Amidst the uncertainty surrounding their pending unrestricted free agents, Calgary is poised to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs

CALGARY FLAMES

Last season: 38-27-17 fifth in the Pacific (missed playoffs)

Projected: Fourth in the Pacific and a wild-card berth

Hockey News rankings of the Pacific Division
1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Vegas Golden Knights
3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Calgary Flames
5. Seattle Kraken
6. Vancouver Canucks
7. Anaheim Ducks
8. San Jose Sharks
*Rankings calculated by KEVIN, a predictive learning model created by Rachel Doerrie

Calgary Flames Keys to the Season

1. Will pens be put to paper?: The contract status of top-line center Elias Lindholm and a bevy of defensemen in Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov will be an over-riding factor. All four are key veterans poised to become unrestricted free agents. The Flames regret losing Johnny Gaudreau for nothing two summers ago, and do not want to duplicate that experience. The questions to be answered are whether any or all will re-sign and, if not, will the Flames be willing to trade them even if they are in the mix for a playoff spot?

2. Are rebound-seasons on the menu?: Big bounce-back campaigns from a wide variety of players, among them number-one goaltender Jacob Markstrom, top-line left wing — and the club’s highest-paid player — Jonathan Huberdeau, top-two centers Lindholm and Nazem Kadri and even versatile forward Andrew Mangiapane, who went from a 35-goal season in 2021-22 to 17 last season while dealing with a shoulder issue from the start.

3. Who steps forward?: A litany of players take their performance to the next level. Dillon Dube has the potential to be a 25+ goal scorer, Yegor Sharangovich is staring at a golden opportunity to be a key part of the equation and defenseman Rasmus Andersson may vault to around 60 points for a club that’s biggest strength is the top six on the blue line. Matt Coronato had a stellar training camp and could be a dark-horse top-rookie candidate.

Most-likely Scenario: The Flames are in the hunt for a playoff spot and it is essentially a coin flip as to whether they make it or do not.

Worst-case Scenario: None of those aforementioned pending UFAs come to terms on a contract extension, but the Flames are on the playoff bubble and keep them only to just miss the playoffs or make it but are bounced in the first round, and then watch them walk for nothing in return.