The votes are in.
We wanted to know what Flames fans were thinking about their team and our pre-season poll gave us a great understanding of what Calgarians are expecting from the squad this season.
Here’s what you said in response to 15 questions we asked at the start of training camp:
1. From your perspective, what would you consider a successful season for the Flames?
The organization might not like using the word “rebuild,” but Flames fans voted emphatically. They want to see the team plummet towards the bottom of the standings and secure a top pick in the 2025 NHL draft. Almost half (47.54%) of voters went that way, so it’s clear that Calgary hockey fans want to see the team secure a star in next year’s draft, even if it means there are lots of losses this season.
2. Who should be between the pipes for the season-opener?
Flames fans have been excited about Dustin Wolf for a long time and that played out in our pool, with 58.77% of voters saying they wanted to see the 23-year-old starting in net on Day 1 of the regular season. Currently, it looks like it’s going to be Dan Vladar, who 35.09% of voters chose, but we’ll be seeing plenty of both this season.
3. Who will lead the Flames in points this season?
Yegor Sharangovich gets the nod here at 37.04%, narrowly edging out last year’s pace-setter for points, Nazem Kadri – who got 35.19% of the votes. The two are slated to start the 2024-25 season on the same line with Andrei Kuzmenko, so they’ll probably be piling up points together this year. It should be a fun line.
4. Who will lead the Flames in goals this season?
It’s Sharangovich again, which tells you a lot about the impression the Belarussian winger made on Flames fans in his first season in Calgary last year. Sharangovich led the team with 31 goals despite getting off to a bit of a slow start. If he’s locked in this year, he’s a got bet to bury a lot, which is why 42.72% of voters picked him to finish the season with more goals than anyone else on the Flames roster. Kuzmenko was second with 36.89%, which only makes sense. The guy can score.
5. Who’s the best immediate option to fill the Flames’ vacancy at centre?
Martin Pospisil got the nod on this one with 38.83% and it’s looked in training camp like the Flames coaches agree. Pospisil is expected to start the season at centre on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Mantha.
6. Which summer free-agent signing do you expect will have the biggest impact in 2024-25?
Mantha won this one by a long shot with 56.44% of voters choosing him. He’ll be on a line with Huberdeau and Pospisil, and a guy with his size and talents around the net should be able to make his mark, for sure.
7. Which off-season departure will the Flames miss most?
No surprise here as 60.19% of Flames fans voted for Jacob Markstrom. While there’s optimism about the goaltenders the team has on its roster, you’re always going to miss one of the best shot-stoppers in the game when you trade him away.
8. Which rookie do you think should be next to make his NHL debut?
Fans might have missed the mark on this one, unfortunately. Hunter Brzustewicz led the way with 26% of the vote, but a lot of the people who responded to our poll were doing so before Sam Honzek ripped it up throughout training camp. The 2023 first-round draft pick is a safe bet to get lots of regular season playing time this year. The same might be true of Brzustewicz, but he’s a little further away.
9. Of the rookies who got their NHL starts last season, who do you expect to have the biggest impact in Year 2?
It’s Connor Zary. How could it not be? Zary earned 51.02% of the vote on this one after a rookie season that saw him burst onto the scene and score 14 goals and add 20 assists in 63 games. Expectations are high in Year 2 and the same can be said of Pospisil, who garnered 36.73% of the vote.
10. What is a reasonable expectation for Jonathan Huberdeau’s points-total this season?
A total of 41.8% of fans expect Huberdeau to get 60 points, which would be a bump-up from the 52 points he managed last year. You’d probably like more from a guy who is getting paid $10.5 million US this season, but after the way his first two seasons with the Flames have gone, 60 points seems reasonable.
11. We know Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar will play the most minutes, but beyond those two, who becomes the most important player on the blue line?
Daniil Miromanov, with 34.38% of votes, edges out Kevin Bahl (26.04%) here. Miromanov looked good in the 20 games he played last year after being acquired in the trade that sent Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights, scoring three goals and adding four assists. He was coming off a big knee injury last season, too, so he could make a leap now that he’s fully healthy.
12. Which game are you most excited about?
The Dec. 3 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is going to be an emotional night at the Saddledome, as the two teams play for the first time since the tragic deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, and 43.01% of voters said that’s the game they’re more looking forward to this season.
13. How would you grade GM Craig Conroy’s off-season moves?
Flames fans are happy with the job Conroy’s doing running the team, as 41.76% of fans gave his summer a ‘B’ grade and 36.26% game him an ‘A’.
14. Where do you expect the Flames to finish in the Pacific Division standings?
Expectations are not particularly high this season as 31.91% of fans think the Flames will finish seventh in the eight-team Pacific Division. The guys in the locker room believe they’ll be more competitive than they’re being credit for and shoutout to the one person who is fully on board and thinks they’ll finish in first.
15. Nobody’s expecting the Flames to be in the mix at the top of the Pacific Division, but which rival do you expect to finish atop the standings?
It might hurt, but the Oilers are a perennial contender right now and Connor McDavid & Co. have clearly earned the respect of Calgary hockey fans. We know that because 64.6% of voters chose the Oilers to finish first in the Pacific.