The Calgary Flames returned to action on Sunday evening after a lengthy break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. They won! And now they&#8217;re headed on the road for their longest, toughest road trip of the season.
As we prepare for the murderer&#8217;s row of tough games the Flames have before them, let&#8217;s check in with the mailbag!
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Barring any significant trades, do the Flames have enough offensive firepower to make the playoffs? What’s your gut feeling about it?
&mdash; Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 🌴 (@MrEd315) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEd315/status/1893777708393365702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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I would say &#8220;Yes, but&#8230;&#8221;
Yes, because getting Connor Zary back and adding in Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee gives the Flames, on paper, a really nicely balanced top three forward lines that have a mixture of speed, skill and size. And bumping Martin Pospisil to the fourth line adds a nice bit of size and snarl that should help that group out, too.
The &#8220;but&#8221; is everything depends on the Flames maintaining their structured style of play. When they can roll their lines and pairings and operate as a cohesive group of five on the ice, they&#8217;re a hard team to beat because they don&#8217;t allow a lot of high-quality chances. They&#8217;re going to be a team that needs to win close games, even with the additions, and adding these guys probably makes them a bit more capable of staying in close games and winning them.
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What would a potential deal with the Sabres for Cozens look like?
&mdash; Don Martin (@MartinDmart) <a href="https://twitter.com/MartinDmart/status/1893777929571610683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The rumour kicking around NHL circles is that if the Sabres move Dylan Cozens, they don&#8217;t necessarily want futures – it would be a trade likely for roster players. If I&#8217;m Buffalo, I ask about Nazem Kadri or Rasmus Andersson or MacKenzie Weegar, along with picks and prospects If I&#8217;m the Flames, I&#8217;m not sure if Cozens moves the needle for their group enough to make such a move make sense. If you&#8217;re spending significant assets on Cozens, you really need to be sure he can be a first or second line centre for your group, and the evidence that he can be that is a bit spotty.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Ryan, could you give us a rundown of some potential great fits for the flames for 1st round 7-10 selection? Not rooting for this to happen but if it did who could be this year’s Parekh? Keep up the great work!
&mdash; Big Daddy (@bigdaddybustard) <a href="https://twitter.com/bigdaddybustard/status/1893768281338613762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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We&#8217;ll be getting into the weeds a bit on the 2025 NHL Draft in the coming weeks, but here are a few players that seem appealing to me outside of the top group – and I&#8217;m focusing primarily on centres because that seems to be the Flames&#8217; most glaring organizational need:
<ul>
<li>Moncton Wildcats centre Caleb Desnoyers</li>
<li>Brandon Wheat Kings centre Roger McQueen</li>
<li>Brantford Bulldogs centre Jake O&#8217;Brien</li>
<li>Arizona State University centre Cullen Potter</li>
<li>Soo Greyhounds centre Brady Martin</li>
<li>Seattle Thunderbirds centre Braeden Cootes</li>
<li>Calgary Hitmen centre Ben Kindel</li>
</ul>
McQueen&#8217;s been hampered by injuries this season, but there&#8217;s a nice variety of centres that should be around in the back half of the first round.
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Have you seen an improvement with the team since Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee have arrived?
&mdash; Herbert T Roch (@herbert_roch) <a href="https://twitter.com/herbert_roch/status/1893805627522109593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A little bit, yes, but you can tell they&#8217;re still figuring out the team&#8217;s systems, tendencies and structure. Hopefully they continue to mesh well and adjust coming out of the break.
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I seen gridin has not played last couple games. Any word on injury for him?
&mdash; kevin (@Kevinman29) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kevinman29/status/1893779203637588030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The QMJHL&#8217;s game roster sheets had Matvei Gridin listed as out due to &#8220;injury or illness&#8221; for Shawinigan&#8217;s last two games, but nothing specific has been announced or reported beyond that as of yet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
When is Anderrson getting traded
&mdash; Special K (@kyle_neddow) <a href="https://twitter.com/kyle_neddow/status/1893767000825946207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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I don&#8217;t think Rasmus Andersson is getting traded anytime soon. If he does get moved, it&#8217;s probably not happening unless his camp and the Flames have engaged in extensive contract talks and reach an impasse. We&#8217;re nowhere near that point in the process, though.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
<h2>The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda</h2>
Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.
Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at <a href="http://www.villagehonda.com/">www.villagehonda.com</a>.
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The Calgary Flames returned to action on Sunday evening after a lengthy break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. They won! And now they're headed on the road for their longest, toughest road trip of the season.

As we prepare for the murderer's row of tough games the Flames have before them, let's check in with the mailbag!

https://twitter.com/MrEd315/status/1893777708393365702

I would say "Yes, but..."

Yes, because getting Connor Zary back and adding in Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee gives the Flames, on paper, a really nicely balanced top three forward lines that have a mixture of speed, skill and size. And bumping Martin Pospisil to the fourth line adds a nice bit of size and snarl that should help that group out, too.

The "but" is everything depends on the Flames maintaining their structured style of play. When they can roll their lines and pairings and operate as a cohesive group of five on the ice, they're a hard team to beat because they don't allow a lot of high-quality chances. They're going to be a team that needs to win close games, even with the additions, and adding these guys probably makes them a bit more capable of staying in close games and winning them.

https://twitter.com/MartinDmart/status/1893777929571610683

The rumour kicking around NHL circles is that if the Sabres move Dylan Cozens, they don't necessarily want futures – it would be a trade likely for roster players. If I'm Buffalo, I ask about Nazem Kadri or Rasmus Andersson or MacKenzie Weegar, along with picks and prospects If I'm the Flames, I'm not sure if Cozens moves the needle for their group enough to make such a move make sense. If you're spending significant assets on Cozens, you really need to be sure he can be a first or second line centre for your group, and the evidence that he can be that is a bit spotty.

https://twitter.com/bigdaddybustard/status/1893768281338613762

We'll be getting into the weeds a bit on the 2025 NHL Draft in the coming weeks, but here are a few players that seem appealing to me outside of the top group – and I'm focusing primarily on centres because that seems to be the Flames' most glaring organizational need:
<ul>
 	<li>Moncton Wildcats centre Caleb Desnoyers</li>
 	<li>Brandon Wheat Kings centre Roger McQueen</li>
 	<li>Brantford Bulldogs centre Jake O'Brien</li>
 	<li>Arizona State University centre Cullen Potter</li>
 	<li>Soo Greyhounds centre Brady Martin</li>
 	<li>Seattle Thunderbirds centre Braeden Cootes</li>
 	<li>Calgary Hitmen centre Ben Kindel</li>
</ul>
McQueen's been hampered by injuries this season, but there's a nice variety of centres that should be around in the back half of the first round.

https://twitter.com/herbert_roch/status/1893805627522109593

A little bit, yes, but you can tell they're still figuring out the team's systems, tendencies and structure. Hopefully they continue to mesh well and adjust coming out of the break.

https://twitter.com/Kevinman29/status/1893779203637588030

The QMJHL's game roster sheets had Matvei Gridin listed as out due to "injury or illness" for Shawinigan's last two games, but nothing specific has been announced or reported beyond that as of yet.

https://twitter.com/kyle_neddow/status/1893767000825946207

I don't think Rasmus Andersson is getting traded anytime soon. If he does get moved, it's probably not happening unless his camp and the Flames have engaged in extensive contract talks and reach an impasse. We're nowhere near that point in the process, though.

Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
<h2>The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda</h2>
Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.

Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at <a href="http://www.villagehonda.com/">www.villagehonda.com</a>.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116342" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag.jpg" alt="" width="727" height="404" />

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