The 2024-25 season is upon us as the Calgary Flames will take on the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.
What can we expect to see from the Flames this season? Are they going to be a basement dweller? Are they going to surprise people?
I try to answer some of those questions with my 10 predictions for the 2024-25 season.
1. Andrei Kuzmenko becomes a star player
Get ready for the Kuzmenkshow, Calgary. It’s already starting to happen, but I think Andrei Kuzmenko is going to become a star player in this market both on and off the ice.
On the ice, Kuzmenko is the most talented and electrifying player on the roster. His combination of skill, vision, play making, and goal scoring will make him at least a point per game player. He finished last season by putting up 18 points in 11 games, good for 7th in the NHL during that span.
Fans are also going to fall in love with Kuzmenko and his ‘very interesting’ personality. We saw a glimpse of it over the weekend when he stole the show at the Flames bon fire event.
The Flames are going to have a difficult decision on their hands come the trade deadline. Show they keep Kuzmenko or trade him? It’s never easy to move on from a fan favourite, which Kuzmenko will become this season.
2. Connor Zary produces at a 60-point pace
Connor Zary was the best player in the pre-season for the Calgary Flames. He looked like a faster, more confident version of the player he was last season.
He is going to start the season on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. I expect to see Zary to get the “Backlund Bump.” It seems like whoever plays on the captains wing has a career year. Whether it’s Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Tkachuk, Michael Frolik, Joe Colborne, Lance Bouma. A lot of players have had great seasons because of the old Backlund Bump.
Zary is also going to get some more power play time. Because of those two things, I see Zary putting up 55-60 points this season.
3. At least three rookies make their Calgary Flames Debut
We’re already going to see one for sure. And that’s Sam Honzek. There are a few more young players I can see making their Flames debut this season.
Hunter Brzustewicz impressed the Flames during his time in Penticton and training camp. It’s a matter of when, not if he’s going to play NHL games this season.
Sam Morton is now the next man up when it comes to centres in the Flames organization, especially after losing Cole Schwindt on waivers. If Kevin Rooney or another centre goes down with injury, expect Morton to get the call to play his first NHL game.
William Strömgren could get a few games near the end of the season if he continues to develop his game.
And one more name I’ll throw out there that isn’t getting talked about. And that’s Aydar Suniev. Could the Flames convince him to sign after his college season at UMass by giving him some NHL games?
4. Dustin Wolf is a finalist for the Calder Trophy
Competition in the crease is wide open this season with Wolf, Dan Vladar and Devin Cooley. I think Wolf will be the one to emerge as the best option moving forward.
Wolf will start in at least 40 games and have a save percentage above .900. That’ll be good enough to be a Calder Trophy finalist.
5. Kevin Bahl establishes himself as a top four defenceman
The Flames desperately need a defenceman to step up and play top four minutes at a high level. Especially after losing guys like Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev.
I think Kevin Bahl will turn into that player this season. It might take him some time to get used to playing on a new team and playing with a new defence partner in Rasmus Andersson. But at some point, we will look at Bahl as a top four defenceman.
In the summer of 2023 Bahl was rehabbing an injury and wasn’t able to actually train for the season until the end of August. It put him a step behind the play. That wasn’t the case this summer. He’s coming into the season ready to go.
6. Flames finish 22nd or better in the standings
Maybe skip over this one if you’re a die-hard Flames fan…
If the Flames finish 22nd or higher in the standings, it means they’ll forfeit their own 2025 first-round pick to Montreal as part of the Sean Monahan trade.
The Flames have a tendency to over-perform when expectations are low. And under-perform when expectations are high. And expectations could not be lower for this team.
The Flames roster is filled with a lot of solid veterans and young players. It doesn’t look like a roster that’s in the middle of a rebuild. I think they’ll surprise a lot of people around the league and finish just outside the playoffs, and the bottom 10.
7. There will be seven players to score at a 20 goal pace
The Flames had four 20 goal scorers last season. I think there will be a couple more players to add to that list.
Yegor Sharangovich, Nazem Kadri, Andrei Kuzmenko, Blake Coleman, Connor Zary, Anthony Mantha, and one of Mikael Backlund or Jonathan Huberdeau will produce at a 20 goal pace.
8. Nazem Kadri sets a career high in points
Kadri put up 87 points with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2021-22 season. I think he eclipses that point total this season.
I see Kadri and Kuzmenko becoming one of the higher scoring duos in the NHL. Kadri was able to put up 75 point playing on a line with two rookies for a majority of the season. Imagine what he can do with players like Kuzmenko and eventually Yegor Sharangovich for a full season? Watch out.
9. The Flames trade at least 4 players this season
There is a lot of positivity in this article. But we have to remember that team is still in a rebuild. Because of that, we’re likely going to see a few more trades this season.
It feels like pending UFAs Kuzmenko and Mantha are not part of the long-term future of the team.
Vladar is a UFA at the end of the season while both Wolf and Cooley are on one-way contracts next season. Could Vladar be a trade chip this season?
Bottom of the roster players like Kevin Rooney, Tyson Barrie, maybe even a Jake Bean be on the trade block.
And you have to wonder if one or two veterans like Coleman, Kadri, or Andersson might want to see if they can go to a contending team.
10. The Calgary Flames will have a top 10 power play in the NHL
The power play was a point of contention for the vast majority of the 2023-24 season. But somehow the Flames were able to turn things around on the man advantage at the end of last season.
From March 1st to the end of the season, the Flames had the 5th best power play in the NHL (23 games).
From March 19th to the end of the season, the Flames had the best power play in the NHL operating at a 35% success rate.
The reason for the turnaround? Andrei Kuzmenko and MacKenzie Weegar were added to the first power play unit. Kuzmenko down low at the goal line. And Weegar working the blueline. Everything seemed to click.
I think the Flames carry that momentum into this season and have a top 10 power play in the league.
Give us your Flames predictions in the comments section!
