The Calgary Flames are right back in the playoff hunt. Thanks to Thursday night’s 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils, the Flames are just one point shy of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They are currently riding a three-game winning streak and have looked like an entirely different team post-All-Star break.
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The ironic part about all of this was that the Flames were expected to be worse moving forward. Last week, they sent arguably their most complete forward in Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. It was a move that marked the beginning of their selling period, as they are also expected to move on from Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. While those moves could have some serious implications on their playoff hopes, it seems that the Lindholm one has actually helped.
Kuzmenko a Great Addition
While there were several pieces the Flames received from the Canucks in the Lindholm deal, the only current roster player coming back was Andrei Kuzmenko. The 28-year-old fell out of favour with Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet this season, being healthy scratched on several occasions. He had a disappointing eight goals and 21 points in 43 games before getting dealt.
Flames fans were hopeful that Kuzmenko could up his play to the point of being moveable for perhaps a pick or prospect, whether that be this summer or during next season. Few, however, envisioned that he would get back to the calibre of player he was in 2022-23, where he scored 39 goals and 74 points. Now, Flames fans have a much different opinion.
Though it’s only been two games, Kuzmenko has been absolutely fantastic for the Flames. He has a goal in each and, even more importantly, has seemed to have helped Jonathan Huberdeau get his game on track. Those two, along with Yegor Sharangovich, have shown excellent chemistry on the Flames’ top line.
What is also nice about Kuzmenko is that he genuinely seems to want to be in Calgary. He often appeared disappointed with his role in Vancouver this season, and his fun-loving personality from a year ago seemed to vanish. Since arriving in Calgary, he is back to the Kuzmenko of old, always seeming to have a smile on his face and bringing good vibes to his teammates.
Those good vibes are working early on, and as mentioned, the Flames have been playing some excellent hockey as of late. Not only have they won each of their games coming out of the All-Star break, but they were all over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, a team that currently sits second in the NHL standings with a 32-10-9 record. On the other hand, the Flames were able to remove a disgruntled Lindholm from their locker room. By no means was Lindholm a bad teammate, but it was clear that he no longer wanted to be with the Flames, and his play on the ice showed that. The former 42-goal scorer lacked intensity and had a disappointing 32 points in 49 games before getting dealt.
Flames Not Giving Up
Despite many in the fanbase hoping the Flames will bottom out to get a higher pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the players that remain in the dressing room are continuing to fight. While they may not be the most talented team in the league, they are extremely hard-working. And after a season of frustrations under former coach Darryl Sutter, they appear to have completely bought into Ryan Huska’s systems. Perhaps moving out Lindholm, who no longer wanted to be there, is what this team needed to get themselves back into a playoff position.