The Calgary Flames have a lot to be proud of two months into 2024. After a less-than-ideal start to the 2023-24 season, there was a lot of doubt as to whether or not the Flames would be able to find their legs in time for playoff contention. They beat their nearest competition, the Los Angeles Kings, 4-2 on Feb. 27. The Kings are still five points ahead of the Flames in the Pacific Division, but that win was monumental.
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At the beginning of 2024, the Flames had a lot of options on their to-do list. Between potential trades, helping Jonathan Huberdeau find his rhythm, and issues with consistency, it was a tall order to fill. They’ve done a good job of it so far and still have some time left to see if they can rally to another playoff appearance.
Flames Traded Well for Lindholm
Although the idea of a new contract for Lindholm was enticing at the start of the new year, the eventual outcome of the trade did not disappoint the Flames. They received excellent compensation for the loss of the star forward, something they lacked when trading Nikita Zadorov back in November. Andrei Kuzmenko has proven to be an outstanding addition to the team. He’s scored three goals in his eight appearances with the team and even notched an assist.
One of the best things about Kuzmenko is that the Flames are not relying on him, even though he made a memorable debut with the team and scored goals in his first two games. The Flames made a similar mistake with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk and suffered the consequences when the duo decided to leave the team within weeks of each other. Even with the Russian forward out with an illness, the Flames are still winning games and looking strong as they do so. They’ll hopefully only become stronger when the 28-year-old returns to the ice.
Huberdeau Has Made Advancements
While he still isn’t in his best form, the 30-year-old forward has made some great strides over the last few months. Since being put on the same line as Yegor Sharangovich for a majority of their games, Huberdeau seems to have found his confidence again. He’s scored five goals since the beginning of 2024, having scored only four since the start of the season. There is still room for improvement, but the change so far is inspiring, and coach Ryan Huska seems to believe in him (from ‘I always want to be better’ Jonathan Huberdeau ‘going in the right direction’ for Flames’, Calgary Herald, Feb. 25, 2024).
The loss of Lindholm, the third in the lineup of Huberdeau and Sharangovich, hasn’t seemed to have affected the Canadian much. He scored a brilliant goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 19, not long after Oliver Kylington scored his first after coming back to the NHL. Even though his goal was just one of six scored by the Flames that game, it was easy to see how much it meant to all of them as they celebrated. The team had just had a brutal two games before that, losing to the San Jose Sharks 6-3 and the Detroit Red Wings 5-0. There is a cohesiveness back in the team that they’ve been lacking for a while now.
Consistency Is Better, but Still Not Great
One of the biggest issues that has plagued the Flames this season has been their lack of consistency. They’ve had several winning streaks this season, with none lasting more than four games, but these streaks have been punctured by devastating losses. Their last winning streak was between Jan. 27 and Feb. 10 and was interrupted by a loss to the New York Rangers and the aforementioned losses to the Sharks and Red Wings. The Flames only managed to score three goals in those three games, and all of them were scored against the Sharks.
The Flames have shown that they have the ability to win games against their tougher opponents. They beat the high-standing Boston Bruins twice in February, 4-1 on Feb. 6 and 3-2 in overtime on Feb. 22. Big wins like these won’t matter, however, if the team continues to struggle to maintain a good winning streak. The Flames are still trailing the Kings by five points and need to make those up fast if they want a chance at the playoffs.
Flames Showing Desire to Get Better
Although they still have some things to work on, the Flames have done a good job so far in 2024. Huberdeau’s steady improvement has been beneficial, and the Lindholm trade was by far the biggest highlight. The acquisition of Kuzmenko and two defensive prospects has set the Flames up well for the foreseeable future. As for the rest of this season, if the Flames can hold their ground and continue to build up the confidence of their players, they may yet earn enough points to slip into playoff contention.