With Andrew Ladd traded, the gluttonous trade speculation machine wants more.
It’s unclear if Kris Russell should be in that mix, however. Yes, he’s out of the Calgary Flames lineup on Thursday, but this is the sixth game he’s missing with a lower-body injury. Ladd, on the other hand, was a healthy scratch.
Of course, tonight isn’t the trade deadline, so the Flames may also err on the side of caution with a potential asset.
The latest word seems to indicate that the offensively adept defenseman’s future in Calgary is more muddy than clearly over:
With Ladd off market,do GMs start looking at Flames' Kris Russell?Told by someone inside organization there's a 50-50 chance of resigning.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) February 26, 2016
One cannot help but wonder if Russell is a little redundant on a Flames roster that’s heavy on scoring potential from the blueline with Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie (plus Dennis Wideman, assuming he’s still part of the picture).
Granted, NHL teams can never get enough defensemen, particularly ones who are mobile like Russell. It’s reasonable for the Flames to shop him around, if nothing else.
Update: Russell isn’t even the most interesting Flames player to watch tonight, or so it seems, as Jiri Hudler could be on the move:
Jiri Hudler just left the ice before any of his #Flames teammates during warm-up...he's usually the last guy off the ice at home.
— Derek Wills (@Fan960Wills) February 26, 2016
Hudler watch. #Flames
— Aaron Vickers (@AAVickers) February 26, 2016
Hudler ended up playing and scoring a goal, so maybe that speculation was for naught?