The Calgary Flames are looking for a major bounce-back season after 2022-23’s disappointment. Aside from the big Tyler Toffoli for Yegor Sharangovich trade, the roster is quite similar to last season. That said, the organization has still made plenty of personnel changes.
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Both Brad Treliving and Darryl Sutter are out, while new general manager Craig Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska are in. This is great news for the organization, as well as its fanbase, as it had become clear that the environment had grown toxic under the former regime.
With a new coaching staff and management team, there is reason to believe that these Flames can get back into the postseason this season. That said, they will need several things to go right for that to happen. Here are five best-case scenarios for the Flames in 2023-24.
Huberdeau Bounces Back
Jonathan Huberdeau‘s struggles in his first season as a Flame have been well-documented. After a 115-point season in his final year with the Florida Panthers, the 30-year-old managed just 55 in Calgary. While he certainly deserves some of the blame, having Sutter as his coach didn’t do him any wonders.
Huberdeau may never hit the 115-point marker again, but he is better than a 55-point player. With Huska behind the bench, he should be able to produce at a point-per-game pace, if not slightly better, this season, which will bode extremely well for the Flames’ chances of making the playoffs.
Lindholm Signs an Extension
Early in training camp, Conroy got one big contract extension done: Mikael Backlund. Now, he is reportedly looking to get another one done, with Elias Lindholm. The 28-year-old, like many Flames, struggled last season but has developed into one of the more underrated two-way centremen in the NHL.
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In 2021-22, Lindholm proved just how good he can be, scoring 42 goals and 82 points. Those totals were boosted somewhat by the luxury of playing with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, but he helped them as much as they did him. Top-line centres aren’t easy to come by, and the Flames have one in Lindholm. Locking him up would help the team not only this season but several moving forward.
Decision Made on Hanifin
After lots of offseason speculation that he wanted to test free agency and play in a southern market, Noah Hanifin showed up at training camp and said he was open to signing an extension. Whether that was lip service or not is anyone’s guess, but the Flames will need to make a decision on him one way or the other.
Trading Hanifin wouldn’t be the worst situation, as he is quite valuable and would bring back a solid return. An extension wouldn’t be bad either, as long as the deal doesn’t come in at a crazy price. Either way, a player that good shouldn’t be held onto for the regular season and lost for nothing in the summer. The Flames saw that play out recently with Gaudreau, and can’t let it happen again.
Huska Proves to Be an Nhl-Calibre Coach
It was a toxic environment under Sutter last season. Reports surfaced all season that several players had soured on their bench boss, and many have admitted the same since he was fired. Even their play showed that they were fed up, playing at a level far below what they were capable of.
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With Sutter out, the team seems to be excited heading into the 2023-24 season. Huska, by all accounts, is a player-friendly coach and should have his team in much better spirits. That said, no one can take away from the fact that, despite some of his faults, Sutter is a very good coach. While having a better personality behind the bench is great, it won’t matter if Huska’s systems don’t work. In order for the Flames to have success, he must prove he is head-coaching material at the NHL level.
Markstrom Returns to Form
While all the talk of struggles last season seemed to be about Huberdeau, Jacob Markstrom was equally bad. The 33-year-old had the worst NHL season of his career, posting a 2.92 goals-against average (GAA) along with a .892 save percentage (SV%) in 59 games. That said, there is plenty of reason to believe he can and will turn things around.
Like many Flames last season, Markstrom wasn’t a fan of Sutter. Although he gave his goalie plenty of playing time, the 65-year-old often played mental gymnastics with him, which was likely a big reason for his downfall. It is important to remember that before last season, Markstrom had a strong track record as an above-average NHL starter. If he is able to get back to being just that, the Flames will reap the rewards.
Flames Season Ahead
This is an important season for the Flames. There are many things that can go wrong, as struggling out of the gate would make it very hard to lure back several players entering the final year of their contracts. That said, if they have a great start to the season, many, if not all, of those players will likely be open to an extension. Buckle up, Flames fans – it will be quite the season.
