There is no way around it, the Calgary Flames will not make the playoffs this season. It has been a disappointing season in which many thought it would be a bounce back year for the club, but it has gone much worse than people have expected it go. Players are unhappy, key members of the team were shipped out, and they have looked flat out uninspired the last handful of games.
That said, the season outcome means the Flames have an opportunity to look to the future. The last eight games of this season could be used to experiment for next year’s team. There are some players who can be used in more situations, used in different positions, or flat-out just need more minutes.
Here’s a list of things that Calgary should do, or rather, need to do to get a better sense of what they have in this team. Let’s break it all down.
Give Dustin Wolf a substantial amount of games to end the season
Dustin Wolf has probably been the most talked-about Flame this season. Coming into the year he was expected to take a job out of camp but was sent to the minors due to him being exempt from waivers. As the year has gone on, Wolf has been given some games sprinkled throughout the season; however, he has yet to have a stretch of games where he has been given the net to run with it.
With just eight games remaining, there is no reason to continue to have Wolf sit on the bench. The season is over, and the games don’t mean anything—win or lose, it is time to give Wolf a run. He can prepare for the Calder Cup playoffs with the Wranglers, but can also get accustomed to the NHL game because he will be an NHL goalie next season.
Since the trade deadline, where key players including Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev were traded, Wolf’s game seemed to get better while having a weaker team in front of him. He has a .912 save percentage in that time and has looked the best that he has all year while playing for the Flames. Ryan Huska has to reward him for his solid play, and it is time to give the fans what they want: more of Wolf in the net.
Testing Connor Zary at the centre position
Connor Zary has been one of the few bright spots for the team this season. He was not even considered by most for a spot in the opening night roster, and after a month of tearing it up with the Wranglers, Zary was called up by the Flames and never looked back. He has been one of the best Flames this season, and he looks like a very promising piece for the Flames moving forward.
Zary was drafted as a centre and played the centre position for a majority of his time in the AHL, however since being called up back in November, Zary has only played as a winger. Obviously, it is not a bad thing that he is playing this well as a winger, and when he was recalled there was really no centre spot for him as the Flames still had Elias Lindholm and obviously still have Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund. It did not make sense to push one of those guys to the wing so Zary can play centre.
Well now, Lindholm is gone, and while Yegor Sharongovich has done a great job at playing the middle since his departure, it is time to give Zary his first run at centre in the NHL. If you are looking at what the Flames need in their organization and looking at the depth charts, they need centres, badly. Kadri and Backlund are not getting any younger and the Flames do not have a centre in the pipeline that projects as a top-six forward. So if Zary can play centre and play it well, that will be a massive boon for the team. Now is the time for him to get that opportunity—there is no pressure, he can just go out and play his game.
Continue to give Matt Coronato a top-nine opportunity
It has been a weird year for Matt Coronato to say the least. He was pegged as a staple in the Flames’ top-nine all of last summer and through training camp. Unfortunately, after ten games, it did not seem like he could get his footing and he was sent down to the Wranglers. He would see a few call-ups here and there, but nothing substantial. And when he was up with the Flames, he would play a lot of time on the fourth line before being sent back to the Wranglers.
Coronato is back with the Flames and has been playing in a top-nine role as of late, primarily with the aforementioned Zary and Sharongovich, which is a good thing. The goal now is to continue to give him that time and boost his confidence for the Calder Cup playoffs. More importantly, for next season as well where he will try to lock down a permanent job with the Flames.
One spot I would like to see Coronato used more is on the power play. He may just have one of the best shots on the team, and no disrespect to Blake Coleman, Andrew Mangiapane or Backlund, but I would rather see Coronato play on that second unit with Zary for the rest of the season. He has a major weapon, and the power play is where it will be utilized the most.
Call up Jakob Pelletier
This is going to be a season that Jakob Pelletier will probably want to forget. After being a bright spot last year for the Flames when he was given his first call-up to the NHL, he was certain to be a mainstay in this year’s lineup before getting injured in the preseason. He returned in February but he wasn’t able to be consistent enough to get an opportunity above the fourth line. After just thirteen games—and another injury to boot—Pelletier was sent down to the Wranglers, and he is currently still there.
Huska never gave Pelletier a fair shake. I understand that he is trying to win games, but Pelletier being scratched for the likes of Dryden Hunt, A.J. Greer and Kevin Rooney never made sense to me. I agree that giving Pelletier top line minutes in the AHL is better than him playing fourth line minutes in the NHL, and it’ll be better for his development. However, he was never given a chance to play in a consistent top-nine or top-six role with the Flames this season. Hence the reason the Flames should give him one last call-up this season to play significant NHL minutes before the Calder Cup playoffs.
I can accept that will probably not happen due to the logjam of wingers the Flames have, but it would be great to see Pelletier get one last NHL look this season that so many of us fans have been craving.
Put on a show to end the season
While many fans (myself included), would rather see the Flames lose a majority of the eight games remaining to try and secure a better draft season, I would be lying if I said I don’t want to be entertained for the final stretch of the season.
Games can be fun to watch even in a losing effort, so if the team can play motivated hockey and give us a few fun games to close out the season, I would take that as a win. Of course, the top thing on my list would to see the young guys play significant roles, so we will see if the coaching staff will let that happen. In the meantime, all we can do is try to enjoy the last couple of weeks of the season.
