There is still much uncertainty surrounding the Calgary Flames as we slowly get closer to the 2023-24 season. Last season did not go as many envisioned or hoped for from a Flames perspective, but it is a new season. With some new faces, this solid team on paper could very well see a much better outcome. All we can do is look forward and dive into the five things to be excited about for the Flames in 2023-24.
Two Rookie Forwards
Last season the Flames introduced three highly coveted rookies, Jakob Pelletier, Matthew Coronato, and Dustin Wolf. Pelletier played one game short of having 2022-23 be his rookie season, so now he gets to compete for the Calder Trophy with a full season in the Flames’ top nine. While there isn’t any doubt in my mind that he will earn a spot on the team and stick with the Flames, the other rookie forward, Coronato, who played just one game, should find himself a spot on the team as well.
With a new guard in Calgary, I see young players getting more of a chance in the organization and the lineup. There was just something about Darryl Sutter’s treatment of players that left them with very few opportunities. Pelletier was disrespected by Sutter after his first NHL game, and despite the coach, he scored three goals and seven points in 24 games. He was lights out in the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring 43 goals and 99 points in 101 games (two seasons). He has scored at an elite level at all levels and it is just a matter of time before the former first rounder is one of the top scorers on the Flames.
Coronato was drafted two years after Pelletier and a little higher in the first round. He has played zero AHL games, so even though I believe we will see him this season on the Flames, it won’t be for the entire season. First off, there wouldn’t be enough space in the top nine in a full-time role without injuries, and playing on the fourth line wouldn’t help a talent like his develop properly. The Flames don’t have to worry about wasting a year of his entry-level deal by limiting him to just nine games, so I bet he climbs closer to the 25 games mark like Pelletier did last season. If there’s an injury to a top-six player, I think Coronato is the team’s top pick to be called up.
Flames’ Most Exciting Offseason Addition: Yegor Sharangovich
The Flames didn’t do much this offseason, but they did make an impactful trade. While Toffoli ended up asking for a trade ahead of the final year of his deal, the Flames got back Yegor Sharangovich as the main piece from the New Jersey Devils. They proceeded to sign the 25-year-old to a two-year, $3.1 million average annual value (AAV) deal.
Sharangovich projects to play somewhere on the wing in the top nine, whether that be in Toffoli’s old spot on the first line right wing, on the second beside Nazem Kadri, or alongside Mikael Backlund’s underrated and defensively responsible third line. Sharangovich might have taken a step back in his third season in the NHL, but opportunity was harder to come by. He produced 13 goals and 30 points in 75 games, but he is expected to rebound with more playing time in Calgary. The Flames hope he is a piece of their future.
Huberdeau & Kadri’s Rise in Production With a New Head Coach
The Flames are really counting on bounce-back seasons from Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri in 2023-24. There is very good reason to believe that they will both raise their production with a new head coach because it was made abundantly clear that both weren’t very happy with Sutter. Huberdeau saw a massive drop in production from one season to the next, partly because of how he was utilized, his linemates, and the style of game the Flames played rather than what he thrived in with the Florida Panthers. Kadri didn’t get the chance to play with the likes of the elite offensive producers he had on the Colorado Avalanche, and, again, played a different system in Calgary.
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While Huberdeau shouldn’t be expected to go and put up 115 points again like he did in 2021-22, he will be expected to climb back up to a point-per-game rate as he had done in the previous four seasons. With more offensive freedom and ice time back up to 18:30-20:00 a night, he will be a leading factor in the offensive success of the Flames.
Kadri really only had one very impressive season, and that came in 2021-22 before he joined the Flames. He is a capable goal-scorer, but is best utilized as the second-line center. He can definitely get to the 30-goal mark again like he’s done twice in his career and continue to provide the Flames with two-way play and physicality.
Rasmus Andersson to Continue to Grow Into a No. 1 Defenceman
The Flames aren’t really seen as a team with a No. 1 defenceman as nobody is paid a lot more than the rest and they can get the job done by committee. While 2021-22 showed that Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson were on a similar level, Andersson pulled away a bit last season. He played 1:27 of ice time per game more than Hanifin, who was second on the team. This was not only because he logged 232 minutes on the power play as the point man, but also increased his shorthanded time on ice to 180 minutes over the course of the season (from “Flames’ Andersson embraces heavy workload: ‘I feel better when I play more minutes'”, Calgary Sun, Dec. 27, 2022).
There is uncertainty surrounding Hanifin, and he might even be traded before the season. This will further establish Andersson as the top defenceman on the Flames, and one that has a very good price tag attached to him for three more seasons. While he hadn’t scored more than five goals in a season in his career until last season, he dropped 11 goals. His offence and great all-around play should be a bright spot and lead the Flames.
The Inevitable Rise of Dustin Wolf
Flames’ fans are still waiting for a move to be pulled off that creates a spot for Wolf in the NHL. Jakob Markstrom is signed at $6 million AAV for three more years with a no-move clause, so he’s not going anywhere. What is being waited on is where and when Dan Vladar is moved. He has a better contract, no trade protection, and has two years left at $2.2 million AAV. I believe the best option is to trade Vladar before the season and have Wolf back up Markstrom or even split time with him for the entire 2023-24 season, but Wolf could also have to start the season in the AHL and dominate for a third consecutive season before getting the call.
The Flames might be waiting for a good opportunity to move Vladar, so it could take until sometime during the season if an injury elsewhere occurs. Wolf has done everything he can and absolutely dominated the AHL the past two seasons, only to not have room made for him yet. He has to arrive soon, and when he does, everyone will get to see the future in net of the Flames.
The Flames had a lackluster season, but they are set to have a more entertaining one at the very least in 2023-24. Playoffs and an improvement upon last season are the goals and the new faces in town should help with that.
