Brett Kulak is a really good development success story for the Flames. Once thought of as somewhat of a “project”, the 2012 fourth round pick is coming off his first season spent entirely in the NHL. At 24, Kulak has proven he belongs in the NHL full-time as he heads into summer contract negotiations. As…
Read More →When the Flames traded for Mike Smith, there was something they were looking for in particular: a proven starter. Ever since joining the Coyotes back in 2011-12, that’s exactly what Smith has been, with results varying from year to year: typically average, occasionally worse, elite one year. He looked to be on track to replicate…
Read More →Troy Brouwer’s name doesn’t have the same ring to it as it once did. For the second straight season, he was one of the go-to whipping boys for the Flames, but, in a reduced bottom six role, actually did a decent job for the Flames this year. He might not be the power forward he…
Read More →Hey, did you know that the Flames have problems on the right wing? They’ve tried solving it time and time again under the Brad Treliving regime, but they still have not found a long-term solution. Unless they’re busy inventing a time travel machine to bring young Jarome Iginla to 2018, they’re probably not going to…
Read More →The Carolina Hurricanes, who have not made the playoffs for nine straight seasons, have made it clear that they’re open to making some changes this offseason: apparently, just about anybody not named Sebastian Aho could potentially be for sale. That brings up a curious question where the Flames are involved. After Bill Peters opted out…
Read More →The Flames entered the 2017-18 season with a potential problem: too many goalies. Mike Smith and Eddie Lack would take the reins in the NHL, Jon Gillies and David Rittich would be a tandem in the AHL once again, and that would, unfortunately, relegate Tyler Parsons to the ECHL. Except Lack basically wasn’t allowed to…
Read More →Speculation suggests there’s a decent chance the Flames will add Ryan Huska to Bill Peters’ coaching staff in the near future. Knowing that, I thought now would be a good time to take a look at Huska’s tenure with the organization. In his four years as head coach of Calgary’s American League affiliate, Huska’s work…
Read More →Dougie Hamilton, after setting a career high in points last year, set a new mark yet again. This time, he scored a career-high 17 goals, finding himself sharing the top spot for goals by a defenseman in 2017-18. When Hamilton was on this ice, many good things happened for the Flames.
Read More →Seeking to plug a hole in his lineup, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving acquired Michael Stone from the Arizona Coyotes prior to the 2017 trade deadline. In concert with adding Matt Bartkowski, Stone’s addition displaced Dennis Wideman and Jyrki Jokipakka and helped solidify the team’s blueline – and probably got the Flames into the…
Read More →On a shockingly busy Sunday in the hockey world – with international action coinciding with the Western Conference Final and Memorial Cup round robin – the 2018 edition of the IIHF World Hockey Championship was capped off in Copenhagen, Denmark. A pair of prominent Calgary Flames forwards left the event with some hardware, including one…
Read More →Teetering on the edge of a playoff spot in late February, the Flames weren’t exactly in a position to do much of anything. It would take major balls to sell at that point, with so much of the season left to play and no first round pick. At the same time, buying wasn’t an option,…
Read More →Arguably the biggest move of the 2017 offseason among the entire National Hockey League was made by the Calgary Flames when they acquired Travis Hamonic at the 2017 NHL Draft. The draft floor was abuzz, and Hamonic’s arrival automatically heralded the opening of the Flames’ window of contention. Expectations were high for the Manitoba product……
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