The Calgary Flames seem to be back to their disappointing, lazy, and no-effort ways with a 2-5-1 record. The team has looked horrible, and that may even be an understatement. Nazem Kadri has not contributed anything at all besides defensive lapses and turnovers, the $10.5M Jonathan Huberdeau looks like he is worth $3M, and the only player who looks like he has shown up is Jacob Markstrom.
The vibes are awful in Calgary, just two weeks after reports came out that the vibes in the Calgary locker room couldn’t be better. There is still time to turn this season around, but at what point in the season will you consider joining team tank? We asked, you answered.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @wincolumnCGY. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
When to panic
We presented the below poll to our readers:
End of October
The second most popular choice has fans pressing the panic button on Tuesday. I am still in between picking the end of October and December as when I would press the button, but you really can’t blame anyone who voted for this option. This team looks, at best, just as bad as they were last year. Kadri is off to a monster start with a whopping 10 point pace over 82 games this season, and he is second last in the league in plus/minus, with a -12. Things are looking very grim, and we are not even 10 games in. Flames fans have seen this film before, and they didn’t like the ending.
December
Most readers selected December as their time to jump ship. A lot of reason to pick this choice probably has to do with the talent that this team has on paper, and also the major changes that the organization has gone through. Firstly, strictly on paper, the team is a playoff team. I don’t think there is any debate about that. When you read the names of the players on this team, it is a team that should, (the key word is “should”) be a team that can make the playoffs. Secondly, the team has a new coach, a new general manager, and doesn’t have their leading point producer from last season. Does the team just need time to get settled in?
Trade Deadline
10% of readers voted for this option. I believe this option got so few votes because of how last year went. Throughout the year, half the fans were asking for a rebuild, and half were hoping the team would improve. However, once the trade deadline came, it seemed like more and more fans just wanted the team to sell, especially with how deep the 2023 draft class was. However, the team didn’t sell, and didn’t make the playoffs. I don’t think fans want the same mistake to happen again this year.
Game 82
The remaining 6% of you are all the most optimistic ride-or-die people out there. And though I disagree with this mindset in this poll, I do have to applaud you for the commitment that you all have. It is admirable, and I wish I could be more like you, 6%.
Up to the players
This team has locked themselves into long-term contracts for a very long time. And the players who are making the big bucks are not performing at all. It is up to Huberdeau and Kadri to decide if this franchise is going to suffer until 2028-29, or if they can finally show that they are worth the money that they make. So far, from last year to now, they have shown absolutely nothing, and have robbed Flames fans, and the city as a whole.
You must be logged in to post a comment.