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Finally! This trade deadline got a blockbuster deal. After a few minor moves and the wait to remove no-trade clauses, the Utah Mammoth landed MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames for a haul. This move makes sense for both teams so that’s the leading thought and a good place to start following this trade.
This Weegar Deal Helps Everyone
It’s a cliché thing to say after a trade at the trade deadline that it’s a win-win. However, this time, both teams are better off because of it. The Mammoth make the big move, and now, with a true number one defenseman, they are part of the contention conversation. The Flames, meanwhile, are setting themselves up for a successful rebuild, something that they kicked the can on in the past.
Utah Finally Makes Its Splash Move in Weegar
Every year, when there’s a star on the board, the Mammoth are rumored to be in the hunt yet never make the deal. This goes back to their Arizona days as well, where they were always in the running but not the team to land the big piece. This time, the Mammoth make the splash and does so by getting a star defenseman. Weegar’s great play goes unnoticed because he’s a great player on a terrible team and because he’s always linked to the Matthew Tkachuk trade, which fans will remember as setting up a successful run for the Florida Panthers while setting the Flames back for years. The trade speaks to how far the team in Utah has come and that they are turning a corner as a rebuilding team.
Flames Are Further From Contention Than Initially Thought
In the summer, when it was clear which teams were rebuilding and which were contending, the Flames were one of the best teams. Certainly, they had one of the best rebuilds going. With Dustin Wolf in the net and a lot of young players to build around, they looked like a sleeper team on the rise. It turns out, the Flames aren’t close to contention, and this trade reflects it. They still have to move on from bad contracts, and this is one of them.
This Opens The Door For Both Teams Now
The Mammoth are just getting started, at least that’s the assumption. They’ve wanted to make a splash for years, and after adding talented players like Mikhail Sergachev and JJ Peterka, they finally got a building block for a contender. With a surplus of prospects, the question now is what they add to allow this team to beat the likes of the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild.
Related: MacKenzie Weegar Traded: Analyzing the Return
The Flames, meanwhile, proved they can trade a player with a few years attached to their contract. It seemed like a tall tas,k and it is, especially since it’s hard to find a buyer willing to take on an expensive contract. Now, they can address the Nazem Kadri or Jonathan Huberdeau contracts to help them rebuild.
Flames Still Need Young Forwards
The underlying thought with the Flames and their process is that it’s executed well but missing the boat. They keep adding defensemen in these trades and not forwards to build around. In this case, they get Olli Maatta back in the return, which frankly doesn’t help the rebuild much.
The same thing happened with the Rasmus Andersson trade. The Flames got Zach Whitecloud, a great young defenseman but he doesn’t fill a need. In this trade, they added a prospect who can become an NHL-caliber center (Jonathan Castagna) but they didn’t get a top forward prospect like Tij Iginla, who they should have gotten beyond just his name and the fit in Calgary.
