Offseason Review: The Perfectly Average Calgary Flames Had A Perfectly Average Offseason
There’s no team in the NHL more average than the Calgary Flames. They don’t have any world-burners on their roster top to bottom. Their offseason was a near perfect embodiment of it, too.
They made a few trades, and a few minor signings, but is it enough to push them forward?
What happened in 2021?
Last season the Flames finished with a 26-27-3 record missing the playoffs in the North Division by a mere five points falling just behind the Montreal Canadiens. Offensively they were led by Johnny Gaudreau (19-30—49), Elias Lindholm (19-28—47) and Matthew Tkachuk (16-27—43) while others line Andrew Mangiapane, Mikael Backlund and Sean Monahan chipped in, too.
On the backend veteran captain Mark Giordano (9-17—26) was productive, but is now off to Seattle. Chris Tanev, Rasmus Andersson, and Noah Hanifin all rounded out the top four, but beyond Tanev struggled. This trio will heavily be relied on heading into the 2021-22 campaign to help pick up slack left in the wake of Giordano’s departure.
Calgary’s biggest move the offseason prior was acquiring goaltender Jacob Markstrom — a move that didn’t quite pan out the way they hoped in year one. While Markstrom posted a 22-19-2 record, his .904 save percentage and -4 GSAA paint a different picture. That save percentage was the lowest of his career as a starter. He’ll have the lion’s share of the work in Calgary and is going to need to find his game once again for the Flames.
What did they do in the off-season?
Notable Additions: Blake Coleman, Nikita Zadorov, Daniel Vladar
Notable Subtractions: Mark Giordano, Derek Ryan, Josh Leivo
Inking Coleman to a massive six-year, $4.9-million AAV deal was easily the biggest deal of the offseason for the Flames. They acquired a 29-year-old journeyman middle-six player and paid him a boat load of money. This last year with Tampa Bay was his most productive in the NHL where he scored 2.2 points per hour, but he played the overwhelming majority against middle, or low end competition. Will he be able to keep that up against top competition? The Flames obviously feel so given the deal they signed him too.
Calgary lost Giordano on the backend to Seattle in the Expansion Draft. The Flames could’ve kept him, but it would’ve cost a first-round pick — something the club just couldn’t afford. It was the right move, but not an easy one to make. Having worked in media in the Calgary community, I can say first hand just how important the Flames captain was to not only the team, but the city as a whole. His loss will be felt far beyond just on the ice.
While his play may have taken a dip in recent years, he was a minute muncher for the club and still had solid impacts on the ice. Acquiring Nikita Zadorov and Erik Gudbranson won’t help fill the void.
What to expect in 2021-22?
Calgary’s going to be in tough with an average roster in a, well, average division. The top will undoubtedly see Vegas and the Edmonton Oilers, but beyond that, the third playoff spot is completely up for grabs. Beyond the top two teams, the whole division is filled with teams that don’t scream burners. There’s a shot the Flames can eek into the playoffs, but I’m not confident.
The team will rely on Tkachuk in a massive way and he needs to take a huge step forward as a play driver while also needing Tanev and Andersson to do the same on the backend. Calgary’s going to be relying on these younger players more than they ever had in the past.
One bold prediction…
Calgary misses the playoffs and trade pending UFA Johnny Gaudreau at the deadline recouping assets while kicking off a rebuild.
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