The Calgary Flames are 5-8-2 on the season and like their northern counterparts in Edmonton, have had a hard start to the season. Going into the 2023-2024 season, they had playoff aspirations after falling out of the race last season just by a few points, firing head coach Darryl Sutter and hiring Craig Conroy as the new GM (as Brad Treliving headed to Toronto) and Ryan Huska takes over as the new Head Coach. They even had their new arena approved to be built, which will be a big boost for the organization and the city of Calgary.
But this season has been hard on Flames nation and fans. The team isn’t doing very well. They currently have 39 goals for, and 51 against, in the first 15 games, which is not very good when you have such a strong defensive core consisting of Hanifin, Andersson, Tanev & Weegar. They need to be better (and it shows in their penalty kill being at 88% or 4th in the league). Even Jakob Markstrom is playing very well, having a .905 SV% with a 2.52 GAA, after struggling last season. But it isn’t enough to get them to win games. Now to add to the Fire (literally) Nikita Zadorov has asked for a trade out of the city, and even made comments about the old coach (Darryl Sutter) isn’t there, so what’s the team’s excuse? This is one day to ignite passion and fuel the team.
When we watch the Calgary Flames play, part of the problem is their forward group, specifically Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. Both had struggled mightily, specifically Hubby, ever since being traded from the Florida Panthers. He has 2 goals and 5 assists in 15 games and was even benched for a full period when they played the Nashville Predators. It just hasn’t been enough. He seems to have lost all of his confidence and you can tell by his body language, watching him on the ice and the bench. Passes are being missed, plays are missed and defensively he seems to be in no-man’s land. He needs to simplify his game and find his stride to be the elite player we know and saw in Florida. He can be lethal and set up plays but needs a finisher with him on his line. He has been tried with players like Backlund & Coleman and there is a new voice on the bench. But sometimes it’s just playing to your strengths that got you to the NHL to find your game. Maybe that’s a sports psychologist or a specific skills coach to work on his game. The team needs to help him find his confidence and build him up to get him going. The other player Huska needs to get going is Nazem Kadri. After helping the Colorado Avalanche winning a Stanley Cup, and signing that big contract with Calgary, he has played 15 games this season and has only 3 goals and 6 assists, after being brought in to bring his tenacity and offence (like he did in Colorado when he had 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 games). He needs to get going and become that 2nd line centre. Kadri is a beast when he is on, he is a challenge to play against and he can get under your skin. That being said, he was able to score against the Montreal Canadiens and he can be elite. However their powerplay is 14% (tied for 18th in the league), so not great, and therefore they need Kadri (plays PP1) and Huberdeau (plays PP2) to increase that number.
So what does Conroy do? They changed the coach and I can’t see them changing Huska any time soon. He was an excellent coach for Stockton Heat. Maybe it’s an assistant coach? Or does Conroy make a trade (be it for dollar in, dollar out, given the limited cap space) as Oliver Kylington & Kevin Rooney remain on the LTIR. Do they trade with Toronto, New Jersey or Vancouver to bring something back with Zadorov or with the new reporting today from Elliot Friedman about the contract that Noah Hanifin almost signed?
The other disappointing thing is that we as fans enjoy the Battle of Alberta, and want to see more of it, including in the playoffs (like 2 years ago). I want both Alberta teams to be elite so that we get amazing hockey that we have seen, with the rivalry and intensity. We did get a glimpse of it with the Outdoor Heritage Classic (which was an overall amazing event) for all hockey fans (although Flames fans would have preferred getting the win). But as it stands, the Flames have lots of questions to answer and lots to decide on moving forward.
I still personally believe this team is way better than the record actually reflects. They just need to get going. Their next game is against the red hot Vancouver Canucks, followed by the struggling New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken. They need to win at least 2 out of 3 to remain competitive, but if not there may be bigger conversation, where it may be possible we see a re-tool in Calgary in the off-season. But then we want to ask how would you fix Calgary? What suggestions would you make?
Thoughts? Also, remember to tune in each Wednesday night at 7pm MST to get all the latest news in the world of hockey from Evan and I.
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- Pawel ‘The Cat’
