Folks, we&#8217;re getting into the beginning of the lean part of the National Hockey League off-season. The Calgary Flames have hired a new general manager, a new coach, a couple new assistant coaches, added Jarome Iginla to management, and gone through the entry draft, free agency and development camp.
It&#8217;s Stampede season, y&#8217;all, so let&#8217;s mosey on into the mailbag!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
How many Flames players typically ride horses in the stampede parade?
— Jeff Clemens (@jclemy) <a href="https://twitter.com/jclemy/status/1678199434352504833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
It usually depends on who&#8217;s in town at that time of year, but typically it&#8217;s two or three representatives of the current team and a smattering of alumni. This year it was Wranglers forward Dryden Hunt, new Flames head coach Ryan Huska, and 1989 Stanley Cup champion Tim Hunter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Everything appears to hinge Lindholm. If he signs its obvious we will make moves to contend. But what if he says he won&#8217;t re-sign? Waiting only makes sense if rebuild is an option, otherwise we could be making moves. Does that mean the Flames would rebuild if Lindholm leaves?
— Neil Houghton (@Skylardog2) <a href="https://twitter.com/Skylardog2/status/1678176423972937728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
If your team has a centre like Elias Lindholm, yeah, it makes it easier to build a contending team because you know what players will be on the ice for key game situations (and you can build around them). If your team doesn&#8217;t have a centre like Lindholm, the question is &#8220;Well, what did you get for him?&#8221; That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s so important for the Flames to get the Lindholm situation right: If Lindholm re-ups, great, he&#8217;s great. If he decides he wants to try life elsewhere, if the Flames can work with Lindholm to find an ideal landing spot, they can maximize his value as a trade chip.
I don&#8217;t think a rebuild is a fait accompli if the Flames play their cards right.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Are you concerned that we will lose both Hanifin and Lindholm for nothing?
— McPuffin (@McPuffi03177250) <a href="https://twitter.com/McPuffi03177250/status/1678173312290115588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
Nope.
With Elias Lindholm, I think he&#8217;s figuring out what he wants to do and the team is being patient (because it&#8217;s a big life decision). With Noah Hanifin, I think the Flames have a return in mind that they&#8217;d like to get in a Hanifin trade, and I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;re in any hurry to undercut themselves by accepting a lesser offer.
It seems inevitable that Lindholm will make his big decision, and it also seems probable that as teams get past salary arbitration cases and the shape of their teams become more defined, they&#8217;ll get a sense of what gaps they have – and be more ready to send the Flames better offers than they have been to this point.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What are your thoughts on how the unique nature of FA signings this off-season will impact any potential arbitration awards compared to years past?
Also, obligatory <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YeeHaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YeeHaw</a>
— Devin Loucks (@Gilaeth) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gilaeth/status/1678198370584731649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
Admittedly, the next two off-seasons are going to be weird because of the sudden injection of money into the NHL&#8217;s system. So I would expect that teams (and players and agents) will be focused much more on percentage of the cap for past deal precedents than actual cap hits. But expect a good amount of escalation, and that escalation accounts for why so many players took shorter deals this summer in order to cash in during the 2024 or 2025 off-seasons.
Also, it&#8217;s yahoo. But to each their own.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What happened to Tyler Parsons? He seems to have dropped off the earth.
— Stuart (@StueyHermy) <a href="https://twitter.com/StueyHermy/status/1678170043337637888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
Tyler Parsons, selected two picks before Dillon Dube in the 2016 NHL Draft, hasn&#8217;t played a game of professional hockey in over two years. Parsons battled a bunch of different injuries during his time with the Flames, unfortunately, and those really hampered his progression. My understanding is he&#8217;s moved on from hockey, and hopefully he&#8217;s doing well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Which Calgary Flame would be best at making an actual flame if left alone in the woods with nothing but a red track suit and a pocket knife.
— Clayton Jugg (@Totally_Offside) <a href="https://twitter.com/Totally_Offside/status/1678162755323412484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
The obvious choice is Chris Tanev. My dark horse choice is Blake Coleman.
<h2>The FlamesNation Mailbag is presented by Newman Deans Real Estate Group and CIR Realty</h2>
<div>Are you planning a move in 2023? Derrick Newman with the Newman Deans Real Estate Group and CIR Realty should be your only call. Derrick is the best there is at understanding his clients needs and executing a plan to find them the property they are looking for. Growing up a diehard Flames fan has given Derrick the patience needed to handle everything that can be thrown your way in a real estate transaction. With an arsenal of trusted partners, including home inspectors, lawyers, and mortgage brokers, Derrick provides a level of service even Coach Huska would be proud of. Make the call today&#8230; 403-619-6661 or visit him at <a href="http://newmananddeans.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://newmananddeans.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1673979402058000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2J3Cmu3ExyV9E4dI7oGrmb">newmananddeans.ca</a>.</div>
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Folks, we're getting into the beginning of the lean part of the National Hockey League off-season. The Calgary Flames have hired a new general manager, a new coach, a couple new assistant coaches, added Jarome Iginla to management, and gone through the entry draft, free agency and development camp.

It's Stampede season, y'all, so let's mosey on into the mailbag!


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
How many Flames players typically ride horses in the stampede parade?
— Jeff Clemens (@jclemy) <a href="https://twitter.com/jclemy/status/1678199434352504833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
It usually depends on who's in town at that time of year, but typically it's two or three representatives of the current team and a smattering of alumni. This year it was Wranglers forward Dryden Hunt, new Flames head coach Ryan Huska, and 1989 Stanley Cup champion Tim Hunter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Everything appears to hinge Lindholm. If he signs its obvious we will make moves to contend. But what if he says he won't re-sign? Waiting only makes sense if rebuild is an option, otherwise we could be making moves. Does that mean the Flames would rebuild if Lindholm leaves?
— Neil Houghton (@Skylardog2) <a href="https://twitter.com/Skylardog2/status/1678176423972937728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
If your team has a centre like Elias Lindholm, yeah, it makes it easier to build a contending team because you know what players will be on the ice for key game situations (and you can build around them). If your team doesn't have a centre like Lindholm, the question is "Well, what did you get for him?" That's why it's so important for the Flames to get the Lindholm situation right: If Lindholm re-ups, great, he's great. If he decides he wants to try life elsewhere, if the Flames can work with Lindholm to find an ideal landing spot, they can maximize his value as a trade chip.

I don't think a rebuild is a fait accompli if the Flames play their cards right.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Are you concerned that we will lose both Hanifin and Lindholm for nothing?
— McPuffin (@McPuffi03177250) <a href="https://twitter.com/McPuffi03177250/status/1678173312290115588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
Nope.

With Elias Lindholm, I think he's figuring out what he wants to do and the team is being patient (because it's a big life decision). With Noah Hanifin, I think the Flames have a return in mind that they'd like to get in a Hanifin trade, and I don't think they're in any hurry to undercut themselves by accepting a lesser offer.

It seems inevitable that Lindholm will make his big decision, and it also seems probable that as teams get past salary arbitration cases and the shape of their teams become more defined, they'll get a sense of what gaps they have – and be more ready to send the Flames better offers than they have been to this point.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What are your thoughts on how the unique nature of FA signings this off-season will impact any potential arbitration awards compared to years past?
Also, obligatory <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YeeHaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YeeHaw</a>

— Devin Loucks (@Gilaeth) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gilaeth/status/1678198370584731649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
Admittedly, the next two off-seasons are going to be weird because of the sudden injection of money into the NHL's system. So I would expect that teams (and players and agents) will be focused much more on percentage of the cap for past deal precedents than actual cap hits. But expect a good amount of escalation, and that escalation accounts for why so many players took shorter deals this summer in order to cash in during the 2024 or 2025 off-seasons.

Also, it's yahoo. But to each their own.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What happened to Tyler Parsons? He seems to have dropped off the earth.
— Stuart (@StueyHermy) <a href="https://twitter.com/StueyHermy/status/1678170043337637888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
Tyler Parsons, selected two picks before Dillon Dube in the 2016 NHL Draft, hasn't played a game of professional hockey in over two years. Parsons battled a bunch of different injuries during his time with the Flames, unfortunately, and those really hampered his progression. My understanding is he's moved on from hockey, and hopefully he's doing well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Which Calgary Flame would be best at making an actual flame if left alone in the woods with nothing but a red track suit and a pocket knife.
— Clayton Jugg (@Totally_Offside) <a href="https://twitter.com/Totally_Offside/status/1678162755323412484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
The obvious choice is Chris Tanev. My dark horse choice is Blake Coleman.
<h2>The FlamesNation Mailbag is presented by Newman Deans Real Estate Group and CIR Realty</h2>
<div>Are you planning a move in 2023? Derrick Newman with the Newman Deans Real Estate Group and CIR Realty should be your only call. Derrick is the best there is at understanding his clients needs and executing a plan to find them the property they are looking for. Growing up a diehard Flames fan has given Derrick the patience needed to handle everything that can be thrown your way in a real estate transaction. With an arsenal of trusted partners, including home inspectors, lawyers, and mortgage brokers, Derrick provides a level of service even Coach Huska would be proud of. Make the call today... 403-619-6661 or visit him at <a href="http://newmananddeans.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://newmananddeans.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1673979402058000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2J3Cmu3ExyV9E4dI7oGrmb">newmananddeans.ca</a>.</div>
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