Juuso Valimaki's torn ACL is forcing the Calgary Flames to scour the trade market for reinforcements on the blue line.
General manager Brad Treliving said Monday that the team will look for external help on defense on top of identifying internal options, according to Sportsnet's Pat Steinberg. Treliving noted that Oliver Kylington is a natural internal option, but said the club will also start looking at trade options shortly.
Here's the Flames' depth chart on defense:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Mark Giordano | T.J. Brodie (L) |
| Noah Hanifin | Travis Hamonic |
| Oliver Kylington | Rasmus Andersson |
| Brandon Davidson | |
| Rinat Valiev |
The top four is seemingly set in stone, although both Brodie and Hamonic are on the final year of their contracts.
Valimaki, the 16th overall pick in 2017, was expected to be a big part of the team's defense this year after skating in 24 games during his rookie season.
Kylington, a second-round pick in 2015, seems primed for a greater role barring a major addition to the roster. He tallied eight points in 38 contests last year.
While Treliving only mentioned the trade market, a handful of veteran options remaining in free agency could provide Calgary's blue line with some depth on the left side, including Niklas Kronwall, Andrew MacDonald, and Dion Phaneuf.
The Flames have under $8 million left in cap space and still need to sign Matthew Tkachuk. The team will need to move money around if Calgary adds a player with a significant cap hit.
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