Achi news desk-
CALGARY –
Winning more games and building a new arena will convince more NHL players that Calgary is a desirable place to play, some Flames said as they headed for the exits Friday.
Calgary finished 17 points out of the playoffs with a record of 38-39-5, and missed the postseason for the second year in a row. The Flames have won two playoff series in the last 20 years.
A 2-6-1 start to 2023-24 combined with trades from free agents expecting big names unwilling to sign contract extensions hampered the club’s progress.
The Flames flirted with the playoffs to win records in November, January and February, but that ended at the trade deadline.
Of the seven key Flames with one year remaining on their contracts a year ago, only Mikael Backlund signed an extension. Five were not dealt with, starting with 34 goal man Tyler Toffoli last summer.
New general manager Craig Conroy also traded center Elias Lindholm and defensemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov in the offseason when terms could not be reached.
“Our control was handled hard,” said forward Blake Coleman. “There was a lot of contractual stuff going on, and guys weren’t quite sure they wanted to be here, or wanted to be here.
“We had to find ways to play through that. For the most part, we drowned it out and the guys went about their business, but in the end we lost a lot of really good players and some of our fellow members and friends.
“It’s challenging to win when you’re taking a lot of really good pieces from your team. After the (trade) deadline, the writing is on the wall a little bit.”
Restricted free agent winger Dillon Dube went on an indefinite leave of absence on Jan. 21 before he and other members of Canada’s 2018 junior men’s hockey team were accused of sexual assault. The allegations are yet to be proven in court.
Defender Olivier Kylington returned to the team in January after sitting out for a season and a half to deal with his mental health.
So it was a season of roster flux under Conroy and new head coach Ryan Huska. Both were promoted from assistant posts.
“I never felt like the effort wasn’t there this year,” Conroy said. “The start of the year set us back. If we don’t get to that start, who knows? It probably doesn’t change that we have to move the other guys when we did because we just couldn’t come to terms with them.”
Trades brought Yegor Sharangovich and Andrei Kuzmenko and defenseman Danill Miromanov to the Calgary team immediately.
But the return of four prospects and seven draft picks – including two first rounds – on those transactions signaled a retooling.
A worrying trend started in Calgary in 2022 when Johnny Gaudreau signed elsewhere and Matthew Tkachuk wanted out with one year left on his contract. He repeated the latter scenario last summer with Toffoli.
Defensive end MacKenzie Weegar says winning and making the playoffs are the main magnets for players.
“I don’t know if there’s this black cloud over Calgary right now and he’s trying to find a way to change that, to make guys want to be here again, and want to play here, and that establishes that winning culture again,” Weegar said.
“That black cloud goes away pretty quickly when you start winning and making playoffs.”
The city and the Flames have a deal in place to replace the 41-year-old Saddledome, which is the oldest NHL building behind New York’s Madison Square Garden, but shovels have yet to hit the ground.
“I love playing in the Saddledome, but it’s one of the oldest … so it’s a big factor I’m sure for guys,” said Backlund, who became a captain in his 16th season as a Flame .
“It’s in the process. Hopefully it will be done here sooner or later. They’ll love to play in that area, but they have to go here soon. I’m not going younger.”
Bright spots for Calgary were a career high 20 goals from Weegar and 30 from Coleman. Sharangovich became Belarus’ top scorer in the NHL in one season with 31 goals and 28 assists.
Nazem Kadri’s 29 goals and 46 assists for 75 points were the second most of his career behind his 87 points with Colorado in 2021-22.
Jonathan Huberdeau said a year ago “I completely lost my swagger.” The left winger believes he has regained some ground with 12 goals and 40 assists in 81 games this season.
The highest-paid Flame, at US$10.5 million a year, survived a depressing December drought for the better part of the second half of the season.
“I was clutching that stick very tightly in December,” Huberdeau recalled. “After the New Year, my game improved. My defensive game improved since then. Obviously that’s not what I’m getting paid for. I want to get back to 70, 80 points.”
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 19, 2024.
