The Hot Seat

By: Mike Rifkin

The 2021-22 Calgary Flames won the Pacific Division and an epic seven-game series against the Dallas Stars before losing to their rival Edmonton Oilers in five games. Then in the offseason, the Flames lost their top two-point scorers. Johnny Gaudreau left for Columbus in free agency, and Matthew Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar in a summer blockbuster. One year after putting up 115 points and being nominated for the Hart Trophy, Huberdeau put up 55 points. Meanwhile, the Flames had to watch Tkachuk put up 100 points, become a Hart Trophy candidate, and watch him lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final. 

This year the Flames missed the playoffs, and changes soon followed. General Manager Brad Treliving is now in Toronto, and Head Coach Darryl Sutter was also relieved of his duties. The Flames decided to stay in-house by promoting Craig Conroy to GM and Ryan Huska to Head Coach. Conroy, who was an assistant to Treliving, played nine seasons for the Flames tallying 97 goals and 308 points and was part of the team in 2004 that went to the Stanley Cup Final. Huska has spent the last five years as an assistant for the Flames but does have head coaching experience. Before joining the Flames, he coached the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL and the Stockton Heat of the AHL. 

Forwards Elias Lindholm, who has scored at least 20 goals in four of his five seasons in Calgary, Tyler Toffoli, who scored 34 goals this year, Mikael Backlund, who scored 19 goals this season, and Defenseman Noah Hanifin, who averaged over 22 minutes of ice time this season are all entering the final seasons of their contracts. According to multiple reports, all are leaning towards leaving the team during free agency next summer. Now the Flames don’t have to move all of these guys; they could stand pat until the trade deadline before they move these guys. But do they want to enter the same picture they saw themselves in last year when they knew Gaudreau was a free agent? You can’t lose these guys for nothing; it’s bad business. But it also leaves you wondering, what if, at the trade deadline, the Flames are sitting in first place in the Pacific? How do you say this helps you now, so Craig Conroy is in a challenging situation right out of the gate? 

Here is the thing no matter when they decide to move these players, the Flames are not in a position for a rebuild with players like Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri on their books for the foreseeable future. So, with the draft and free agency coming up over the next few weeks, Conroy has to decide what he will do. I would move Hanifin and Backlund now if I were in Conroy’s shoes. If someone gives you a great offer on Toffoli, you have to take it, but I am trying like crazy to re-sign Lindholm. You can hold off until the trade deadline if these offers aren’t substantial. Craig Conroy has been thrown to the fire in Calgary.