The media speculation's begun to accumulate on what could happen to the Calgary Flames this summer, from the players to the front office.
After finishing third overall in the Western Conference last season, the Calgary Flames were officially eliminated from playoff contention following Monday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators. That disappointing finish raises questions about potential off-season changes.
The Calgary Sun's Wes Gilbertson wondered if Brad Treliving will sign a contract extension or be replaced after nine seasons as GM.
Gilbertson pointed out that Treliving garnered praise for handling a difficult situation last summer when Johnny Gaudreau departed as a free agent while Matthew Tkachuk declined a long-term contract extension. He shipped Tkachuk to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar and signed Nazem Kadri.
Under Treliving's tenure, the Flames reached the playoffs five times with two first-place finishes in the Pacific Division. However, they never advanced past the second round and also failed four times to qualify for the post-season.
Coach Darryl Sutter's two-year contract extension kicks in next season. However, Gilbertson noted he could face an uncertain future after failing to get the most out of this season's underachieving lineup. Huberdeau, Kadri and goaltender Jacob Markstrom were among the notable players who struggled under Sutter.
ESPN.com's Ryan S. Clark suggested some changes could be coming to the roster. He noted that CapFriendly projected the Flames have less than $500,000 in cap space for 2023-24 with 19 roster regulars under contract.
The Flames have all their core players under contract for next season. However, Sportsnet's Eric Francis pondered the possibility of Huberdeau or Kadri asking to be traded if Sutter remains as the coach. He also speculated about players such as Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Backlund and Noah Hanifin forcing trades by declining to sign contract extensions as Tkachuk did last summer.