny Gaudreau/Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett/Troy Brouwer, Mikael Backlund/Michael Frolik) there are some forwards getting bigger minutes than they otherwise should be.
Alex Chiasson is the best example of that. He has 17 points in his last 88 NHL games yet has somehow found himself playing with Gaudreau and Monahan of late.
Kris Versteeg and Matthew Tkachuk round out the rest of the top-9 wing spots but the coaching staff has been hesitant to give either a good dose of minutes. They don't seem entirely sold on Versteeg and don't want to put too much on the rookie's plate.
The Flames aren't necessarily desperate but they could certainly use one more consistent producer. As such it should be no surprise they'd like to get their hands on another top-6 forward.
From TSN's Bob McKenzie (transcription via TodaysSlapshot.com):
“What I’ve heard is that yes, Marc Bergevin, in a perfect world, would like to get a defenseman,… relayed McKenzie. “The same way the Vancouver Canucks would like to get a 20-goal scorer. The same way the Calgary Flames would like to get a Top-6 forward. Everybody has got a wish list for what they want. So I don’t think anything’s imminent, but hey – who knows.
Rarely are trades, especially meaningful ones, made this early in the season so I wouldn't expect anything in the near future.
It is a story worth watching, though, especially if nobody steps up and this doesn't sort itself out in the coming weeks.
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