The Calgary Flames upcoming season isn’t one that’s expected to create a whole lot of excitement for fans. They are in the early stages of a rebuild, and as a result, are likely to have a tough time when it comes to winning hockey games. At least for now, however, the fan base seems happy with this plan, as it should lead to a very competitive roster in the years to come.
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Despite their fate as far as the standings go seeming pretty evident, however, there are still some questions facing this current group. Here is a brief summary of four main ones many fans are wondering aloud as the 2024-25 season inches closer by the day.
What Is the Future of the Flames’ Pending Free Agents?
As Flames fans quickly learned last season, general manager Craig Conroy isn’t afraid to make moves. Despite being less than a year into the job, he moved out four pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) midseason in Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin. He also shipped out Tyler Toffoli before the 2023-24 season began, and has already moved Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane this summer.
All of those moves, particularly the in-season ones, made plenty of sense. The players listed above didn’t fit into the long-term plans of the Flames organization, and were instead moved mainly for prospects and draft picks. While not to the same extent, there could be some similar deals that take place during the 2024-25 campaign.
Perhaps the biggest of the bunch will involve Andrei Kuzmenko, who is set to become a UFA next summer. At 28 years old, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Flames to offer him an extension, making him a likely trade candidate. Should he perform how he did to close out the 2023-24 season, the return should be a significant one.
The other candidate who feels likely to move is Anthony Mantha, who agreed to join the Flames on a one-year deal earlier this summer. He will be 30 before the season begins, which again, makes an extension very unlikely. The plan instead seems to be hoping that he can put up solid enough totals to garner a worthy return at or ahead of the 2025 Trade Deadline.
Other pending UFAs on the Flames roster include Kevin Rooney, Walker Duehr, Joel Hanley, and goaltender Dan Vladar. All four could find themselves on the move as well, though the returns would be minimal.
Can Huberdeau Rediscover His Offensive Touch?
There has been more than enough talk about the struggles of Jonathan Huberdeau since arriving in Calgary. Prior to the blockbuster deal the Flames made with the Florida Panthers, he was one of the best point-producing wingers in the NHL. Since the trade, he’s put up 55 and 52 points, making his $10.5 million deal arguably the worst in the entire league.
As dark and gloomy as things seem, however, there is a sliver of hope that he can turn things around. He’s by no means old at 31, and instead seems to be stuck in a rut. If he can start out the season on the right foot and regain some confidence, perhaps he can get back to being a point-per-game player. It isn’t something for fans to hold their breath on, but it isn’t outside of the realm of possibilities, either.
How Will the Blue Line Hold Up?
How things have changed for the Flames on the back end. Last season, they had a top-four that rivalled almost any team in the league. Now, aside from MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson, they have themselves one of the worst, at least on paper.
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The wildcard is Daniil Miromanov, who seems to have potential, but is quite unknown with just 49 games under his belt. Jake Bean is what he is at this point, which is a sixth or seventh defenceman, while the same can be said for Brayden Pachal. Joel Hanley, meanwhile, may start the season out with the Flames, but would struggle to crack any other blue line in the NHL.
The one other question mark is Kevin Bahl, who was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in the Markstrom deal. The 6-foot-6 defenceman won’t put up points, but his size and physicality are enough to have some believe that he can become a top-four blueliner. He’ll certainly get the opportunity to do so with this group, who figure to cause their fair share of headaches over the season.
Will Wolf Be Capable of Covering Up Weak Blue Line?
Perhaps the biggest question mark for the Flames going into 2024-25 is how Dustin Wolf will fare. The 23-year-old netminder is a prospect the organization and its fan base have been extremely high on for a number of years, and barring a major surprise, he figures to be the go-to guy between the pipes moving forward.
At the American Hockey League (AHL) level, Wolf has done everything he needed to do in order to earn this opportunity. He was named the Goaltender of the Year in each of his first two seasons, and was named the league’s MVP in 2022-23. Despite that success, however, it is more than fair that some remain skeptical.
Wolf struggled in a career-high 17 performances with the Flames last season, posting a 3.16 goals-against average (GAA) paired with a .893 save percentage (SV%). The majority of those performances came post-trade deadline, where he didn’t have nearly as much help in front of him. The roster remains quite similar for the upcoming season, meaning that if he aims to impress, he will need to find a way to perform at a much higher level.
Big Season for the State of the Rebuild
As mentioned, this season figures to see high numbers in the loss column for the Flames, but that doesn’t make it any less important. It will be an exciting year for fans in the sense that they will get a better idea of what to expect from plenty of their young talent moving forward. Rebuilds are never easy for a fan base, but there is some excitement that comes from them.
