Flames face deadline calls on Strome, Frost and Whitecloud

The Calgary Flames are already looking toward March 1st, and Ryan Strome, Morgan Frost and Zach Whitecloud are all part of the conversation.

That's the word from Pierre LeBrun and Jay Onrait, passed along by R i N K Y. It lands as the Flames sit 5-7-0 and prepare to host the Kraken tonight.

Calgary lost 4-0 at Edmonton on Wednesday night. That left the Flames with 28 goals for and 45 against through 12 games, a goal differential of -17.

Start with Strome. He's a pending UFA, and the 33-year-old has 2 goals and 2 assists in 12 games with a -4 rating.

His cap hit is $5,000,000 and the deal expires after this season. A veteran center on an expiring contract with a team struggling to score is the textbook deadline candidate, whatever Calgary decides.

Frost is a different case. According to the post, the Flames have started contract talks with him and would like to keep him.

He's 27, a former first-round pick, and he's on a $4,375,000 cap hit that also runs through 2026-27. He has 3 goals and 4 assists in 12 games this season.

Two of his goals came on the power play. That's a real piece of his production, and it explains why Calgary wants to talk.

Why Zach Whitecloud has become a trade target

Then there's Whitecloud, and this is the one that jumps out. The post says the Flames get a ton of calls on the defenseman, though the text cuts off after "over the last 12…"

So the exact timeframe stays unknown. What's clear is the interest, and it's easy to see why.

Whitecloud is 29, stands 6'2" and 210 pounds, and has 78 career playoff games on his résumé. He has a +40 rating over 411 regular-season games, which stands out on a team now at -17.

His cap hit is $2,750,000, and his contract runs through 2027-28. Calgary isn't forced to move him, which gives general manager Craig Conroy leverage.

This season has been rougher. Whitecloud has no points and a -4 through 12 games, and that's not the kind of line that raises a price.

Here's the tension. Selling Strome is easy to understand, and keeping Frost makes sense. But moving a defenseman who has other teams calling, while the Flames are 1-4-0 on the road, is a harder call.

If Calgary keeps losing, will Conroy get to make those choices on his own timeline?

Here is how the insiders framed it on social media:

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