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Flames reports cards: grading each forward through November
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Photo credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Robert Munnich
Dec 2, 2024, 16:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 3, 2024, 10:30 EST
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The month of November was an eventful one for the Calgary Flames with a lot of highs and lows.
The highs were very high which included a four game win streak on home and and the incredible play of Dustin Wolf. The lows included this last four game road trip and the inability to score goals.
Now that November is over, let’s give out some report cards for the forwards. Tomorrow we’ll give grades to the defencemen and goalies.

November team stats

Matt Coronato: A

15GP – 4G – 4A – 8P

When Matt Coronato is on, he is one of the Flames best forwards. There were times during November where he was dominating. Look no further than the Montreal game where he scored two goals including the OT winner.
His eight points was tied for second on the Flames over the last 15 games. He led the team in plus/minus with a +6 rating. Good things seem to happen for the Flames when Coronato is on the ice.
The next step in Coronato’s game is to add a little more consistency. Once every few games he kind of disappears and you don’t notice him. If he can work on that skill over the next few seasons, he is going to be a very good player for the Calgary Flames.

Connor Zary: A-

15GP – 3G – 2A – 5P

The eye test and the numbers differ greatly when it comes to Connor Zary in November.
Zary looked like the Flames best, most consistent forward throughout the month. He was the one guy who was creating offence for himself and his linemates on a nightly basis. He has been doing a great job of carrying the puck up the ice, making moves around defenders and getting scoring chances. But unfortunately the puck just hasn’t been going in much for him.
When you look at the numbers, it points to a player who struggled in his last 15 games. That starts with only five points in 15 games. The Flames were outscored 10-5 with Zary on the ice at 5-on-5. And he had a xGF% of 46.41%.
I am leaning more towards the eye test when I grade Zary. There were just too many nights when he looked like the Flames best skater despite the lack of production.

Justin Kirkland: B+

12GP – 1G – 2A – 3P

Justin Kirkland was okay for the Flames in November at 5-on-5. He has been physical leading the team in hits/60. But his underlying numbers were some of the worst on the team.
Where Kirkland made his money was in the shootout where he scored twice which helped the Flames secure two very important points. Not bad from a guy who not many people thought would be in the NHL this season.

Ryan Lomberg: B

15GP – 0G – 1A – 1P

Ryan Lomberg was brought to Calgary to bring energy and leadership to a locker room that desperately needed an injection of that after a couple depressing seasons.
Lomberg has done just that. You can see it in the Flames behind the scenes show “The Chase.” He’s always hyping up his teammates, he always has a smile on his face. He just seems like an incredible guy to be around.
You’d obvious like to see a little bit of offence from him. One point in 15 games isn’t ideal.
But Lomberg is here to bring positive energy to this team and he’s doing an incredible job of just that.

Kevin Rooney: B

14GP – 2G – 0A – 0P

Kevin Rooney was Kevin Rooney in November. There wasn’t much to his game over the last month. He just consistently plays a solid game on the fourth line taking face-offs and being first over the boards on the penalty kill. He’s been exactly what you expect from him.

Mikael Backlund: B-

15GP – 2G – 3A – 5P

When it comes to defence, penalty killing, and off ice intangibles, then Backlund would be getting a grade that starts with an A. All those elements of his game were solid in November.
The only thing that was lacking was the offence (seems like a bit of a theme this month). Five points in 15 games is only a 27 point pace over 82 games. The Flames need more from him in the offensive zone.

Yegor Sharangovich: B-

15GP – 5G – 2A – 7P

We started to see the Yegor Sharangovich from last season in the second half of November. The guy who blasts pucks past opposing goaltenders on the power play.
He led the Flames in goals (5), shots (51), and shot attempts (91). That’s exactly what you want to see from the Flames sharp shooter.
You’d still like to see his point totals increase as the season progresses. Seven in 15 games isn’t good enough.

Nazem Kadri: C+

15GP – 4G – 5A – 9P

It was an interesting month for Nazem Kadri. He led the Flames in scoring with nine points in 15 games and in scoring chances with 52 throughout the month. But that’s still less than a 50 point pace over 82 games which isn’t very good for someone as good as Kadri. And a lot of his November points came in garbage time.
The concerning part of Kadri’s game is on the defensive Side of the puck. He looks disinterested when the puck is in his zone. And the numbers show it. He is below 50% in CF%, SCF%, xGF%, and HDCF%. He ranks in the bottom 9 among Flames forwards in all those stats.
Kadri is supposed to be one of, if not the driver of offence on this team. And he hasn’t been that this season.

Blake Coleman: C+

15GP – 4G – 2A – 6P

November was a disappointing month for Blake Coleman.He just didn’t seem to have the same impact on games like we’ve seen from him over the last calendar year. He wasn’t as physical or intense as he normally is. The play driving forward wasn’t present for most of the last 15 games.
I don’t know if that’s because he was split up from Mikael Backlund or maybe because he’s battling some potential injuries. But he just wasn’t the same.
One change to the Flames lineup I’d like to see in December is Backlund and Coleman back on a line together.

Jonathan Huberdeau: C

15GP – 4G – 3A – 7P

It was another bad month for Jonathan Huberdeau. He put up 7 points in 15 games which is a 38 point pace over 82 games.
The most disappointing part of Huberdeau’s game is the extinction of his high end play making that made him regarded as one of the best offensive players in the NHL for a long time.
He put up 3 assists in November. 314 forwards played in at least 12 games in November. Huberdeau ranks tied for 161st in the NHL in assists last month. Some other players to put up 3 assists include Trevor Lewis, Teddy Blueger, A.J. Greer, and Justin Danforth.
Hopefully he can keep up his 19.5% shooting percentage and keep scoring some goals.

Martin Pospisil: C

15GP – 1G – 4A – 5P

Martin Pospisil has yet to find his footing with the Flames this season. I thought putting him back on the wing would help him get back to his game but that just didn’t happen.
When it comes to Pospisil, the production is secondary. The thing he needs to focus on is being a physical force for the Flames. Be the best forechecker. Be the biggest agitator. Lead the team in hits. When he is doing that, he is a very effective player. We haven’t seen that version of Pospisil this season.

Andrei Kuzmenko: F

15GP – 0G – 2A – 2P

Andrei Kuzmenko was the most disappointing player on the Calgary Flames in November. Kuzmenko is talented enough to be a point per game player in the NHL. Yet he was only able to put up two assists in 15 games despite getting every chance to score goals and put up points.
He hasn’t even shot a puck in the net this season – his lone goal was a deflection of a Huberdeau shot.
There is still some time for Kuzmenko to turn this season around. He’s obviously good enough to do it.
But if he doesn’t do it soon, he might be on his way out of the league as soon as next season.
What grades would you give the Flames forwards in November? Let me know in the comments section!

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