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The NHL trade deadline wasn't overly busy but I have plenty of thoughts on what the Calgary Flames did and did not do.
On Curtis Lazar
There are a lot of layers to this move. On one hand, the Flames took a shot on a former 1st round pick who tallied a respectable 35 points over his first two seasons in the NHL despite playing a somewhat limited role. Those seasons, both of which were much better than the one he is currently having, were under Dave Cameron, who now happens to work on the Flames' bench. Perhaps the Flames feel Cameron can help get Lazar's career back on track and ensure the Flames get their money's worth for the pick they gave up.
On the other hand, the Flames traded a 2nd round pick for a guy with one point in 33 games this season. Since entering the league, Lazar has produced 5v5 points at the same rate as noted offensive dynamo Chris Neil. Obviously, this year has hurt Lazar's numbers but it's not as if he was taking the league by storm in his first couple of years. Lazar doesn't drive possession, nor bring much physically, so if he isn't producing he isn't of much use.
Factor in the Flames have to protect him this summer -- otherwise, they risk losing Lazar, a project, a couple months after moving a 2nd for him -- and it's pretty hard to see why the Flames felt the need to make this move, especially right now.
Another aspect I don't get: the top-9 is pretty much set in stone.
Gaudreau - Monahan - Ferland
Tkachuk - Backlund - Frolik
Versteeg - Bennett - Brouwer
Unless the Flames move Brouwer to the 4th line, there isn't really a spot in the lineup where Lazar can play and have a legitimate chance to produce. I don't think he's going to snap out of his big offensive funk playing limited minutes on a line with Matt Stajan and Alex Chiasson or Lance Bouma.
Sticking with Elliott (and Johnson)
I think the Flames were smart to stand pat in goal. Brian Elliott has played very well of late and, based on recent years, we should probably expect that to continue.
While Chad Johnson's game has gone down hill since the turn of the calendar, he is a pretty good backup and someone the Flames should be able to rely on for spot starts, especially with the team playing so well in front of the crease.
Trading assets for a goaltender, especially one with term remaining at a big price (Marc-Andre Fleury, Jaroslav Halak, etc.) seems counter productive.
Best of all
The Flames did not mortgage their future in any way, shape, or form. They have plenty of young talent on their roster they did not part with. They have plenty of young talent in Stockton (Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, Andrew Mangiapane, etc.) they did not part with. They have plenty of talent in junior and college (Tyler Parsons, Adam Fox, Dillon Dube, etc.) they did not part with.
The only assets they dealt leading up to, and at the deadline, were 2nd and 3rd round picks. In exchange for those picks, the Flames landed a 22-year-old and a 26-year-old. If the moves don't work out, they don't work out, but they're not going to buckle the franchise like trading high-end assets for rentals (Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata, etc.) could have.
Conclusion
There's not much data to suggest the Lazar bet was a good one but perhaps a change of scenery and his old bench boss can help him get back on track. Second rounders only have a 15-20% chance of panning out so if Lazar can bring anything to the table he's probably worth the pick.
Besides that, the Flames retained all their best assets and stuck with a group that is playing extremely well. I think that decision will pay off.
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