The Calgary Flames have wrapped up their first 10 games of the 2024-25 season, and it’s been quite the rollercoaster ride thus far. Despite having zero expectations of being a competitor, they came flying out of the gates with a 4-0-0 start. It took them until their seventh game to lose in regulation. It’s gotten quite ugly since, however.
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The Flames great start through six games is quickly evaporating, as they’ve now lost four straight. They’ve given up 19 goals over that span, and have just six of their own. That said, this article is meant to give takeaways that sum up all 10 games. It’s undeniably difficult to do given the crazy ups and downs, but here are the five biggest things worth pointing out for this team so far.
Andersson In Line for Career Year
While many individuals on this Flames team will need to step it up from now on if they hope to fight for a playoff spot, Rasmus Andersson is not one of them. It was well known that he and MacKenzie Weegar were really going to have to step up on what is otherwise a very inexperienced blue line, and he’s more than lived up to his end of the bargain so far.
Andersson’s 10 points lead all Flames, while his four goals are tied with Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri for the team lead. It’s been a phenomenal start after a somewhat underwhelming 2023-24 season, and, if he keeps it going, he could very well surpass his career-high 50 points set in 2021-22.
Kirkland a Phenomenal Story
Most Flames fans wouldn’t have known who Justin Kirkland was when training camp began. The 28-year-old agreed to come to Calgary a few days into free agency on a one-year, two-way deal, though it was expected by essentially everyone, perhaps even himself, that he would spend it in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Calgary Wranglers.
Kirkland did start the season out with the Wranglers, but was recalled before playing even a single game, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be heading down anytime soon. It’s obvious just how much fun he is having each and every day, and that positive attitude has resonated well with the fan base. Having five points through the nine games he’s played hasn’t hurt, either.
Goaltending Holding Up
Giving up 19 goals in four games suggests some rather horrendous goaltending, but that isn’t exactly the case. In fact, Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar were both excellent to start the season out, and though their numbers have taken a hit lately, the goals against are much more of a reflection on the team in front of them.
Aside from a rough start from Wolf on Wednesday night against the Utah Hockey Club, both have given their team a chance to win every night, and have kept some of these more recent games from being even uglier. Through the first 10 games, they’ve shown that with adequate defence, they are a capable tandem.
Pospisil Experiment Working
Heading into the season, the Flames didn’t have a ton of options down the middle of the ice, and elected to give Martin Pospisil a look. Losing his speed on the forecheck has resulted in head coach Ryan Huska moving him back to the wing as of late, but the 25-year-old proved himself capable of being able to play the centre position.
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This is big news for the Flames moving forward, as they don’t have much prospect depth down the middle. Having a young player in Pospisil they now know can fill the role if need be will be very helpful to general manager Craig Conroy as he attempts to build his team in the years to come.
Flames Go as Huberdeau Goes
As mentioned, the Flames have been slumping as of late, and so is Huberdeau. The 31-year-old had gotten off to a fantastic start this season with six points through his first four games, but has cooled off immensely with just one point over his last six.
The Flames have a 3-1-0 record on the season in games where Huberdeau has recorded a point. In the six where he’s been held off the scoresheet, they are 1-3-1. Though many in Calgary have soured on him given his poor play through 2-plus seasons since his arrival, this serves as a reminder as to how important he is to this team.
Big Stretch Coming Up
Thanks to the Flames’ great start to the season, they are still sitting in an ok position even with this current slump. It’s on them to get things back on track over these next 10 games, and they’ll have an opportunity to do just that starting tonight in a game at the Saddledome versus Jacob Markstrom and the New Jersey Devils.
