The Calgary Flames have been playing much better hockey as of late, and a big part of that may have been dealing away two individuals that no longer wanted to be around. The first player dealt by the Flames was Nikita Zadorov, who was sent to the Vancouver Canucks in early December.
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Zadorov’s exit wasn’t a pretty one, as his agent announced during a Flames game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs that his client wanted to be dealt. It turned out to be quite the distraction, and was one that Zadorov gave his agent the go-ahead on.
Elias Lindholm’s situation didn’t cause as much of a scene, though it was obvious he no longer wanted to be with the Flames, either. His play was uninspiring this season, and despite being offered an eight-year deal with a salary hovering around the $9 million mark, he elected not to sign an extension. Now, both are gone, and at least one member of the Flames seems to be happy about.
Coleman Believes Flames Removed Distractions
As mentioned, the Flames have been playing much better hockey as of late. Despite losing their most recent outing to the New York Rangers, they came roaring out of the All-Star break with three straight wins and are right back in the playoff hunt. Speaking with Julian McKenzie of The Athletic, Blake Coleman didn’t mince words when suggesting what has led to the team’s improvement. (from ‘Julian McKenzie: The Calgary Flames don’t want NHL trade deadline to define their season’, The Athletic, 02/14/2024).
“We moved a couple of pieces now that were pretty vocal about not wanting to be here,” Coleman said. “I think once you eliminate that, the noise at this point, it’s not really affecting us. The guys that the noise is around, they’re competitors. They want to win wherever they are. They haven’t been a distraction at all.”
The remaining players that Coleman is talking about noise surrounding are Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Jacob Markstrom. The former two are pending UFAs and are expected to be moved between now and the March 8 trade deadline, while Markstrom, who has a cap hit of $6 million through the 2025-26 season, had been heavily linked to the New Jersey Devils late last week.
Despite the future of those three being up in the air, it seems that they are handling things much better in the locker room and on the ice than Lindholm and Zadorov were. The fact that Coleman, who by all accounts is well respected by his teammates, went on record with this suggests many Flames weren’t happy with how either handled their situation.
Neither Zadorov nor Lindholm Excelling With Canucks
To this point, neither former Flame is performing exceptionally well since joining the Canucks. Zadorov has primarily played a third-pairing role and has already been subjected to new trade rumours as the deadline approaches. As for Lindholm, his sample size has been small, but he has just three points through five outings and was even benched by head coach Rick Tocchet in just his second game.
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Given their Stanley Cup expectations, the Canucks desperately need both to start playing like the players they thought they were acquiring. To this point, they haven’t done so, which could wind up resulting in two bad trades by Canucks management. From the Flames’ perspective, moving both seems to have been the right decision.
Flames Hunting for Playoff Spot
Despite some uncertainty still surrounding the team, the Flames are continuing to grind and remain in the playoff hunt. Entering yesterday’s game versus the San Jose Sharks, they were just three points shy of a playoff position. Given the way they are rallying as of late, it is hard to bet against them, and Coleman’s comments suggest that they should only continue to get better with Lindholm and Zadorov now out of the picture.
