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Calgary Flames acquire Derek Forbort and, potentially, Erik Gustafsson |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
A month ago it seemed possible, if not likely, the Calgary Flames would be trading defensemen at the trade deadline.
Now? They’re trading *for* them.
Injuries to Mark Giordano and Travis Hamonic quickly turned a team strength into a weakness.
I mean, they went from healthy scratching Michael Stone – a player they bought out last summer – to playing him 20+ minutes a night. That’s not ideal for a team on a playoff bubble, especially one that could lose some valuable members to free agency in a few months.
In an effort not to waste their pending UFAs – and another year of Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, etc – GM Brad Treliving appears to have made a couple of moves in quick succession.
He parted with a 4th round pick to land defensive defensemen Derek Forbort from the LA Kings.
A trade for offensive-minded blueliner Erik Gustafsson, only a year removed from a 60-point campaign (heavily influenced from PP production), looks imminent.
To me, this means a) Giordano and/or Hamonic are still a while away from returning; b) Treliving wants to be overly safe to avoid relying on a guy like Stone or; c) the Flames wanted to add multiple defenders so they can flip one of their own for a forward.
Luckily for us, it won’t take long to find out.
I’ll have more on these moves, and any that follow, in next day or so.
Recent posts:
On Calgary’s rumored interest in Barrie and the search for a hockey deal
Flames lose Mark Giordano for key stretch of games
Calgary’s three stars of the month for January
Five potential trade targets for the Flames
Flames sign Rasmus Andersson to long-term extension
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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