Assuming the Calgary Flames keep their roster intact to begin the 2023-24 season, the message from the new coaching staff will be to completely forget about what happened this past year. Despite their struggles in 2022-23, this team remains very talented on paper and could surprise people this upcoming season.
That said, there is still a possibility that some trades made before the season begins, as several Flames are set to enter the final year of their contracts and don’t appear to be eager to sign extensions at this time. Assuming, for the sake of this article, that Calgary’s roster remains the same for the entirety of the season, here are the stat line predictions for some of the Flames’ top stars.
Jonathan Huberdeau
28 Goals (G) – 56 Assists (A) – 84 Points (PTS)
Things never clicked between Darryl Sutter and Jonathan Huberdeau, resulting in the 30-year-old seeing a 60-point decline last season. His 55 points marked his lowest total since the 2016-17 season, one in which he was limited to just 31 games due to injury.
With Sutter now gone and Ryan Huska being the man in charge, there is plenty of reason to believe Huberdeau can bounce back. Elite offensive talents don’t decline this fast, suggesting that last season was more of an anomaly than anything else. The chances of him being a 100+ point player as he was in 2021-22 don’t seem likely, but he is capable of being at least a point-per-game player for a number of years moving forward.
Nazem Kadri
30 G – 33 A – 63 PTS
Nazem Kadri’s tenure with the Flames started out quite well last season, as he was selected as their lone representative at the All-Star Game thanks to scoring 19 goals and 38 points through his first 50 games. Unfortunately, things fell apart in the second half, where he appeared frustrated and didn’t always seem willing to give his best effort night in and night out.
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Like many on the Flames roster, it has been reported that Kadri and Sutter didn’t see eye to eye, which could help explain what went on in the second half of last season. If Kadri can hit the 60-point mark in 2022-23 while stepping up defensively, Flames fans should be happy. Aside from his final season with the Colorado Avalanche, in which he recorded a career-high 87 points, he has been a 50-60 point player in the NHL.
Elias Lindholm
25 G – 45 A – 70 PTS
When speaking of players who could be traded before or during next season, Elias Lindholm’s name is at the top of the list. The Flames are reportedly ready to do whatever it takes to keep the talented 28-year-old around, but he remains hesitant about signing an extension. He may have experienced some frustration last season too, as he wasn’t at his best with 22 goals and 64 points.
While the 42 goals Lindholm scored in 2021-22 seem like an anomaly, he should be able to produce a stat line closer to a point-per-game pace this next season. As Flames fans are very aware, however, he doesn’t need to produce at an elite rate to be extremely effective, as he is as good, if not better, in the defensive zone.
Andrew Mangiapane
26 G – 27 A – 53 PTS
For the time in his NHL career, Andrew Mangiapane regressed this past season. This felt like it was coming, as his shooting percentages in seasons prior didn’t seem like they would be sustainable. That said, he is capable of more than what we saw from him in 2022-23 and should be able to break the 50-point barrier for the second time in his career.
Much like Lindholm, Mangiapane provides more than just offence, as he is also very sound defensively. That said, one of the things that certainly hurt the Flames this past season was that he dropped off from 35 goals to 17. If they hope to get back into the playoffs next season, they need him to be better.
Mikael Backlund
16 G – 27 A – 43 PTS
Mikael Backlund was arguably the Flames’ best player last season. In a year where many regressed, he scored 19 goals and had a career-high 56 points. Like Lindholm, Backlund’s future in Calgary is a big question mark, as he has also sounded hesitant when speaking about the possibility of signing a contract extension.
While it isn’t likely that Backlund is in for another career year at 34, he should continue to be the consistent player at both ends of the ice that he has been throughout his many years with the Flames. Anything north of 40 points and a similar performance in the defensive zone to what he has shown in the past should be considered a successful season.
MacKenzie Weegar
8 G – 35 A – 43 PTS
It took quite some time for MacKenzie Weegar to get comfortable in his new surroundings this past season, but once he did, he was very good for the Flames. This is proven by the fact that he had just 15 points in 49 games prior to the All-Star break and then went on to record 16 over his final 32.
Weegar also seemed at odds with Sutter this past season and even said the team needed a new head coach. He got his wish, in that regard, and will be even more comfortable in Calgary next season. He should be in for a big year.
Rasmus Andersson
7 G – 41 A – 48 PTS
Rasmus Andersson has grown into a terrific NHL defenceman. Early into his career, he was solid defensively, and in more recent seasons his offensive game has really grown. He registered a career-high 50 points on the back end in 2021-22, and fell just one shy of that this past season.
As talented as Andersson is, he doesn’t seem likely to ever blow up offensively like some of the elite defencemen in that regard throughout the league. That said, he has proven that he can produce 50 or so points, consistently, and should be expected to do the same in 2023-24.
Jacob Markstrom
55 Games Played – 2.56 Goals Against Average (GAA) – .915 Save Percentage (SV%)
Out of everyone on this list, Jacob Markstrom’s stats, particularly his games played, may be the hardest to predict, as the Flames could very well start the season off with three goalies on their roster. Dan Vladar has yet to be traded, and it is hard to imagine Dustin Wolf playing a third season in the AHL.
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Regardless of whether they have two or three goalies on the roster to begin the season, however, Markstrom is still expected to be the number one. That may make some Flames fans uneasy, as the 33-year-old really struggled in 2022-23. That said, he has a pretty proven track record, meaning he should be able to turn things back around and produce slightly better than league-average numbers.
Flames Could Bounce Back
As mentioned throughout, this upcoming season for the Flames is hard to predict until it is known what Conroy’s plan is with this roster. If he looks to make more deals similar to what he did with Tyler Toffoli, they may regress and be forced to wait a few years before being a playoff team. If he goes with this roster, however, this is a very talented team and one that could surprise many this season.
