With their .500 record, the playoffs are a pipe dream for the Flames — we have learned that and more so far in the campaign
The Calgary Flames reached the all-star break a prime example of not being good enough.
With their NHL version of a .500 record (22-22-5) and 33 games remaining, the Flames have fallen short of their expectations and hopes of a rebound from last season’s disappointment.
Is it all bad news? No, there are some positives through their 49 clashes, just not enough for anybody to realistically believe necessary any course of action other than at least a retool, if not a legitimate rebuild.
Before we solely look forward, though, here are five thoughts about the Flames season so far:
Trade winds
The big three of Calgary’s pending unrestricted free agents, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, figure prominently in all of the lists of players likely to be dealt by the March 8 deadline.
The Flames already moved defenceman Nikita Zadorov for picks, and a reason they were reticent to retain salary was the possibility of having their three slots free for deals involving that trio.
While Hanifin and Tanev have been steady in their game despite that scrutiny over their heads, Lindholm has struggled offensively. What impact that has on potential trades remains to be seen.
Same for what other dominos fall once the moves begin.
Markstrom’s bounce-back campaign
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom said he would be better this season and has delivered. Whether it is with traditional numbers or analytics, Markstrom has posted numbers above his career average, no small feat considering the club’s defensive woes in the first month of action.
Despite the no-movement clause in his contract that runs through the 2025-26 season, expect Markstrom’s name to pop up in trade talk if the Flames go for a tear-down route.
Game-breaker blues
This may surprise, but the Flames are 17th in the league in goals-for-per-game, and in the top half of goals scored in the first and third periods.
The big issue, however, is the lack of a player or players who can truly change a game on their own — like we saw when Auston Matthews led the Toronto Maple Leafs to their comeback win over Calgary during the recent homestand.
Calgary has great stories with Blake Coleman, Yegor Sharangovich and MacKenzie Weegar all enjoying career seasons, but an element truly lacking is a cornerstone game-changer.
Feel free to discuss how the under-achieving Jonathan Huberdeau figures in this conversation, but even at his best, he was never a sniper that teams need.
That lack of finisher affects the power play and all of those close games, and without drafting with the top few picks, clubs rarely find those players.
The kids are all right
Before training camp, expectations were Jakob Pelletier and Matt Coronato would be rookies making their mark this season. Instead, it has been Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil.
While Pelletier works his way back from shoulder surgery required after a training camp injury and Coronato is trying to find his footing as pro, the Flames have integrated more and more youth, and some of them appear to be legitimate NHLers.
It has been a long time since this organization has worked so hard to develop so many players at the NHL level.
Comebacks
To their credit, this team plays a hard-working brand of hockey to the final buzzer nearly every game.
(At risk of sounding like an apologist, the fatigue factor does become real when a club can not rely on pure talent in the manner we’ve seen from squads, such as the Colorado Avalanche.)
The Flames deserve credit for already boasting seven victories when trailing through two periods. By comparison, last year’s team won only twice, and suffered more overtime/shootout losses in games they led after 40 minutes than they did when trailing through two frames.
The Flames may be short on talent, but does not go down without a fight. The only negative is that determination may cost a couple of draft positions.