<p>The hockey world doesn&#8217;t think much of the Calgary Flames heading into the 2024-25 season. On the surface it makes sense. Craig Conroy has moved out veteran players like Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Jacob Markstrom over the last 16 months. There are a lot of good players in that group.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
<p>The hockey world is focusing on the Flames mass exodus of players. But no one is talking about the positive qualities of this Flames team.</p>
<p>This is a better team than people are giving them credit for. I&#8217;m not saying that the Flames are going to make the playoffs. That feels like a stretch. But I think that they are going to be in the basement of the NHL standings and will be in the mix for a wild card spot for a majority of the season.</p>
<p>Here are some reasons why.</p>
<h1>1. The Nazem Kadri &#8211; Andrei Kuzmenko connection</h1>
<p>Every good team in the NHL needs all-star calibre players to be successful and one of the critiques of the Flames roster has been that they don&#8217;t have elite talent.</p>
<p>But I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s an accurate statement. If Andrei Kuzmenko and Nazem Kadri play on the same line and same power play unit, they will produce like elite players. The key is that they have to play together in order to achieve that status.</p>
<p>Ryan Huska put Kuzmenko and Kadri on the same line for the first time on March 30th.</p>
<p>From March 30th to the end of the season (10 games), Kuzmenko and Kadri led the Flames in scoring with 15 and 14 points respectively, and that was good enough for 7th and 8th in the NHL during that span. That&#8217;s a 123- and 115-point pace over 82 games.</p>
<p>Now, I don&#8217;t think Kuzmenko and Kadri are going to be putting up 100+ points this season. But both players being at or a little above a point per game is not out of the question.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Andrei Kuzmenko has the potential to have a monster year in Calgary next season.</p>
<p>1. He showed great chemistry with Kadri and Pospisil.<br />
2. Opportunity. Will get to play top line and 1st PP unit minutes.<br />
3. He put up 17 points in his final 11 games, a 127 point pace over 82 games. <a href="https://t.co/2yNeY4ovg0">pic.twitter.com/2yNeY4ovg0</a></p>
<p>— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1825918211528773839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<h1>2. Depth at forward</h1>
<p>There are a lot of good players in the Flames forward group. If the vast majority of forwards can have an average season, the Flames are going to be in good shape.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve already discussed Kadri and Kuzmenko being point per game players.</p>
<p>Yegor Sharangovich, Anthony Mantha, and Blake Coleman could all be 20+ goal scorers.</p>
<p>Jonathan Huberdeau has the potential to be a 60+ point player.</p>
<p>Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil could take another step in their development and be 40–50-point players.</p>
<p>Matt Coronato could score 20 goals because of his shot. But he has to be put in the right situation.</p>
<p>If the Flames are going to push for a wild card spot, it&#8217;s going to be on the back of the Flames forwards. By far the best, and deepest part of the roster.</p>
<h1>3. An improved power play</h1>
<p>The Flames are going to have a better power play in 2024-25. From Oct. 14 to Mar. 18 of last season, the Flames had the 30th ranked power play in the NHL.</p>
<p>From Mar. 19 to the end of the season, the Flames had the best power play in the NHL.</p>
<p>The big reasons for the change in power play success is because of the addition of a healthy Kuzmenko to the first unit. And adding MacKenzie Weegar to the point. The unit just seemed to click and that&#8217;s going to continue into the 2024-25 season.</p>
<p>A power play unit with Kuzmenko, Kadri, Sharangovich, Mantha and Weegar or even Tyson Barrie, could be pretty lethal and a reason the Flames don&#8217;t finish in the basement of the NHL.</p>
<h1>4. A better start to the season</h1>
<p>October 2023 was one of the worst months in modern Flames history from an on ice perspective. Calgary went 2-7-1, good for the second worst points percentage during that time. And it wasn&#8217;t that their record was bad, it was how they were playing that was the most concerning. The Flames were getting badly outplayed. There were nights where they couldn&#8217;t make tape to tape passes.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Flames get booed off the ice after a terrible 3-0 loss to the St Louis Blues. <a href="https://t.co/ShqBcUBq6L">pic.twitter.com/ShqBcUBq6L</a></p>
<p>— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlamesNation/status/1717747368010068259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p>That start essentially ended any chance they had at making the playoffs.</p>
<p>But when you look at the Flames record from Nov. 1 to Mar. 1 (50 games), they had the 15th best points percentage in the NHL during that time. I know that was with players like Hanifin, Tanev, and Markstrom. But it&#8217;s still an indication that they&#8217;re not a basement dweller.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t see another bad start happening in the 2024-25 season. This is a team that will be starting the season with a deep understanding of Ryan Huska&#8217;s style of play. They&#8217;re not heading into training camp learning how to play a new system. Look for this team to have some better chemistry when they kick off their season on Oct. 9 against the Canucks.</p>


The hockey world doesn't think much of the Calgary Flames heading into the 2024-25 season. On the surface it makes sense. Craig Conroy has moved out veteran players like Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Jacob Markstrom over the last 16 months. There are a lot of good players in that group.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
The hockey world is focusing on the Flames mass exodus of players. But no one is talking about the positive qualities of this Flames team.

This is a better team than people are giving them credit for. I'm not saying that the Flames are going to make the playoffs. That feels like a stretch. But I think that they are going to be in the basement of the NHL standings and will be in the mix for a wild card spot for a majority of the season.

Here are some reasons why.
<h1>1. The Nazem Kadri - Andrei Kuzmenko connection</h1>
Every good team in the NHL needs all-star calibre players to be successful and one of the critiques of the Flames roster has been that they don't have elite talent.

But I don't think that's an accurate statement. If Andrei Kuzmenko and Nazem Kadri play on the same line and same power play unit, they will produce like elite players. The key is that they have to play together in order to achieve that status.

Ryan Huska put Kuzmenko and Kadri on the same line for the first time on March 30th.

From March 30th to the end of the season (10 games), Kuzmenko and Kadri led the Flames in scoring with 15 and 14 points respectively, and that was good enough for 7th and 8th in the NHL during that span. That's a 123- and 115-point pace over 82 games.

Now, I don't think Kuzmenko and Kadri are going to be putting up 100+ points this season. But both players being at or a little above a point per game is not out of the question.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Andrei Kuzmenko has the potential to have a monster year in Calgary next season.</p>
1. He showed great chemistry with Kadri and Pospisil.
2. Opportunity. Will get to play top line and 1st PP unit minutes.
3. He put up 17 points in his final 11 games, a 127 point pace over 82 games. <a href="https://t.co/2yNeY4ovg0">pic.twitter.com/2yNeY4ovg0</a>

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1825918211528773839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
<h1>2. Depth at forward</h1>
There are a lot of good players in the Flames forward group. If the vast majority of forwards can have an average season, the Flames are going to be in good shape.

I've already discussed Kadri and Kuzmenko being point per game players.

Yegor Sharangovich, Anthony Mantha, and Blake Coleman could all be 20+ goal scorers.

Jonathan Huberdeau has the potential to be a 60+ point player.

Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil could take another step in their development and be 40–50-point players.

Matt Coronato could score 20 goals because of his shot. But he has to be put in the right situation.

If the Flames are going to push for a wild card spot, it's going to be on the back of the Flames forwards. By far the best, and deepest part of the roster.
<h1>3. An improved power play</h1>
The Flames are going to have a better power play in 2024-25. From Oct. 14 to Mar. 18 of last season, the Flames had the 30th ranked power play in the NHL.

From Mar. 19 to the end of the season, the Flames had the best power play in the NHL.

The big reasons for the change in power play success is because of the addition of a healthy Kuzmenko to the first unit. And adding MacKenzie Weegar to the point. The unit just seemed to click and that's going to continue into the 2024-25 season.

A power play unit with Kuzmenko, Kadri, Sharangovich, Mantha and Weegar or even Tyson Barrie, could be pretty lethal and a reason the Flames don't finish in the basement of the NHL.
<h1>4. A better start to the season</h1>
October 2023 was one of the worst months in modern Flames history from an on ice perspective. Calgary went 2-7-1, good for the second worst points percentage during that time. And it wasn't that their record was bad, it was how they were playing that was the most concerning. The Flames were getting badly outplayed. There were nights where they couldn't make tape to tape passes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Flames get booed off the ice after a terrible 3-0 loss to the St Louis Blues. <a href="https://t.co/ShqBcUBq6L">pic.twitter.com/ShqBcUBq6L</a></p>
— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlamesNation/status/1717747368010068259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
That start essentially ended any chance they had at making the playoffs.

But when you look at the Flames record from Nov. 1 to Mar. 1 (50 games), they had the 15th best points percentage in the NHL during that time. I know that was with players like Hanifin, Tanev, and Markstrom. But it's still an indication that they're not a basement dweller.

I don't see another bad start happening in the 2024-25 season. This is a team that will be starting the season with a deep understanding of Ryan Huska's style of play. They're not heading into training camp learning how to play a new system. Look for this team to have some better chemistry when they kick off their season on Oct. 9 against the Canucks.

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