Folks, we&#8217;re now into August. Calgary Flames hockey returns in September, albeit in the form of the Young Stars prospect tournament and then pre-season hockey.
But right now, we&#8217;re trudging through the last month before hockey gets going again to bring life meaning. Let&#8217;s dive into the mailbag!
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At this time of the offseason is Calgary management actually working to better the team’s roster or are they vacationing and sipping on cocktails with decorative drink umbrellas?
&mdash; Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 (@MrEd315) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEd315/status/1820145233910198418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Flames are definitely still working on things – the two year deal for Dustin Wolf is an example of that – but this is the time of year where most of the teams have done their important off-season business and are trying to shore up their restricted free agent signings. Most teams usually don&#8217;t make big roster tweaks until the fall, when they have a sense of how everything&#8217;s shaping up for their lineups and can start to anticipate which players may hit waivers (and which won&#8217;t) and start making moves in anticipation of that shuffle.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Is the door officially closed on Kylington?
&mdash; El Chaco 🇨🇦🇵🇾 (@HighTrustChaco) <a href="https://twitter.com/HighTrustChaco/status/1820142542467547198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Based on the additions the Flames have made and the number of defencemen they currently have under NHL contracts – 12 signed, plus two restricted free agents to re-up – we wouldn&#8217;t anticipate the Flames circling back to Oliver Kylington. That said, things change sometimes and we won&#8217;t rule anything out definitively. Remember when the Flames bought out Michael Stone, then circled back to him after Juuso Valimaki blew out his knee and needed major surgery? Weird stuff happens in life sometimes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
A lot of chatter to trade both Kuzmenko and Andersson. What are good reasons to keep them?
&mdash; asimpleplan (@asimpleplan1) <a href="https://twitter.com/asimpleplan1/status/1820144474271412608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
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If you want to look at the positives of the players:
Andrei Kuzmenko revitalized the Flames&#8217; power play at the end of the season and is a creative, dynamic player. Is he a great two-way player? Heck no. And he&#8217;s a player that needs to be sheltered. But if you have a team that&#8217;s deep enough where you can shelter him, he can really move the needle offensively.
Robert Munnich wrote about <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2024/07/31/the-calgary-flames-should-trade-rasmus-andersson-between-now-and-the-2025-trade-deadline/">the case for trading Rasmus Andersson last week</a>, and a good chunk of it was very complimentary. He&#8217;s good! He has size, smarts, and offensive savvy. The only big knock is whether you think he can be the team&#8217;s core veteran blueline piece when the club emerges from the rebuild wilderness. I&#8217;m not entirely sold, but Andersson is a really good, useful player that can slot into a lot of game situations.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Do you think the Flames see Zary at C longterm?
&mdash; I can&#39;t believe it&#39;s not Sutter (@KevinMcC89) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinMcC89/status/1820240080155676928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Flames don&#8217;t have any sure-fire centres in their system right now, but I think they&#8217;re entirely willing to see if Yegor Sharangovich, Connor Zary or Martin Pospisil find their footing at that position. I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if they tried out all three players up the middle during pre-season (and the early regular season) and see who emerges as a strong option. Zary had some success up the middle late in the season, which could bode well for his future at that position.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flamesmailbag?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flamesmailbag</a>. Ryan, what is the one or two things you LOVE about the Saddledome press box and what are some things you HATE about it.
&mdash; kingcambie (@kingcambie) <a href="https://twitter.com/kingcambie/status/1820144766002385151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I have been utterly spoiled by the Saddledome press box, as it has such a fantastic vantage point for seeing plays developing – above the ice, rather that set far back from it. But because the press box is physically suspended from the &#8216;Dome&#8217;s ceiling, it&#8217;s a bit narrower than a lot of its counterparts around the league. (That&#8217;s admittedly a very minor quibble: it&#8217;s a fantastic place to watch hockey.)
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X 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 loading="lazy" decoding="async" 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" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag.jpg 727w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag-300x167.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" />

Folks, we're now into August. Calgary Flames hockey returns in September, albeit in the form of the Young Stars prospect tournament and then pre-season hockey.

But right now, we're trudging through the last month before hockey gets going again to bring life meaning. Let's dive into the mailbag!

https://twitter.com/MrEd315/status/1820145233910198418

The Flames are definitely still working on things – the two year deal for Dustin Wolf is an example of that – but this is the time of year where most of the teams have done their important off-season business and are trying to shore up their restricted free agent signings. Most teams usually don't make big roster tweaks until the fall, when they have a sense of how everything's shaping up for their lineups and can start to anticipate which players may hit waivers (and which won't) and start making moves in anticipation of that shuffle.

https://twitter.com/HighTrustChaco/status/1820142542467547198

Based on the additions the Flames have made and the number of defencemen they currently have under NHL contracts – 12 signed, plus two restricted free agents to re-up – we wouldn't anticipate the Flames circling back to Oliver Kylington. That said, things change sometimes and we won't rule anything out definitively. Remember when the Flames bought out Michael Stone, then circled back to him after Juuso Valimaki blew out his knee and needed major surgery? Weird stuff happens in life sometimes.

https://twitter.com/asimpleplan1/status/1820144474271412608

If you want to look at the positives of the players:

Andrei Kuzmenko revitalized the Flames' power play at the end of the season and is a creative, dynamic player. Is he a great two-way player? Heck no. And he's a player that needs to be sheltered. But if you have a team that's deep enough where you can shelter him, he can really move the needle offensively.

Robert Munnich wrote about <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2024/07/31/the-calgary-flames-should-trade-rasmus-andersson-between-now-and-the-2025-trade-deadline/">the case for trading Rasmus Andersson last week</a>, and a good chunk of it was very complimentary. He's good! He has size, smarts, and offensive savvy. The only big knock is whether you think he can be the team's core veteran blueline piece when the club emerges from the rebuild wilderness. I'm not entirely sold, but Andersson is a really good, useful player that can slot into a lot of game situations.

https://twitter.com/KevinMcC89/status/1820240080155676928

The Flames don't have any sure-fire centres in their system right now, but I think they're entirely willing to see if Yegor Sharangovich, Connor Zary or Martin Pospisil find their footing at that position. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried out all three players up the middle during pre-season (and the early regular season) and see who emerges as a strong option. Zary had some success up the middle late in the season, which could bode well for his future at that position.

https://twitter.com/kingcambie/status/1820144766002385151

I have been utterly spoiled by the Saddledome press box, as it has such a fantastic vantage point for seeing plays developing – above the ice, rather that set far back from it. But because the press box is physically suspended from the 'Dome's ceiling, it's a bit narrower than a lot of its counterparts around the league. (That's admittedly a very minor quibble: it's a fantastic place to watch hockey.)

Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X 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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