Friends, the Calgary Flames have just a dozen games remaining on their 2023-24 regular season schedule. With their playoff hopes faint (and getting fainter by the day, unfortunately), the minds of fans appear to be focused on the club&#8217;s future and off-season.
Let&#8217;s close out our March run of mailbags!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Ryan, the Flames seemed to receive a significant number of Russian players/prospects in their recent trades. Is this just a coincidence, or are they possibly targeting Russian players?
&mdash; Kent M (@KMo21) <a href="https://twitter.com/KMo21/status/1769816835636011400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I&#8217;m a paranoid type, so I don&#8217;t think there are every any true coincidences.
But I think the Flames collecting players from the Russian sphere of influence is due to a mixture of availability and opportunity. If you look in the Flames&#8217; system, right now they have 10 Russian-born players and two Belarusian-born players on their reserve list. If you&#8217;re trying to help players succeed, having them surrounded by players they can relate and communicate with is really important, especially if you&#8217;re trying to help players learn skills, tactics, team culture, and a bunch of other things. (See how the Flames have utilized their talented Swedes to support each other, as well as attract other Swedes. That&#8217;s kind of how it looks when it works well.)
So the Flames have had the opportunity to collect a bunch of talented Russians and Belarusians over the past few years, and because of that they&#8217;ve opted to collect a few. We&#8217;ll see how this tactic works out, but a few of them have definitely adapted well to pro hockey and made the Flames and Wranglers tougher to play against.
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Of the available players within the organization, who are some names that could be candidates to join the <a href="https://twitter.com/AHLWranglers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AHLWranglers</a> for the playoffs? Got any big off season adventures planned for yourself this summer?
&mdash; v5 Calgary Flames (@v5FlamesGM) <a href="https://twitter.com/v5FlamesGM/status/1771984965787664742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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In terms of Wranglers additions: In addition to Joni Jurmo, who&#8217;s joining the Wranglers on Tuesday (via Postmedia&#8217;s Danny Austin), I would expect to see WHL forward Parker Bell (who&#8217;s already on an NHL deal) to join the Wranglers this coming week as his Tri-City Americans have finished their WHL campaign.
After that, keep an eye on what happens with Samuel Honzek and Jaden Lipinski as the Vancouver Giants traverse the WHL playoffs. The Giants have a tough first-round match-up on the books against the Everett Silvertips and I suspect that if their season ends, they&#8217;ll explore moving one or both of those youngsters to the Wranglers to continue their development. The nice thing about the Flames having the Wranglers in town is that they can collect some players whose junior seasons have ended and get a head start on their summer development work by giving them a few days (or weeks, depending on each player&#8217;s situation) with the AHL group.
Aside from the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, I have no set travel plans for the off-season as of yet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;d like to see Yegor Sharangovich get a contract extension as he is, after this season, one year from UFA and has performed well with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a>. What do you think?
&mdash; Maureen (@mbbrennan) <a href="https://twitter.com/mbbrennan/status/1769598756826362080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I would be fascinated to see what the Flames&#8217; data crew has on Yegor Sharangovich&#8217;s game. He&#8217;s been a superb offensive winger this season and he&#8217;s shown the ability to find quiet areas of the ice, get open for scoring opportunities, and to bury those chances. As a centre, he&#8217;s been fine, but his time up the middle has definitely slowed his offensive output a bit.
Sharangovich has definitely out-performed his current $3.1 million cap hit. My big question is whether this level can be sustained. I imagine Sharangovich&#8217;s representation chats with the Flames during the summer regarding his desire to be a Flame for the long-term – it seems to have been a great fit for team and player – and they&#8217;ll probably kick around a few contract concepts. The desire to work something out is likely there, but we&#8217;ll see if they can reach common ground on term and dollars.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Do you expect in the offseason Craig Conroy to make any signings in free agency. Or do you expect more young guys on this roster next season? And what should Conroy do in the offseason with our goaltending?
&mdash; Zach Nelson (@ZachNel94375526) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachNel94375526/status/1771972993763451292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
What will be the turnover of the team come the new season? Basically what current players can we expect to stay and moved? Any guesses/predictions? 
Thanks! 😊
&mdash; CGY_Anand (@CGY_Anand) <a href="https://twitter.com/CGY_Anand/status/1771973987414987094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I would say a little of both. I think the Flames probably recognize what a lot of outsiders do: they&#8217;ll need some centre help – again, Sharangovich is probably best served on the wing long-term – and they could probably add to their defensive group with somebody that could be a shutdown compliment to the offensive-minded guys they already have in Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, MacKenzie Weegar and Daniil Miromanov. You can see the framework of a pretty interesting blueline group, if they can find some defensive minds to compliment them a bit.
In terms of movement, I&#8217;m expecting a Jacob Markstrom move. This isn&#8217;t informed by any inside info, but the way the whole thing has unfolded, I&#8217;m not sure if you can fully repair that relationship once he&#8217;s wrapped his mind around a departure. I could be wrong, though. I think the 2024-25 tandem is Dustin Wolf and a veteran of some kind. (Maybe that veteran is Markstrom.) If Markstrom isn&#8217;t here, and depending Dan Vladar&#8217;s injury status, you probably want a Cam Talbot type goaltender – a reliable, steady vet who won&#8217;t break the bank to acquire – to work with Wolf.
And given the team&#8217;s many, many talented young AHL wingers – looking at you, Jakob Pelletier and Matt Coronato – I think the Flames would consider moving a winger to open a spot for one of those young guys. Look at it this way: heading into next year&#8217;s camp, what&#8217;s the pathway for a new face to make the NHL roster? The wings may be the easiest spots to make room.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Any early guesses on which company will secure the naming rights for the new building?
&mdash; C of Red Central (@CofRedCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/CofRedCentral/status/1771972372842926379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Again, I have no inside information on this so I&#8217;m making educated guesses based on the companies who spend the most on Flames-related programming: I would guess that somebody like Scotiabank, Telus or Rogers are the most likely naming partners. (Given Scotiabank is the naming-rights partner of the Saddledome, I suspect they would have the inside track.)
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Friends, the Calgary Flames have just a dozen games remaining on their 2023-24 regular season schedule. With their playoff hopes faint (and getting fainter by the day, unfortunately), the minds of fans appear to be focused on the club's future and off-season.

Let's close out our March run of mailbags!



https://twitter.com/KMo21/status/1769816835636011400

I'm a paranoid type, so I don't think there are every any true coincidences.

But I think the Flames collecting players from the Russian sphere of influence is due to a mixture of availability and opportunity. If you look in the Flames' system, right now they have 10 Russian-born players and two Belarusian-born players on their reserve list. If you're trying to help players succeed, having them surrounded by players they can relate and communicate with is really important, especially if you're trying to help players learn skills, tactics, team culture, and a bunch of other things. (See how the Flames have utilized their talented Swedes to support each other, as well as attract other Swedes. That's kind of how it looks when it works well.)

So the Flames have had the opportunity to collect a bunch of talented Russians and Belarusians over the past few years, and because of that they've opted to collect a few. We'll see how this tactic works out, but a few of them have definitely adapted well to pro hockey and made the Flames and Wranglers tougher to play against.

https://twitter.com/v5FlamesGM/status/1771984965787664742

In terms of Wranglers additions: In addition to Joni Jurmo, who's joining the Wranglers on Tuesday (via Postmedia's Danny Austin), I would expect to see WHL forward Parker Bell (who's already on an NHL deal) to join the Wranglers this coming week as his Tri-City Americans have finished their WHL campaign.

After that, keep an eye on what happens with Samuel Honzek and Jaden Lipinski as the Vancouver Giants traverse the WHL playoffs. The Giants have a tough first-round match-up on the books against the Everett Silvertips and I suspect that if their season ends, they'll explore moving one or both of those youngsters to the Wranglers to continue their development. The nice thing about the Flames having the Wranglers in town is that they can collect some players whose junior seasons have ended and get a head start on their summer development work by giving them a few days (or weeks, depending on each player's situation) with the AHL group.

Aside from the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, I have no set travel plans for the off-season as of yet.

https://twitter.com/mbbrennan/status/1769598756826362080

I would be fascinated to see what the Flames' data crew has on Yegor Sharangovich's game. He's been a superb offensive winger this season and he's shown the ability to find quiet areas of the ice, get open for scoring opportunities, and to bury those chances. As a centre, he's been fine, but his time up the middle has definitely slowed his offensive output a bit.

Sharangovich has definitely out-performed his current $3.1 million cap hit. My big question is whether this level can be sustained. I imagine Sharangovich's representation chats with the Flames during the summer regarding his desire to be a Flame for the long-term – it seems to have been a great fit for team and player – and they'll probably kick around a few contract concepts. The desire to work something out is likely there, but we'll see if they can reach common ground on term and dollars.

https://twitter.com/ZachNel94375526/status/1771972993763451292

https://twitter.com/CGY_Anand/status/1771973987414987094

I would say a little of both. I think the Flames probably recognize what a lot of outsiders do: they'll need some centre help – again, Sharangovich is probably best served on the wing long-term – and they could probably add to their defensive group with somebody that could be a shutdown compliment to the offensive-minded guys they already have in Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, MacKenzie Weegar and Daniil Miromanov. You can see the framework of a pretty interesting blueline group, if they can find some defensive minds to compliment them a bit.

In terms of movement, I'm expecting a Jacob Markstrom move. This isn't informed by any inside info, but the way the whole thing has unfolded, I'm not sure if you can fully repair that relationship once he's wrapped his mind around a departure. I could be wrong, though. I think the 2024-25 tandem is Dustin Wolf and a veteran of some kind. (Maybe that veteran is Markstrom.) If Markstrom isn't here, and depending Dan Vladar's injury status, you probably want a Cam Talbot type goaltender – a reliable, steady vet who won't break the bank to acquire – to work with Wolf.

And given the team's many, many talented young AHL wingers – looking at you, Jakob Pelletier and Matt Coronato – I think the Flames would consider moving a winger to open a spot for one of those young guys. Look at it this way: heading into next year's camp, what's the pathway for a new face to make the NHL roster? The wings may be the easiest spots to make room.

https://twitter.com/CofRedCentral/status/1771972372842926379

Again, I have no inside information on this so I'm making educated guesses based on the companies who spend the most on Flames-related programming: I would guess that somebody like Scotiabank, Telus or Rogers are the most likely naming partners. (Given Scotiabank is the naming-rights partner of the Saddledome, I suspect they would have the inside track.)
<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" />

FlamesNation Mailbag: Closing out March’s mailbags with a look towards the off-season

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