Will the Calgary Flames still be above .500 when they return from a three-game trip?
That’s a fair question for a team that has cooled off substantially, losing five of their past six. They have been outscored by a combined count of 23-11 over that slumpy stretch.
As the Flames pack their suitcases for stops in Montreal, Boston and Buffalo, they’re now sitting at 6-5-1.
With plenty of potential conversation starters, Postmedia beat reporters Danny Austin and Wes Gilbertson check in with the latest edition of Hot Topics …
Let’s start with a topic suggestion from Ryan, who asked this question via social media: “The Flames have been kind of a bummer lately — losing, getting blown out. Is this a problem, or is this exactly what the Flames are going to be and a part of a rebuild that the fans maybe forgot about when they were pushing for one?”
GILBERTSON: While I do believe the 2024-25 Flames will lose more than they win, I don’t think the past week was indicative of what we should expect to see from them throughout this winter. They lacked any sort of pushback in blowout losses in Vegas and Utah and then put themselves in an early hole with an uninspired start in Sunday’s Battle of Alberta. Without a true offensive game-breaker on the roster, there will be nights that the Flames can’t come up with that timely tally — and yeah, to Ryan’s point, that does come with the territory — but it will be worrisome if they continue to drop games because of stretches where they just aren’t ready to work. This crew isn’t going to coast to any easy Ws and I think they realize that.
AUSTIN: Like Wes, I think the games against Utah and Vegas need to be looked at in isolation — for now, at least. Ryan wasn’t wrong that those games were “a bummer,” and I get that losing to the Oilers is never going to feel great, but they were mostly competitive against a very good opponent. I don’t know how much more we should be expecting. Their hot start led to a lot of us wondering if these Flames were better than we thought they’d be and I think expectations this summer were lower than they should have been in retrospect. If they play like they did against the Oilers and wind up losing, I don’t think anyone should be too disappointed. The key to enjoying this season might be appreciating the hard work.
One more from social media, this time from Chad, who is wondering about first-line centre Nazem Kadri. As Chad pointed out: “Kadri had four points in his first two games, but only two points since. He was projected to lead the Flames in scoring. Do you still think he will? Is he going to be a fantasy hockey bust?”
GILBERTSON: Trust me Chad, you don’t want any advice from me on your fantasy hockey roster. As for Kadri’s current funk, with two goals and not a single assist over his past 10 outings, I wouldn’t be overly concerned. I think back to last fall, when everybody except Kadri was losing sleep over his slow start. It’s a good sign that No. 91 leads the Flames in shots (38) and is generating his share of high-danger chances. What seems to be missing is chemistry with his linemates. Andrei Kuzmenko is the first to admit that he has been slow out of the blocks and Kadri hasn’t yet been able to pick up where he left off with Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t bet against him to finish as Calgary’s top scorer.
AUSTIN: Kadri’s an important part of the power play and the Flames just haven’t been very good with the man advantage recently. They were mired in an 0-for-20 stretch prior to Anthony Mantha’s second-period goal on Sunday and they often seem to have trouble even getting set up in their opponents’ zone. Remember that Kadri led the Flames in power-play points last year with 22 and goals with 10. He obviously bears some responsibility for the way the team is struggling when playing 5-on-4 this season, but I also think you’ll see his numbers start climbing once the team figures itself out when it’s on the man advantage. I wouldn’t be ruling him out as a productive fantasy player just yet, is what I’m saying.
What is the most glaring hole on the Flames’ current roster?
GILBERTSON: We all know the Flames must find a cornerstone centre, but if we focus on the right now, I think what’s most glaring is that they’re short one top-four defenceman. Kevin Bahl has been a really nice fit alongside Rasmus Andersson, but do the Flames have the right partner for MacKenzie Weegar? I’m not so sure and still waiting for Daniil Miromanov to convince me otherwise. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I’d be trying to address this via trade, especially because big-minute blue-liners come at a hefty price and the Flames don’t want to be blocking the ascent of prized prospects like Hunter Brzustewicz, Artem Grushnikov and Zayne Parekh, but you run the risk of wearing those three guys awfully thin.
AUSTIN: There were rumours a few weeks ago that the Flames were shopping for another centre and I don’t think that was a surprise to anybody. Kadri and Mikael Backlund are both proven commodities, but the experiment putting Pospisil in the middle didn’t seem to go as well as hoped. The team isn’t exactly loaded with centre prospects, either, especially after losing Cole Schwindt on waivers to the Vegas Golden Knights at the end of training camp. Drafting a pivot is going to be a priority in next year’s draft, to be sure, but if GM Craig Conroy can find a young centre who can come in and make an impact immediately on the trade market, you can certainly understand why he’d pull the trigger to make the move happen.
Is there a Hot Topic that you’d like Danny Austin and Wes Gilbertson to discuss next week? Send you idea to [email protected] or [email protected]