The Calgary Flames’ blueliners have been the backbone of the team for the 2023-24 season. Although the forwards have started to find their footing, the defencemen have still been a major presence up front. Noah Hanifin’s goal against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 23 marked the 29th goal scored by the defence this season. While this kind of performance is great to see, the Flames can’t afford to rely so heavily on their defence to help them out up front.
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The season so far hasn’t been pretty for the Flames. They’ve had some spectacular wins and some devastating losses. There hasn’t been any kind of consistency, and many of the forwards have struggled because of it. The Flames are lucky that their defencemen haven’t succumbed to these kinds of slumps, but if they continue to overuse them, they may end up having a hindered defence.
The Flames Defence Up Front
The Flames’ defencemen have been scoring machines this season. MacKenzie Weegar leads the blueliners with 11 goals, with one of them being the game-winner in overtime against the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 27. He’s been having an incredible season with the Flames. His previous record for goals scored in a season was eight, which he totaled during his last season with the Florida Panthers. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he continues to add on as the 2023-24 season progresses.
The blueliners have been assisting with dozens of goals, as well as scoring them. They have 72 assists between them, while Rasmus Andersson has 20 on his own. Weegar and Hanifin are just behind him with 17 apiece. These kinds of numbers are impressive, but far too many of these assists are coming from far up the ice. Rather than a secondary assist, the defencemen are forced up ice to support the forwards and be a bigger part of plays in front of the goal.
Behind the Blue Line
The goalies have been depending on the defencemen more than the forwards have this season. Although Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar have save percentages (SV%) of .910 and .888, respectively, they’ve had a lot of help from the blueliners. With defencemen like Chris Tanev, who are willing to use their bodies to block the puck if necessary, the goalies haven’t had to worry as much as would be expected given the team’s record of 21-21-5.
Since one of the Flames’ biggest problems this season has been their puck management, having a dependable defensive corps has been crucial. They’ve been able to clean up the messes created by both the forwards and by each other. Tanev has 128 blocks on the season so far and, if he doesn’t get traded before the deadline, is bound to have a lot more by the season’s end. Performances like this will only increase if the Flames can find a better balance with their forwards so that the blueliners don’t have to do so much up front.
Defence Carried the Flames During Struggles
While the forwards and defencemen alike have contributed to the errors that have defined the Flames’ season, the blueliners have been shouldering a lot of the burden. When the forwards struggled up front, the defence was able to help out while still providing coverage for their goalie. As the front lines were being juggled around during the first few months of the season, the defence stayed as consistent as possible during the changes. Now that the lines seem to have settled a bit, with Jonathan Huberdeau finding a home with Elias Lindholm and Yegor Sharangovich, the blueliners may be able to hang back a bit and let the forwards take over.
Issues Still Remaining
Although the Flames’ defence is giving a lot for the team and the fans to be proud of, it isn’t enough. The loss of Nikita Zadorov in early December highlighted some of the shortcomings of the Flames’ defensive lineups. The team is still third from the bottom in the division, and they are rapidly losing hope for the playoffs. They lose plenty of games by one or two goals that they should be winning. They lost 4-3 to the Blues despite leading them 3-1 halfway through the second period.
The Blue scored their second goal shorthanded and the game-winner with just 50 seconds left in the third period. Even though it was an evenly matched game, as the Blues have a 24-20-1 record, the Flames should have been able to win that game. They had all of the momentum throughout the first two periods but allowed small mistakes to take it all away from them. There needs to be a stronger equilibrium among the team so that players can stick to their positions and keep these kinds of games from happening so often.
Sustainability of the Flames’ Defence
The Flames are not the only team in the NHL that benefits from an active defensive corps. The Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadiens have 38 and 33 goals scored by defencemen, respectively. The Flames, however, are a team who, just a few seasons ago, made it to the playoffs at the top of the Pacific Division and are now watching their playoff hopes drift further away. Now, they’re struggling to find that same pace they had during the 2021-22 season again under head coach Ryan Huska.
If the Flames keep forcing their defence to play both roles for too long, they may burn them out. That wouldn’t be a smart decision, as both Hanifin and Tanev are up for free agency. The two of them have put up extraordinary numbers during their time with the Flames. With 31 goals and 194 assists between them, they will be sorely missed if the team has to keep relying so heavily on the blueliners without them.
