The Calgary Flames might be a busy team at the upcoming NHL trade deadline.

Playoff hopes have been all but extinguished for a Flames team that sits third-last in the Western Conference and six points out of a playoff spot. A late-season comeback is possible, but unlikely, as analytics site MoneyPucks gives Calgary just a 20.4 per cent chance to crack the postseason.

If that holds going into the Olympic break, GM Craig Conroy will be busy fielding trade calls for some of his better players. Defenceman Rasmus Andersson has been a hot topic over the past year as a player who could get traded, but NHL teams have apparently been more interested in another Flames player ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday’s edition of Early Trading that Blake Coleman has been drawing plenty of trade interest from around the league, with the Montreal Canadiens leading the charge.

“It is my understanding that Blake Coleman is high on [Montreal’s trade] list,” LeBrun reported. “Blake Coleman is a player of interest. He’s a guy who brings some elements that the Habs are not as high on, his physicality, his versatility, the two-time Stanley Cup champion. He is of interest to the Montreal Canadiens.

“[Coleman] is of interest to a lot of teams. He’s the player that Calgary gets the most calls on and have since the start of the season.”

The Canadiens are tracking to make the playoffs at the moment, sitting tied for second in the Atlantic Division with the Detroit Red Wings. Though the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers and a surging Buffalo Sabres team will threaten over the coming months.

Getting a gritty, two-time Stanley Cup winner like Coleman will certainly help a young team like the Canadiens down the stretch. LeBrun did say, however, that Montreal is in a position where they may not want to make a deal right away.

“I think the Habs are in no hurry to make their next move,” LeBrun said. “My sense is that Montreal would like to get to the Olympic break and then take stock of where they’re at in the standings, where their goaltending is, and then decide if they’re gonna add another big piece.”

Coleman has been excellent for the Flames this season with 13 goals and 21 points through 41 games so far. The 34-year-old is just two years removed from a 30-goal campaign with the Flames back during the 2023-24 season.

The best-case scenario for Calgary would be to snag a first-round pick and a decent young player in return for Coleman. The Canadiens have plenty of exciting prospects to offer, but not all of them may be available in a trade like this.

Conroy could also opt to keep Coleman, as there is no urgency to deal him just yet. The Texas native still has another year on his contract that carries a $4.9 million cap hit. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently said he expects more noise around Andersson than Coleman at the deadline.

No matter which player is on the outs in Calgary, it seems like the next two months will be full of trade rumours for the Flames.