Ryan keep up the great work! what are some cool things coming with the new arena that nobody is talking about? And how many more toilets in the new arena than the Dome? #yyc #flames
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FlamesNation Mailbag: Holiday break edition
Photo credit: Mike Gould
Pals, it’s almost Christmas and that means there’s a gap in the hockey schedule throughout much of the world… and Santa’s almost here!
From our FlamesNation family to yours, we hope you have a blast celebrating whatever traditions you have this holiday season. So as we do our last-minute wrapping and ponder how many shortbread cookies is the right amount to eat (spoiler: the limit does not exist), let’s check in with the mailbag!
I’m low-key excited for all the new food options at the building. In addition to the things listed for the food hall – Bowls & Salads, Dumplings & Buns, and Tandoor – there’s Korean Corn Dogs and Lucky Cat Vietnamese Subs, which both sound fun. Even if there are a few food tweaks between now and when the building opens, different stuff to eat will definitely make the place feel new and fresh.
We were told by the project team that per capita there’s more than twice as many toilets as the Saddledome, so controlling for the slightly smaller size there’s a little bit less than twice as many toilets overall.
Why isn’t Tyson Barrie getting more looks? We need more offence
Tyson Barrie is a strong offensive player, but there are complexities and trade-offs involved with including him in the everyday lineup. He’s not a strong enough two-way player to play up the lineup, so he basically has to play on the third pairing on his off-side to the left of Brayden Pachal, who’s got a well-deserved stranglehold on the right side position. Barrie in the lineup means no Jake Bean (and probably no Joel Hanley), and it also means you probably need to use him on the power play to get the most use out of him.
With the PP chugging along nicely and Bean finally seeming to get some traction with the Flames, there may simply be more negatives than positives to slotting Barrie back in right now.
Some info on Misa and Mews please.
Henry Mews is a right-shot defenceman with the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s. The Flames drafted him in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft and he’s having a really good season. In 32 games he’s posted 44 points, which is good enough for 16th in the OHL among all players and third among defencemen. He’s also sixth in the OHL in shots on goal, so he’s somebody who’s involved in the play a lot.
Luke Misa is a left shot centre (who also plays wing) with the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads. He was a fourth-round selection by the Flames in last year’s draft and he, too, is really good at hockey. (His little brother is Michael Misa, expected to go high in this year’s draft.) Luke has 48 points in 32 games, really finding his mojo after a slow offensive start. At 5’10” he’s considered a bit small for a centre and he’s won 48% of his draws this season, so he may trend towards being a winger long-term. But he’s having a great season and has made the Flames scouts look very, very smart six months post-draft.
What should New Year’s Resolutions be for the Flames organization and players?
I would say the Flames should stay the course. Resist the temptation to take shortcuts in building up their group. They had a fantastic 2024 draft. They have oodles of picks in 2025 and 2026. If there’s something available via trade that could fill a need and fits their age group, consider it, but otherwise just stay the course and keep building. Slow, steady and sustainable is the way to go.
Do you expect goaltender Dan Vladar to be moved by the March 8th trade deadline? Is Devin Cooley ready to step into the NHL as a backup (I don't follow the AHL team)? #Flames
My related answers are “I don’t know” and “I don’t know.”
My Vladar “I don’t know” is because if the Flames have a price in mind and nobody meets that price, should they move Vladar just to move him? Vladar has been a good soldier for the Flames and seems to have a good balance with Dustin Wolf right now in terms of their usage. If he’s willing to come back on a short-term deal at a reasonable cap hit, the Flames might consider it.
My Cooley “I don’t know” is because he’s played just six NHL games. He’s been flat-out brilliant in the AHL, but the NHL is a different animal and he hasn’t looked great in his limited outings thus far. Trading Vladar is a big bet on Wolf’s potential, but it’s also rolling the dice that what’s working for Cooley in the AHL can translate to the NHL.
Of the Flames players mentioned as trade bait at the start of the season, whose trade value has gone up since then?
— Neil Braun (@neilbraun.bsky.social) December 22, 2024 at 4:18 PM
Honestly, the Flames’ pending unrestricted free agents have had a tough year:
- Anthony Mantha is out for the season.
- Andrei Kuzmenko has been in and out of the lineup for injury and performance reasons.
- Tyson Barrie has been in and out of the lineup.
Dan Vladar’s been pretty good given his role and usage, though.
Collectively, though, I don’t know if their trade values have gone up much at all.
What is most concerning for the Flames team, right now: • The lack of scoring 3+ goals in some games? • Penalty-killing troubles at times? • Not winning faceoffs? If you can rank them from most concerning to least
I would say that the goal-scoring is the biggest concern. If they’re good enough defensively at five-on-five, the penalty kill issues aren’t a deal-breaker – just don’t take too many penalties – and if you’re a good puck retrieval team, you can get around rough face-off numbers. But if you can’t score goals consistently, every other issue with your team gets magnified.
Ryan what do you think of Trent cull being called up for the flames? And Joe taking over on the wranglers with Marty back on the bench for the wranglers?
I’m a big fan of Trent Cull. The Wranglers have lost a lot of key players to the NHL over the past few seasons, but they keep winning. And they keep winning, in no small part, because they’ve managed to get everybody who’s wearing a Wranglers jersey to buy into how they have to play, and they’ve been able to play a balanced lineup with a playing style that makes life challenging for their opponents – fast, physical and structured.
I’m optimistic that Joe Cirella, who’s been with the AHL affiliates as an assistant coach since 2018, can maintain what’s working for the Wranglers while Cull is up with the Flames. (And more Marty Gelinas is always fun.)
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!)
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