Flames’ Blake Coleman trade update suggests a clear outcome ahead of NHL deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
As the NHL’s March 6 trade deadline approaches, two Calgary Flames forwards are apparently mired in trade rumors.
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According to the latest indications, Blake Coleman is the most likely to be traded, and Nazem Kadri is also among them.
Coleman’s latest update comes from Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin, and it’s a strong one. Larkin put together a trade committee, laying out all the possibilities for players who could be traded next week. He ranked them based on their likelihood of being traded. And at the top who is most likely to be traded, he has Coleman.
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It’s a sure sign that Coleman will be wearing a different uniform a week from now.
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“He’s proven to be a two-time Stanley Cup winner who can score 20 goals, sometimes more, while assisting on penalties and playing a physical game,” Larkin wrote. “What contender wouldn’t want him for third-line and PK1 work? The Flames could always hang on to him for a year and move him as a loanee next season, but the need for him should be enough this year.”
Perhaps the most interesting outcome for Coleman is a return to the Tampa Bay Lightning, which reunites him with the team. Coleman won two Stanley Cups with the Bolts and returning would be a fitting move.
The Chargers are far from alone in their pursuit of Coleman, though, and the Flames will be looking for the best possible return.
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Especially if Calgary plans to trade Coleman and Kadri, they have to make the right moves to avoid hindering their future too much.
At this rate, it sounds like Coleman’s name will be at the forefront of rumors until, not if, but when, something happens.