Dear Mr. Edwards,
It’s time for a change at the top. The Calgary Flames find themselves in a similar situation they’ve found themselves in far too many times. They aren’t an awful team, but they are not a good team, either. They are fine. I think the best way to describe the entirety comes from The Hangover II. In this film, Stu’s soon-to-be father-in-law describes him as chok. When Stu asks, he is told that chok is “soft white rice in lukewarm water.” I think it fits perfectly. Not a super exciting or good meal, but it is certainly a meal.
Flames fans deserve better than just a “make-the-playoffs” team
It’s quite obvious that the mandate from ownership is just to make the playoffs and see what happens. But in today’s NHL, even making the playoffs is a tough task. As the NHL has expanded, so does the number of teams that miss the playoffs every year. You have to be a pretty good team to just make the playoffs, let alone win a Stanley Cup.
And look, I get it. We’ve seen some teams make it and go on an absolute heater. But I think the difference between the Flames and say the Florida Panthers last year is that the Panthers had/still have elite talent. So, maybe this team treads in the mushy middle and makes the playoffs and goes on a huge run one season. Weirder things have happened. But I wouldn’t be placing my bets on it, especially as the long-term contracts on this team continue to get older.
Another example of this chase of mediocrity is the Minnesota Wild. Sure, you can hope you can land a Kirill Kaprisov in the later rounds of the draft since you won’t be drafting at the top. But, by chasing making the playoffs, you hamper yourself by signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to huge deals to try and compete in the present, which you will ultimately have to buy out in the end. Imagine where the Wild would be if they didn’t have $15 million in dead cap space to work around.
Since the 2009–10 season, the Calgary Flames have made the playoffs only five times and advanced past the first round only twice. That record in 15 seasons just isn’t fair to Flames fans. We deserve better. Even the Wild, who I just discussed, have made the playoffs nine times, gone past the first round three times, and made the Conference Finals once in that same timeframe.
The fact is, Calgary and Flames fans deserve a Stanley Cup contender. Fans aren’t interested in a team that can just squeak in to a playoff spot. We deserve better.
The Calgary Flames organization (and media) is scared to use the word rebuild
Flames management, heck even media that covers the team, is scared to say the word rebuild. We saw this in the disastrous press conference with Calgary Sports and Entertainment President and CEO John Bean and Calgary Flames President of Hockey Operations Don Maloney.
But they shouldn’t be afraid of this word. Rebuilds work. Ten Cup winners over the last fifteen years have had a first overall pick they drafted on the roster. Every single cup-winning team has had two or more 4th overall or higher picks on the roster. I don’t think anyone wants to watch this team be bad for 10 years, but a three- to four-year rebuild could certainly be beneficial. You don’t win without elite talent. And the easiest way to get elite talent without trading away too much is to draft at the top.
Calgary is a great city and a passionate fanbase. But we know a lot of NHL players don’t want to play in Canada and a smaller market city. It’s unfair, but that’s the reality of the situation. That is why drafting and getting young players is so important, and you garner them under team control for a number of reasons. That is how smaller market teams have success. The other end of the coin is overpaying free agents, which Calgary has a long history of. Troy Brouwer and James Neal didn’t have particularly good stints with the Flames.
Look, it’s not a guarantee you hit on players with those picks. But your odds definitely increase with more eggs in your basket. And higher eggs definitely guarantee you higher success rates:
No one is saying that a rebuild is this magical ticket to winning a Cup. But it’s a direction, and one that has worked well for past Stanley Cup winners.
Attendance numbers are dropping
From the below graphic courtesy of PuckReportNHL, the Calgary Flames are sixth last in attendance so far in 2023–24, with an average of 89.98% per game:
When the product on the ice isn’t up to par, people notice. The Flames fanbase is extremely passionate, and they know a lot about hockey. When the team on the ice is our noted “soft white rice in lukewarm water,” people begin to become less interested in the product. It becomes even less interesting when the product has been lukewarm for years and years.
Calgary can start fresh with the new arena
The new arena gives Calgary a perfect timeframe to reset and have a team ready to compete once again. Imagine dropping the puck in the new arena headlined by a couple of high-end draft picks along with a newly signed Cale Makar in free agency. Okay, the last part is definitely wishful thinking on my part, but as the saying goes, if you build it, people will come. Edmonton was not thought highly as a destination for years. Now, they have no trouble recruiting players to join Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
It’s time for a new philosophy, Mr. Edwards. Flames fans deserve better than an objective to just make the playoffs and see what happens. Fans deserve a Stanley Cup contender. It’s time to promote new ways of thinking and be okay with words like rebuild, as they signal a direction this organization needs to take to have success in the future. Attendance numbers have dropped this season, and they will continue to do so if ownership continues with its current philosophies.
Will fans be interested in renewing season tickets in the new arena when prices become much more expensive? The Flames need to grab some high-end talent to convince people that tickets are worth paying for. A reference to Connor McDavid and Edmonton again seems relevant here. I’m not saying it’s realistic to go out and find a Connor McDavid. But, there are star players available at the top of the draft and can sometimes be grabbed in later rounds, too. It’s time to invest in the future of the Calgary Flames.
Yours truly,
Many, many Flames fans.
