Friends, we’re almost through the month of July, with the Calgary Stampede in the rear-view mirror and August just ahead of us. As the sands continue swirling through this summer’s hourglass, let’s delve into the mailbag!
Here’s the state of things right now: by all accounts, Noah Hanifin has respectfully told the Flames brass that he’s not going to re-up with the Flames when his contract expires (and if it’s possible, he’d like to go to the United States). Meanwhile, Elias Lindholm is pondering a hefty contract offer and a long-term future with the Flames. Hanifin isn’t quite out the door, but he’s pointed to the door and indicated that’s where he’s headed. Lindholm… hasn’t decided yet.
So Hanifin probably gets traded first, but it’s dependent on the Flames getting offers from other teams that aren’t low-ball offers.
The ‘Dome has a lot of good food options to suit a variety of snacking moods. As of… right now, here are my ‘Dome Snack Power Rankings:
  1. Nachos with cheese and salsa (and jalapenos depending on if I’m in the mood for some extra spice)
  2. Cheese pocket dog with cheese and ketchup
  3. Timbits and a black coffee
  4. Perogies
  5. Chicken fingers
A sneaky-good place to get food at the ‘Dome, depending on the rotating menu, is the test kitchen. They have different themes every month and so the menu changes often, but there are usually a couple really good options if you’re feeling adventurous. I’ve also heard the taco place on the concourse is good, but I haven’t had a chance to try them yet so I can’t confirm if I like them or not.
We received a few different versions of goaltending tandem questions over the past few mailbags, and the one I thought was the most fun to answer was the order of likelihood of potential goalie tandems on opening night.
So here’s my thought processes regarding the Flames’ three goalies right now:
  • Jacob Markstrom is not going anywhere.
  • Dan Vladar probably gets moved at some point, but to date the Flames haven’t gotten offers that they’ve sufficiently liked. It seems probable that when teams get disenchanted with their internal options, Vladar will become a trade market priority. That could be in camp, but it feels more likely that’s into the season a bit.
  • Dustin Wolf is an NHLer whenever Vladar is moved.
So the order of likely season-opening goaltending tandems, ranked via likelihood:
  1. Markstrom & Vladar
  2. Markstrom & Wolf
I cannot foresee a situation where Markstrom is moved, or one where Oscar Dansk forces his way into the NHL.

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