After a four-game winning streak and seven wins over nine games, the Calgary Flames have lost two straight contests. However, since a horrid start in October, the Flames have generally played much better, and several players have really shown up offensively over the past month or two.
Devoid of true elite talent, the Flames have relied on scoring by committee, and it’s worked for the most part this season. They lead the league with 11 20-point scorers and really don’t have a runaway favourite for team scoring leader.
With that said, who has the best shot of being the team’s leading scorer by season’s end? We asked, you answered.
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A crowded field for Calgary’s top scorer
We presented the below poll on Twitter, with options on who would be the team’s leading scorer by season’s end.
Yegor Sharangovich
The newest member of the team finished in first place in the poll with 43% of the votes. It’s a good choice with Yegor Sharangovich taking off lately and leading the entire league in goals scored by players on new teams this season.
He currently sits third in team scoring with 19 goals and 32 points, and with his deployment on the top line and top power play, it’s a good bet for Sharangovich to lead the team in points at the end of the season.
That being said, Sharangovich is a streaky player and the biggest question mark with him is the status of his centerman. Elias Lindholm may or may not be a member of the Flames past the trade deadline, which could seriously mess with the chemistry of his line. I think it’s far from a lock for Sharangovich to lead the team in points, but the way he’s played lately has put him in the conversation which is a big win all on its own.
Blake Coleman
The current leading scorer, Blake Coleman is having the best offensive season of his storied career putting up 20 goals and 38 points through 46 games. Coleman’s most productive season was actually last year with the Flames when he put up 38 points in 82 games. One more point this year and he’ll set a new career-high.
It just feels like this is Coleman’s year. Everything is going well for him, and deservedly so with how well he’s played. What a story it would be for him to lead the Flames in scoring in his 32-year-old season.
However, I’m just not seeing it. With all due respect to Coleman, there are better offensive players who get better deployment and just have a better shot and amassing more points in the next 36 games.
Nazem Kadri
Third place in our poll was Nazem Kadri with 23% of the votes. This would be my pick. Kadri has been on a tear since he was given Connor Zary as his linemate, putting up 22 points in 23 games. Offensively, Kadri is one of the best players on the roster and has been the most consistently productive player this season outside of Coleman.
It just seems like Kadri, who gets prime opportunity on a line that is actually the Flames true number one line based on ice time, and top power play duties, has the best chance to put up the most points between now and the end of the season.
He’s currently second on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 37 points, just one point behind Coleman. Smart money is on Kadri here.
Jonathan Huberdeau
Finally, in fourth place, we have the much improved Jonathan Huberdeau. To his credit, since being moved to a line with Sharangovich and Lindholm, Huberdeau has looked like a completely different player. He’s making elite plays, the effort is there, and he’s been quite productive, too.
He’s got 10 points in his last 10 games, and if this keeps up Huberdeau has the potential to really pop off on the score sheet. Because of his slow start, Huberdeau has a lot of ground to make up, though. He’s currently ninth in team scoring overall with six goals and 25 points in 45 games.
Not a great problem for the Flames to have
As the last two games have shown, having elite talent can really turn the tide in a hockey game. Sure, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl didn’t factor in on the scoresheet last night, but the difference in talent level was blatantly apparent all night long.
At the end of the day, the fact that we really don’t have any idea who will lead this team in scoring at the end of the year is a bad problem to have. But, until the Flames get a true game-breaking talent, we can enjoy the great seasons from Coleman, Sharangovich, and others.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
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