Calgary Flames have an opportunity to really reshape their roster they have the top three players on our trade bait list Jake markstrom on the top Chris TV Noah hannin blue liners follow Calgary Five Points back of the blues for the final wild card spot St Louis has a game
In hand the Flames looking to avoid missing the postseason for the third time in Four Seasons with that we bring in our Calgary Flames bureau chief Mr suem VY great to see you my friend and reports out of Calgary Saturday suggest testing that Noah hanin’s time with the
Team is coming to an end uh what can you tell us about that situation I think Jay I can tell you that it is Radio silent on all fronts his agent Pat pron didn’t respond to a request for comment and I think Jay that we likely have seen the last media
Availabilities for both uh Noah hen and Chris tanov because the organization is clearly putting them on the trading block and how it was explained to me Jay is that there’s a fear that any player that has their name out there they could say something in the media that other
Teams will use as leverage against their team in trade talks and I think you know ideally we get to talk with these players being media and just asking them maybe more The Human Side how they’re how they’re managing what what seems to be a really stressful period for them
But the reality is that they don’t want to risk a player inadvertently saying something that could actually have an impact in trade conversation and I think that risk management is exactly what the Calgary Flames are doing right now so it’s radio silent on all fronts we did
Hear from Jacob markstrom on uh on Saturday night after he got pulled but in terms of Noah hen I really don’t think we’re going to see much from him publicly as the organization really is in in protection mode not just with him but with others and it really it really
Is a shame because I think fans do want to understand the perspective of players but there’s a much bigger game at Play and as a result we really don’t know how Noah half and Chris have and others are dealing with this constant trade CH that seems to perpetually be coming out of
The stome solom it’s funny you bring up the fact that Jake markstrom had something to say you know we’re talking about the Flames losing five n to the Red Wings on Saturday markstrom getting pulled after allowing four goals on 12 shots let’s listen to markstrom’s reaction when he was asked about the
Rumors of him and Calgary potentially parting weights Jacob we hear so much about blocking the noise is that becoming more difficult for this group I don’t think so what noise are you talking about the trade speculation the deadline coming up all that everyone here is professional
Paid for to play hockey and you know that’s what you can all you can do and we got to keep doing it we’ve been doing it all year and it’s been you know you guys been talking about it all year and we just got to play do you do you how
How do you personally try and block that then because your your name has been out there how you well right now I’m not thinking thinking about it I just got pulled in this early in the second period so it’s a bad timing for that question all right well bad time for
That question but you had to hey you have to ask these questions s that’s your job right his job’s get getting paid to play hockey your job’s to ask those questions what was your take away from that interaction that you had with Jake marstrom on Saturday Jay I think I’m slowly starting
To recover from the death stare it’s been almost 24 full hours but but I survived uh initially I I feel for them right because we are all human beings and and I was actually rereading a story Jay I did a couple years ago about Eric Branson who’s been
In more than a couple trade transactions over the past few years and he was great to deal with here in Calgary and I remember him telling me that it it because his young son didn’t have a passport his newborn son he didn’t actually see his newborn son Benny for
Over a month after he got belt one particular deadline so initially when I heard that clip of Jacob Marsh I know he has a young son so my initial thought was about him and his family but you’re right Jay we we do have to ask these questions it’s not always pretty and the
Reality is that we don’t get to talk to go tenders a ton in this business because far more often than not they don’t speak uh on game days when they’re supposed to start so on morning skates while we get to talk to other players goalies tend not to talk to media and
Given what we already know about the flames and how they’re approaching this publicly with Chris T and know what happened I think they’re in a similar boat Jay with Jacob marks in terms of protecting the assets and and really protecting them from the public from the
Public eye if you will so the truth is we we probably weren’t going to get marrom again anytime soon and we only got him yesterday because he was pulled after a really rough outing in the midst of a pretty phenomenal bounceback season so I I felt for him as a human being
Because I know he’s got a young family but but you do have to ask the question especially with goalies Jay we don’t get those opportunities for one-on-one time particularly often or even in scrums so you just even if it’s after an unfortunate outing you do have to ask
The question because it’s on everyone’s mind what this organization is going to do because it does have a trickle down effect across the National Hockey League and and I don’t blame Jacob markstrom at all for for not appreciating the question but we we still have to ask it
Right so let’s talk about the fan base uh this fan base has been through a bit of a roller coaster these past few seasons and now everybody speculation about three of their best players maybe heading out the door how’s the fan base handling the situation Sol we get close to the
Deadline Jay the the best way I can put it is speculation fatigue it is what everyone talks about the the times I’m out in public people come up to you and ask you what you think like it really is uh all about these three players and and
I think everyone’s kind of tired of it right because the organization has been through so much over the past few seasons with players leaving and and coming oh so close to getting an American in what happened to sign long term and that doesn’t seem to have
Worked out and now he’s on the market I think everyone here’s tired they really are tired of of having to seemingly update their Jersey cover every season because of the number of names that are in and out and not just players that are on expiring contracts Jay but the likes
Of Jacob markstrom who has multiple years after this one I think the the organization and its fans are desperate for some sort of sustained success the reality is that they’re not going to get that likely because the deals that Conroy will make for Chris T and Noah H
Likely are going to be geared towards the future I do know they have that new Arena on the horizon and they want to open that up in a couple of Seasons with a super competitive team but I think speculation fatigue because it really isn’t about what’s going on on the ice
Right now Jay it really is about the future of some key players and fans they get attached to these guys they want to buy their jerseys and they they simply I think just want this distraction to go away and the trade deadline it cannot come soon enough for Jacob markstrom for
Me for a lot of people because then the focus will be on the more human stories and what goes on on the ice well 18 days to the deadline and three Flames at the top of the trade bait board this is definitely not the last time we’ll be
Speaking to Solem vgi between now and March the e8th so looking forward to chat with you a little bit more over the next little while buddy but thanks for joining us on the show today thanks buddy still ahead I told you Frankie CA was waiting for us on the
Other side of the set I’m going to walk over there and join him next we’ll chat about markstrom versus UC Saros who the top goalie Franky things is up
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