Flames head coach Geoff Ward raised some eyebrows this week when answering a question about forward Sam Bennett. Asked on Sportsnet 960 radio where he sees Bennett playing next season, Ward replied simply: “centre…nothing more to add.” After his performance down the middle during the post-season, you can understand why Ward is intrigued. But moving…
We still don’t know exactly when next season is going to start, but assuming we’re in and around two months away, the Flames still have a lot to get done. A pair of contracts with somewhat firm deadlines lead the pack, but that’s not the only decision general manager Brad Treliving has to make in…
It was a strange year for Calgary’s most important forwards. Four of the team’s top six had strong years, led by another huge step forward from Matthew Tkachuk. Unfortunately, two forwards continued their struggles from the back half of the prior season in a big way: Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. As we continue our…
With the NHL in a holding pattern until the floating start of next season, let’s start evaluating the 2019-20 season position by position. Today we’ll jump in on the blueline and grade the four players currently under team control that spent significant time with the Flames last year. While the marks aren’t as strong as…
More than two weeks into free agency, the Flames have been busy. They’ve upgraded in net and overhauled the blueline, which is significant. One place we haven’t seen big change, though, is up front. Calgary has tinkered on the fringes, but as it stands right now, this core forward group is the same as it…
The Flames are in the midst of a blueline overhaul and are short on cap space. For both reasons, it’s not uncommon to hear Noah Hanifin’s name tossed around in trade speculation these days. The way I see it, though, Hanifin enters next season in an important position on the depth chart. I’d go as…
The Flames have been busy since the opening of free agency Friday morning. They landed their number one target and made significant changes on defence. So what is Calgary still looking to do? And what else have the Flames been close to doing that hasn’t come to fruition. Here’s what we know with free agency…
TJ Brodie has been a polarizing player around these parts the last few seasons. He was also part of a near-miss trade in summer 2019 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, with his contract set to expire Oct. 9, Brodie’s future with the Flames is the most uncertain its been since the team made him…
With 2020 free agency just over a week away from opening, the Flames have been tied to multiple high profile names at every position. Those same players are set to command significant term and dollars on the open market, but in two cases specifically, I’m not sold it’s the right approach for Calgary.
I believe the Calgary Flames will seriously pursue Jacob Markstrom if they get the chance. The pending unrestricted free agent has put together three straight solid seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, including a 2019-20 campaign that rightly put him in Vezina Trophy conversations. Whether Markstrom gets to free agency is still up in the air,…
Calgary’s acquisition of defenceman Erik Gustafsson at February’s trade deadline (remember that?) was one of the team’s most intriguing in quite some time. That’s partly because the Flames have been relatively quiet at recent deadlines, but also because Gustafsson is an interesting study. As offensively gifted as they come, Gustafsson had his ups and downs…
Another first round exit. Another disappointing playoff performance from some of Calgary’s highest profile and highest paid players. Another off-season of calls for the Flames to make significant changes to their. That’s where we find ourselves right now, and those clamouring for a shakeup are perfectly justified.
