Flames Focused on Playoff Spot Rather Than Selling UFAs

The Calgary Flames recent stretch of improved play has enhanced the morale of not only the players, but management as well. The better play through the month of November not only has the Flames in a playoff spot, but has the entire organization focused on a run this season rather than selling off some of their pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) for future help.

Related: 3 Potential In-Season Trade Destinations for Flames’ Noah Hanifin

It is a hot topic right now in Calgary regarding several of the Flames players in the final year of their contracts, most notably Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Elias Lindholm. Some fans are hopeful that general manager Craig Conroy elects to trade them regardless of where the team is in the standings, while others are hopeful they can remain on the roster and attempt to lead this team to a Stanley Cup. Based on a report on Nov. 28, we may have an idea of which direction Conroy is leaning.

Flames Not Looking to Sell Anytime Soon

Appearing on The Big Show with Matty Rose and Patrick Dumas, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis discussed the Flames big win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night (Nov. 27), and what it means moving forward. As alluded to by Francis, the win put the Flames in a playoff spot, as they moved ahead of the Seattle Kraken for a wild card position in the Western Conference.

The Hockey Writers Substack banner Calgary Flames

For some, the thought of being in a playoff spot doesn’t seem all that exciting given that the Flames still own a mediocre 9-10-3 record. Whether it be intel or perhaps just a hunch, however, Francis believes that the recent success, paired with the current playoff position, will result in the Flames holding off on selling any of their pending UFAs at this time.

Elias Lindholm Calgary Flames
Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

“I think they’ve paused everything for a reason,” Francis said. “They just wanted to see where this team was at up until the quarter mark. We’re past that. They flew past the quarter mark with flying colours. There’s a lot of reason to be optimistic about this team in terms of its playoff hopes, and in terms of the rebound. The storyline of this entire club right now is resiliency. You’re seeing it in-game, and you’re seeing it in season. They were really behind the eight ball with the way they started.”

There are several reasons why the Flames have been able to turn things around as of late, one of which is that their highest-paid players have begun delivering. While still not as good as they have proven capable in the past, guys like Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, and Elias Lindholm have all started to elevate their play. If that is able to continue, the Flames could very well remain in a playoff position moving forward.

Risky Approach for Conroy to Take

While you can understand why Conroy doesn’t want to throw away a season by dealing some of his notable UFAs, he would be taking a serious risk by standing pat. If the Flames were to make the playoffs but lose out in the first round, it would hardly feel like any sort of success, and would become an even bigger disaster if all the players mentioned left elsewhere in free agency.

Related: Flames’ Kadri Turning Things Around After Miserable Start

The more logical move would still be to seek out some great trade returns for all four of the players previously mentioned, as it would help set this Flames team up for more success down the road. As Francis pointed out, however, this group is certainly resilient, and is looking a lot like the 2021-22 Flames right now. If things continue this way over the next month or two, perhaps Conroy elects not to make any moves in hopes his team can go on a run.