The NHL trade deadline is on Mar. 7, 2025, and based on their recent play, the Calgary Flames plan to be entrenched in the Western Conference wildcard race.
However, scoring issues continue to plague the team, which tends to be in one-goal games. Sometimes, they are up one, and sometimes, they are trailing by one.
Ultimately, scoring depth is a significant concern for the 2024-25 Flames unless the top line clicks, but a possible short-term solution is on TSN’s Trade Bait Board.
Now that Connor Zary is on the shelf with a lower-body injury, as one of the Flames’ top goal scorers, the team has called up Rory Kerins, who is leading the AHL in goals (21) through 34 games.
Although the 23-year-old hasn’t scored a goal in either of his first two NHL games, he hopes to recapture the magic with the Flames as he did with the Calgary Wranglers.
Indeed, the Flames need him to pick up the slack for several other players like Andrei Kuzumeko and Walker Duehr, who continue to get shuffled in and out of the lineup and have a combined one goal.
Both could use a change of scenery and a fresh start to find their games again, making them both interesting trade pieces if the Flames want to make a deal.
That leads us back to the TSN Trade Bait board, where two Bruins players, Trent Frederic (9th) and Justin Brazeau (16th), are listed in the top 20 candidates to be traded this season. Moreover, according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, the Bruins are “open for business.”
If I were the #NHLBruins, I wouldn’t be testing the NHL trade market on Trent Frederic; I’d be figuring out how to keep him. If they want to maintain an identity of being tough to play against and have a playoff-grit roster, he’s part of the solution.@sickpodnhl https://t.co/f5uzzF9m5A
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) January 15, 2025
Both players are 26 and are set to be unrestricted free agents after the 2024-25 season. Frederic is on the books for $2.3 million, while Brazeau, making the league minimum at $775,000, could come to Calgary and not break the bank for the remainder of the season.
Why would the Flames be interested in either of these players?
Frederic has been a staple on the Bruins’ third line for years and recently had breakthrough seasons, scoring 17 goals in 2022-23 and 18 in 2023-24.
Like the entirety of the Boston lineup, his production is down to seven goals through 46 games this season, but with new linemates in a new city, he could get back into double digits.
One of the appealing aspects of his experience is Frederic has already played in 22 playoff games and understands the pressures of winning, especially after playing with the Bruins for the past seven seasons.
There’s an argument that the Flames don’t need to get “tougher” as Frederic is a well-known fighter, but not many guys drop the guys and almost score 20 goals, which is why the Bruins rewarded him with their last contract extension.
Meanwhile, Boston is paying Brazeau the league minimum salary. He’s a 6-foot-5 forward who plays right wing. He debuted in the NHL last season and immediately impacted a Bruins team loaded with talent, scoring five goals in 19 games.
The #NHLBruins are reportedly considering trading two players, Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau.
Frederic has fallen off catastrophically, but Brazeau should absolutely be on the #NJDevils radar as a B6 option.
6-6, 230 lbs, and has 10G 9A in 43 games this season. pic.twitter.com/R0GJhWmPOk
— JP Gambatese (@jp_gambatese) January 12, 2025
This year, he’s already up to ten goals in 44 games with 19 points. For perspective, the Flames only have four players with ten or more goals and only six with more points than Brazeau.
Considering the lack of scoring from the depth players in the Flames lineup, there’s an opportunity to make a deal for Frederic or Brazeau without breaking the bank. This would allow someone not getting the opportunities or chances in Alberta to revive their game in Boston.
Realistically, either player could be a rental or offered an extension that, once again, won’t cause the Flames significant financial trouble. Even if things don’t work, Calgary management would only be making room for someone else already in the system or another move in the off-season.
Related: 5 Interesting Things To Know About Flames Rory Kerins
Related: Iginla, Kiprusoff, & Gaudreau Headline Flames Quarter-Century Teams
