“We Must Have Fleeced ’Em”: Post-Deadline Flames Finding a Groove

The Calgary Flames are riding their longest winning streak of the season, with three straight wins. (Yeah… it’s been that kind of year.)

Right now, they’re sitting in a three-way tie for second-last in the NHL with the Rangers and Blackhawks, with 65 points and a .464 winning percentage.

For those hoping the Flames would lean into a full-on tank for the top pick, this stretch hasn’t exactly helped. They’re 5-4-0 since the trade deadline, even after moving out their top centre in Nazem Kadri and top two defencemen in Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. Not exactly the recipe you’d expect for generating wins, especially after bringing in a couple of older players who spent more time in the press box than on the ice this season in Olli Maatta and Ryan Strome.

“We must have fleeced ‘em” said Blake Coleman sheepishly in a post game presser when asked about the results since the moves at the trade deadline. “I saw some numbers the other day and the boys are humming, I think Ollie’s a point per game, Stromer’s right up there. They’ve been great.”

As of Monday, Maatta has five assists in nine games since being acquired and has logged big minutes on the blue line. Strome has chipped in with two goals and four assists, six points in nine games, including the overtime winner against Tampa Bay on Sunday night.

The Flames have also leaned into their younger group, giving extended looks to players like Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz. Parekh has two assists in eight games since the deadline and is starting to show flashes of his offensive upside while quarterbacking the power play. Brzustewicz has played five games since his recall, seeing time on the second power-play unit and picking up an assist in his last game.

“That’s what it’s about right now,” Coleman continued. “Just come to the rink and have fun and play hard and continue to have guys build their confidence and build their games.”

The Flames are playing loose right now. The pressure’s off, and it’s translating into wins. The group looks like it’s having fun again, and the mood in the room feels light, focused more on building something than worrying about where they sit in the standings.