As Elliotte Friedman mentioned overnight..
Includes a no move that kicks in immediately for the full 3 seasons. No trade exception kicks in Jan 1, 2026 - player may eliminate 15 teams.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 27, 2023
Obviously getting the full no move was key https://t.co/njx82gtray
Heritage Classic uniforms for Oilers and Flames: pic.twitter.com/1G6PIUfXWc
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) September 26, 2023
from Julien McKenzie of The Athletic,
Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov spoke Friday about his denouncement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, referencing an interview on YouTube with Russian journalist Yury Dud that was posted Friday.
During the two-hour-long interview with Dud, Zadorov — who is Russian — said he is “sorry for all the young guys.”
“I’m sorry,” Zadorov said. “Instead of raising the new generation, we sent them to die.”
This is not the first time Zadorov has used his platform to speak out against the war. His Instagram page has a pinned post titled “NO WAR.”
continued ($)
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
Elias Lindholm didn't seem overly interested in trying to convince anyone he might re-sign with the Calgary Flames.
Noah Hanifin was equally as non-committal as Mikael Backlund was a day earlier.
All three arrived at the team’s annual golf tourney on Wednesday, praised the city, the organization and their teammates, and insisted they were excited to start the season.
Their collective message when asked if they'd prolong their stay in Calgary past this season: "We’ll see what happens.”
If it sounded an awful lot like the same script Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk read months before they bolted. And it's because with such a delicate subject, there’s really only one way to answer the media’s leading questions.
By playing along.
Everyone wants to know if there’s still a chance they’ll commit long-term or if GM Craig Conroy will ultimately have to deal them by the deadline.
Optimists will suggest they left that door open.
Pessimists remind everyone how sour Lindholm and Backlund were on returning as they excited Cowtown last spring, and of the summertime reports Hanifin had decided he wouldn’t re-sign.
from Tom Gulitti of the NHL's website,
Forward Tyler Toffoli was traded to the New Jersey Devils with a season left on his contract and several players are entering this season on expiring contracts, including forwards Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund and defensemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Nikita Zadorov and Oliver Kylington. Is there concern among the players about that?
"I've gotten this quite a bit. It's different for everyone. For Backlund (34 years old) and Tanev (33), for example, they're a little older and they haven't won (the Stanley Cup). They probably want to play this out and see if we have a good enough team that they see if we can win or not. With Lindholm, those who have been in that situation before always say it's a business. And it's a business from the Flames' side and Lindholm's side and they've got to find their perfect middle.
"I don't know what the numbers are or anything like that. I'll leave that up to [Conroy] and Lindholm to figure that out, so I don't want to speak too much on their part. But they're all really good hockey players and we obviously hope they'll be back for more than this year. But everyone knows how it works with contracts and expiring deals. You usually get traded with a year left on your deal. So it's something that's in the hands of the players and the management and the owners."
more Q & A
from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now,
With most of the NHL teams putting the final touches on their preseason rosters, it seems curious that the Calgary Flames have yet to make a major trade. Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin will be unrestricted free agents next summer.
If the Flames aren’t going to get these players re-signed, do they want to risk letting them walk away next summer without compensation?
The Boston Bruins are looking for a center and both Lindholm and Backlund could help the Bruins. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg has speculated that the Detroit Red Wings could be interested in a possible trade with Calgary. It does seem clear that Yzerman is pushing to get into the playoffs.
What you hear around the league is that salary cap issues have been the biggest impediment to Calgary making a trade. The Flames reportedly are trying to make some hockey trades. They will take salaries back. But the offers haven’t been good enough to satisfy general manager Craig Conroy.
continue for more topics...
from Salim Valji of TSN,
The star forward says he feels rejuvenated during an off-season where his priority has been to rediscover the confidence that helped him score 115 points during the 2021-22 season.
Huberdeau spoke to TSN about how he’s gone about rediscovering his “swag,” his thoughts on new coach Ryan Huska and new general manager Craig Conroy, and being all in as a Flame and Calgarian.
TSN: It’s been a couple of months since we chatted with you. How are you feeling?
Huberdeau: “I’m feeling pretty good. I think I’ve had a good summer, time to reset and now I’m feeling good. I’m feeling ready to go for a great year.”
TSN: What was the first thing you wanted to do or your first priority after the season when you got back home?
Huberdeau: “Like I said in my end-of-the-year interview, I just wanted to kind of reset, breathe a little bit and kind of take it all in and get my confidence back, and that’s what I did when I came back here. Just have fun again playing my hockey that I used to play. Right now, I feel good about myself and feel way more confident.”
TSN: You said you wanted to “rediscover your swag.” You alluded to it, but how does a guy rediscover that confidence?
Huberdeau: “I think, get back to the basics. That’s what I wanted do. [I] talked to a psychologist and get back to where you’re confident and you have the right mindset. I think I got away [from] that. Just trust yourself and never doubt yourself. That’s what I learned a lot this summer. Obviously, I’d never had [that type of season]. It was going well the past four years before that year that just happened. Just reset everything and come back to the basics. Small victories in your life that are going to give you that confidence back. This summer, that’s what I did.”
from Matt Porter of the Boston Globe,
Craig Conroy, take a deep breath.
The new Flames GM has monumental decisions to make in his first few months on the job, not the least of which is wondering why his predecessor gave Nazem Kadri, who will be 33 on opening night, seven years and $49 million last summer.
First-line center Elias Lindholm, who watched linemates Johnny Gaudreau and Tkachuk depart last summer, saw his production take a corresponding nosedive: 42 goals, 82 points, and a Selke Trophy runner-up finish in 2021-22, and 22 goals, 64 points, and a playoff DNQ this past season. Though Conroy is prepared to sign him to a deal in the Bo Horvat range (eight years, $68 million), Lindholm reportedly hasn’t confirmed that he’s hungry for what the Flames have cooking.
Meanwhile, Norwood-bred Noah Hanifin does not intend to sign an extension. The 26-year-old, sturdy, mobile top-four defenseman has one year left at $4.95 million, and an eight-team no-trade list. The Bruins nearly traded up (with Arizona) to draft him third overall in 2015. Don Sweeney has long had interest in the player, but the Bruins would need to clear bodies and cap space to bring him in.
Also, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, 15-year Flame Mikael Backlund is leaning toward an exit. His $5.35 million tag expires next summer. Still a steady two-way hand at age 34, he has a 10-team trade list.
more topics...
from Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet,
If Calgary wants to return to the playoffs next season, their goaltending needs to at least return to the middle of the pack. That fact is even more pronounced when you consider the combined $8.2 million Markstrom and tandem-mate Dan Vladar will be counting against the cap.
Markstrom is coming off a miserable season and perhaps the most difficult of his NHL career. His .892 save percentage was his worst since becoming a full time NHLer in 2015-16 and ranked him 46th of 56 goalies with 20 or more starts.
Flames fans found those numbers even harder to stomach considering Markstrom’s sparkling .922 the season prior en route to finishing second to eventual winner Igor Shesterkin in Vezina voting. And, per Evolving Hockey’s model, Markstrom went from 29.1 goals saved above replacement to just 2.1 from one season to the next.
Even after good nights or strong weeks, Calgary’s $6 million man was never able to even out his game last year.
“It’s been a battle for me personally to find my game and find my way and get on my roll,” Markstrom admitted at April’s locker clean-out day.
“You know, as a goalie it’s tough. You’re there and you want to find it, you know you have it and when it doesn’t show…you almost try too hard, if that makes sense. (You) tense up and you want it too much instead of just…go out and play and enjoy it and, you know, just trust it.”
The question now becomes: was 2022-23 just a down year for 33-year-old Markstrom? Or was it a sign of things to come?
via the Calgary Flames,
The Calgary Flames announced today that Ryan Huska has been named head coach. Huska becomes the 24th head coach in the history of the franchise*.
"Following a detailed search process, today we are proud to introduce Ryan Huska as Head Coach of the Calgary Flames," stated General Manager Craig Conroy. "While continuity and familiarity are a benefit, we have witnessed first-hand Ryan's work ethic; he is a clear communicator who builds trust with his players; and he's a critical thinker with a plan.
Calgary Flames press release,
The Calgary Flames announced today that Craig Conroy has been named General Manager. Conroy becomes the eighth General Manager in the history of the franchise*.
from Rick Bell of the Calgary Sun,
The underperforming hometown hockey team, the couldn’t-make-the-playoffs hometown hockey team, the hometown hockey team where much was expected and much less was delivered and more than a few players were clearly not pulling their weight.
They get their wish.
Darryl Sutter is out as coach. The snowflakes on this hockey team manage to win one, off the ice.
This Maloney guy makes it pretty plain what went down.
Players got to say their piece. So did prominent agents representing key players. They provided pieces in the puzzle leading to the inevitable answer.
Sutter was not who they wanted. Sutter’s time had expired with the Flames. They wanted a new voice.
Maloney acknowledges Sutter is a firm coach, a hard coach, a demanding coach and a very good coach.
There was a time when being firm and hard and demanding and very good was a fine way to be as a coach.
Flames will owe Sutter his two year extension which kicks in next season. Pays him around $4 M a year. https://t.co/dYl9vMnhlB
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 1, 2023
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
At the tail end of a press conference Calgarians have waited years for, Lanny McDonald walked over to premier Danielle Smith with hand extended.
“Congratulations,” said the iconic Flame as he shook her hand.
More than a decade after former team president Ken King started the quest to build a new home for the Calgary Flames, celebrations truly were in order Tuesday as sports and politics came together with an agreement bigger and better than the $600 million event centre plan that fizzled in late 2021.
This time it’s an $800 million event centre with an attached practice/community rink, as part of a $1.2 billion Culture and Entertainment District, blocks north of the Saddledome.
via the Calgary Flames,
The Calgary Flames announce today that the Flames and General Manager Brad Treliving have agreed to mutually part ways. Treliving, whose contract expires on June 30, will not return as the Flames General Manager next season.
Don Maloney has been promoted to President of Hockey Operations and will also hold the position of Interim General Manager. The process to secure the services of the Flames next General Manager will begin immediately.
from Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun,
Sportsnet’s Eric Francis shared another startling stat prior to Wednesday’s finale, revealing the 2022-23 Flames were about to make a dubious bit of history. They finished with a shot differential of plus-708, by far the highest ever — and it’s not close — by a squad that failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. There were 25 different occasions throughout this season that the Flames outshot their opponents by 10 or more and wound up with a loss....
Jonathan Huberdeau, their prized summer trade acquisition, managed just 55 points in his first campaign in Cowtown. On the heels of a 115-point splurge with the Florida Panthers, that marks the largest season-to-season drop-off in NHL lore. The star playmaker hasn’t dodged the criticism, repeatedly admitting that he wasn’t producing up to his own lofty standard, but the question will come up again Friday. So how will he explain that?
Huberdeau’s max-term contract extension — an eight-year, US$84-million doozy — doesn’t kick in until July, which means that free-agent signing Nazem Kadri was Calgary’s highest-paid player this past winter. The $7-million man didn’t provide enough bang for all those bucks. Kadri averaged 1.23 points per game with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22. As he settled in at the Saddledome, that dipped to 0.68. How do you explain that?
Elias Lindholm, who skates as the Flames’ first-line centre, managed 22 goals. That’s just barely more than half his total from a year ago, when he was flanked by the since-departed Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk on what was a dynamite trio.
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
His mind swimming in a state of shock and disbelief, Rasmus Andersson stood in front of the media to revisit issues he’s addressed so many nights this season.
Another lop-sided shot total, another one-goal loss, and a franchise-record 17th setback in extra time.
This time it proved fatal.
After running on hope for just over a month, a 3-2 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators Monday officially put an end to the Flames' playoff hopes.
With one game left, they can no longer catch the eighth-place Jets...
There will be changes, which could start in the front office shortly after the Flames play their final regular season game Wednesday with Jakob Pelletier and Matt Coronato in the lineup.This city won’t have it any other way.General manager Brad Treliving doesn’t have a contract, coach Darryl Sutter doesn’t have much support and the fan base doesn’t have much patience left for an organization at a major crossroads.
Game highlights are below.
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
Another valiant effort.
Another devastating blow.
Despite an impressive comeback, the Calgary Flames lost ground in their fight for the west’s final playoff berth Saturday with a 3-2 shootout loss in Vancouver.
Yes, another squandered opportunity after 60 minutes of hockey, pushing their record in extended contests to 7-16....
The loss prevented the Flames from keeping pace with the eighth-place Winnipeg Jets, who blanked Nashville earlier in the day and now sit one point up on Calgary with a game in hand.
The Jets also own the tiebreaker, meaning the Flames will likely need to win their two remaining games, while hoping the Jets don’t win more than one of their remaining three against San Jose, Minnesota and Colorado....
“Fought back - couldn’t ask much more than that,” said Darryl Sutter, who said the Canucks “came out flying” and praised his team for not folding after a Jonathan Huberdeau giveaway led to an Elias Pettersson shorthanded goal that put the hosts up 2-0 after 13 minutes....
“I’d say we dominated the second half of the game.“We couldn’t solve Demko.”Sutter figured “four or five” goals could have been scored in overtime if not for great goaltending by Demko and Jacob Markstrom, who finished with 31 saves.
Highlights are below.
from Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet,
This is what having your opponent on the ropes looks like.
It’s also what allowing your opponent to rise up off the mat looks like.
With a golden opportunity to place the Calgary Flames on life support, the Winnipeg Jets stumbled in what became a 3-1 loss on Wednesday night, setting the stage for a drama-filled final week-and-change of the regular season.
Moments after the final buzzer sounded, the Jets were already putting a positive spin on the situation, which includes these two teams in a virtual tie at 89 points in the Western Conference standings, separated merely by percentage points.
“A loss is a loss. But like I said, we could be in a worse position. We could be on the outside looking in,” said Jets centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, who seemed to be in the middle of a lot of melees on Wednesday night as he brought an incredibly high level of engagement. “We could be the team that played one more game right now and is still tied. The tiebreaker for us is better and we have a game in hand.
“We are obviously disappointed, like I’m not going to stand here and say that we are happy and thrilled, but we’re still in a good spot being on the inside. We just have to look forward to the next games here.”
Catch the game highlights below.
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
Asked how his club could be swept by the NHL’s worst team with the season on the line, Mikael Backlund offered up a simple explanation.
“Maybe too many of us were thinking about tomorrow’s game, and thinking a little too far ahead,” said Backlund after a 4-3 loss to Chicago that certainly dampened anticipation over Wednesday’s eighth-place showdown in Winnipeg.
Oh sure, the chance to draw even with the Jets with a regulation win is still an enticing proposition for the Flames and their frustrated fans. They currently sit two points back of the Jets, who have a game in hand.
But the hosts will surely make quick work of the Flames if they’re willing to hand out gifts the way they did against the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
NHL Highlights: Blackhawks 4, Flames 3Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 5:38 Fullscreen
“Frustrating -- turnovers cost us the hockey game, for sure,” exhaled Darryl Sutter, pinpointing the exact reason his club lost two soul-crushing points to the rebuilding Hawks.
“Some of us didn’t manage the puck very well.”
He was being kind, by refusing to name the No. 1 culprit, Nazem Kadri.
Below watch the game highlights.
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
You wondered what the Calgary Flames would do for an encore.
You pondered the possibilities after the lads built confidence and momentum with their first third-period comeback win of the season Friday in Vancouver.
On Sunday, they did it again.
Down a goal after two, with the season on the line, they found a way to come out on top of another dramatic, 5-4 victory over Anaheim that gives them even more belief their playoff dreams aren’t just of the pipe variety.
Unlikely heroes step up to keep Flames in playoffs race with victory over DucksPlay VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 2:42 Fullscreen
It also gave them their first four-game winning streak of the season, and helped them stay within two points of the Winnipeg Jets team they’re chasing with five games left.
Their schedule is easier than the Jets, and the two will face off against one another Wednesday in Manitoba.
This is getting good.
“It’s huge,” said Milan Lucic, who tied the game 4-4 six minutes into the third period with a top shelf snipe off his left wing.
Below find the game highlights.
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet
Passed by the Nashville Predators, ghosted by the Winnipeg Jets and humbled by the Golden Knights.
Three clubs got the best of the Calgary Flames on Thursday, leaving only one group of lads who have themselves to blame.
In a season full of gut punches, this one may very well be the blow the Calgary Flames aren’t capable of getting up from.
Sure feels that way right now.
Their heads were bowed as they left the ice, their eyes fixed straight ahead as they tried their best to explain a devastating, 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The players suggested the most troubling part of the loss was coming out flat – devoid of desperation to open a game of this magnitude.
from Salim Valji of TSN,
As the Calgary Flames desperately try to stay in the Western Conference wild-card race, prized free-agent acquisition Nazem Kadri is playing fewer minutes than anyone anticipated last summer when he signed one of the biggest contracts in franchise history.
Kadri, Calgary’s lone All-Star this season, has not scored in 14 games but has eight assists over that span. Over the past three games, he has averaged 13:06 of ice time, well below fellow pivots Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund.
In the team’s 7-2 victory in Vegas on Thursday, he played a season-low 12:35, centering a line with Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis, two-thirds of Calgary’s usual fourth line. Kadri, who signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Flames in August, played the third-fewest minutes of any Flame and won just four of 12 faceoffs that evening.
“[Veteran, top guys] have to be better players,” Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said on Saturday ahead of the team’s 6-5 overtime loss to Dallas, when asked about Kadri’s diminished ice time.
Kadri attributed his recent struggles to bad luck, but said Saturday that he’s focused on staying consistent.
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
One by one they trudged out to the dressing room podium, hanging their heads after another devastating result.
The outcome, the questions, the frustration, all the same as they have been far too often this season.
A 3-1 loss to the Ducks of Anaheim Friday makes it three months and counting since these Calgary Flames pieced together a three-game winning streak.
Three nights after consecutive road wins seemed to breathe new life into the Flames' sagging playoff hopes, they remind everyone why they are where they are:
They can’t beat the teams they’re supposed to beat — the inexperienced, rebuilding, struggling squads all vying for Connor Bedard.
Asked what can be read into the Flames’ losing record against non-playoff teams, Darryl Sutter shrugged.
“Well, neither are we,” said Sutter with a fact that is becoming increasingly apparent.
Game highlights are below.
from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,
It was the type of pass Flames fans expected plenty of when the coach opened the season anointing Jonathan Huberdeau “the best passer this team has had in, maybe, ever.”
Spotting Tyler Toffoli streaking down the middle of the ice as the final 10 seconds of a see-saw battle unfolded on Monday, Huberdeau made a world-class pass between two defenders that sprung the team's leading goal scorer for a solo sprint he finished brilliantly with 6.2 seconds left.
Converting the breakaway with a top-shelf beauty over Jake Oettinger’s glove, Toffoli kick-started an animated celebration the Calgary Flames hope will carry over in Minneapolis Tuesday ... and beyond.
Despite coughing up a pair of two-goal leads, a dramatic 5-4 win over the host Dallas Stars should do well to erase the horrible taste the Flames’ fifth straight loss left Saturday when they were booed off the ice.
More importantly, it erased two points from what is now a five-point deficit between Calgary and the Colorado Avalanche, who sit in the West's final wild-card position.
Watch the highlights below.