Which G-rated adjectives best describe the Flames season so far?
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Monday Mailbag: Looking at defensive options and goalie options for the Flames
The Calgary Flames have completed almost a quarter of their season, hitting the 25% mark of their schedule on Sunday night when they visit the Anaheim Ducks.
It’s been a pretty wild season for the Flames so far, with an opening losing streak, some dramatic wins, and some progress from some of their key young players. As we prepare to hit the three-quarter pole – aside: the “quarter-pole” tells jockeys when they have a quarter-mile left in a race – let’s dive into the mailbag!
“Tumultuous” is a word I’d lean on.
The Flames looked like they couldn’t buy a win early. They looked like they could never lose after that. More recently, they’ve been pretty much where they probably should be: finding ways to battle within games and sometimes winning, sometimes losing.
We’ve seen the high highs of the majesty of Devin Cooley and Zayne Parekh, among others. We’ve seen some ugly lows, such as the opening five games and Kevin Bahl’s unfortunate injury. And we still have 66 games to go!
At the very least, it has not been boring.
If the playoffs begin on Monday, who’s your starter in net? Both keepers are looking good, but who has the extra something right now?
In the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flames had Reggie Lemelin in house but opted to go with rookie Mike Vernon in the first round because Vernon had owned the Winnipeg Jets, the Flames’ first-round opponent. Right now, Devin Cooley has better numbers than Dustin Wolf and more swagger in net. But if the playoffs begin tomorrow, I go with whoever is a better match-up against the first-round opponent.
Do you see them looking to trade for a replacement for Bahl? #Flames
Losing Kevin Bahl leaves a big hole in the Flames’ lineup, but I really doubt that the Flames will sink significant assets into trading for a replacement. The Flames are really cognizant of not wanting to block the progress of key prospects, and left-shot defender Carson Carels is expected to go pro at the end of the regular season. Adding someone with term – and giving up assets to get them – doesn’t make sense for them right now.
Now, if there’s a potential waiver claim that’s a left shot defender on an expiring deal, let’s have that conversation.
With Bahl injury, likelihood of flames not trading whitecloud, and should we see Parehk paired (again) with him on his offside now?
I think the Flames have a specific price tag in mind for Zach Whitecloud and they won’t move him unless they hit that price tag. I wouldn’t rule out the Flames retaining Whitecloud for a few years, either, given how much of a great cultural fit he is for their group. He complements the young guys in their system so well that I wouldn’t be in a rush to move him out.
I suspect we see the Flames coaching staff experiment with defensive pairings for the next little while as they look for a nice balance without Kevin Bahl.
Ryan, Cooley will be an UFA in '28, he'll be 31 that summer, considering that and his recent excellent form it seems likely he'll test free agency. a) what would Flames have to offer to keep him? b) would Flames be secretly relieved if he 'escaped' and signed somewhere else?
Here’s my question: if the Flames move on from Devin Cooley, who’s their backup? Right now, the Flames have some runway to develop Arsenii Sergeev and Kirill Zarubin with the Wranglers. If one of them seems like a strong option, I think you look at moving Cooley. But for right now, I think you remain patient organizationally and see what develops, as they’re not in a situation where they have to do anything.
You’re probably looking at doubling (or maybe tripling) Cooley’s $1.35 million cap hit to retain Cooley after his current deal expires.
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Breaking News
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Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$91,398,754
$69,841,666
Projected Cap Space
$12,601,246
$43,658,334
Current Cap Space
$15,874,297
$43,658,334
Active Players
23/23
16/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
2
1