The 2023–24 NHL regular season has come and gone. With changes at every level of the organization, and some high-profile pending unrestricted free agents entering October, this season had been touted as a pivotal year for the organization’s future. The play on the ice wasn’t exceptional, but there were plenty of great moments from Games 1–82.
GM Craig Conroy wanted to give his young talent opportunities, sign or trade the pending UFAs and compete for the playoffs. He accomplished two of those goals with great success and the on-ice product—despite what attendance numbers say—was largely in the playoff push for most of the season.
The emergence of Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil were both surprising and crucial rises that influenced decisions in the front office. Dustin Wolf got a solid chunk of playing time as well. Meanwhile, Matthew Coronato continued to develop in the AHL and Jakob Pelletier returned from injury and has been playing well in the Wranglers’ playoff push thus far.
Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli were all dealt by Conroy prior to or during this season and brought back a respectable haul. If I was Murray Edwards, Craig Conroy would get straight As on his report card in year one. Murray gets an F from fans for vetoing a trade and tarnishing a relationship with his franchise goaltender.
Beyond that, MacKenzie Weegar, Blake Coleman, Nazem Kadri and Jacob Markstrom all had bounce-back seasons while Yegor Sharangovich was arguably the comeback player of the year. Another candidate could’ve been Oliver Kylington who made his return to the NHL after almost a two-year absence, playing amazingly for the team. On the topic outside of Calgary, shoutout to former Flame Sean Monahan playing in 83 games this season after having hip surgery the prior two offseason.
Mikael Backlund was named the first Flames captain since Mark Giordano and Weegar emerged as a vocal leader this season. Weegar also made history this season becoming the first defenceman in NHL history to record 20 goals and 200 blocks in the same season.
Oh right, wasn’t there some controversial news in there about a new arena too?
Evidently, there was a lot to discuss this season and compared to last year, was much more enjoyable in my opinion. Most wishes were granted, and it appears one of the most important seasons in Calgary Flames history turned out better than some expected.
All the storylines this year had us wondering what fans enjoyed the most this season. 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!
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!
Everyone’s favourite Flames storyline from 2023–24
We presented the below poll to our readers: What was your favourite storyline of the 2023–24 Flames season? With the numerous storylines previously discussed, we narrowed the options down to: Coleman’s 30-goal milestone, the youth movement headlined by Wolf’s appearances, the plethora of trades, or Weegar’s record-setting 20-goal, 200-block season.
Coleman’s 30 goals
Flames fans were happy for Pickles but seemingly had higher priorities. Coleman’s first 30 goals season at 32 years old only garnered 6% of votes in our poll.
Coleman’s previous career-high in goals was 22 set in 2018–19 with the New Jersey Devils. He also set a career-high in points with 54, surpassing his 38 set last season. Coleman is aging like a fine wine on the ice and we’re all here for it. Coleman’s here for it too, being vocal about his desire to compete in Calgary and his love for the city.
Although he wasn’t the favourite storyline this season, he’s definitely appreciated in Calgary.
Youth movement and Wolf’s games played
Entering the year, giving young players chances was among the highest priority within the organization and with fans. After the season, our poll reflected that as the youth movement and Dustin Wolf were the top response in this weeks poll with 35% of the vote.
Connor Zary burst onto the scene in November after not making the roster out of training camp. After a couple of injury-riddled seasons in the AHL, Zary finally proved his critics wrong becoming a staple on the wing with Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil.
Pospisil is an even bigger story. Someone nobody expected to sniff a full-time NHL role anytime soon. When given the opportunity, he took it in stride. His aggressive play style and great skating captivated Flames fans while Nazem Kadri facilitated the two budding NHLers, having a bounce-back season himself.
Despite Jakob Pelletier’s injury and assignment to the AHL, there’s plenty of opportunity for him to crack the roster next season. Likewise, Matt Coronato had a great season for the Wranglers and got some good opportunities throughout the season.
Beyond that, the most highly-touted goalie prospect in Calgary since Trevor Kidd finally got shot at the NHL. Dustin Wolf played in 17 games this season and despite struggling at times, proved he deserves a larger role next season.
All in all, five players scored their first NHL goals for the Flames this season and Dustin Wolf appears to have a stake in at least a backup role next season. That’s a sentence I never would’ve been able to write during the Darryl Sutter/Brad Treliving era.
The many trades by Calgary
Aside from the fountain of youth, fans loved Craig Conroy’s work in the front office this season. Finishing as the third place response in the poll, trades collected 27% of votes.
All in all, Craig Conroy traded away: Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Mathias Emilio Peterson and a fifth-round pick. In return, he brought back the following: Yegor Sharangovich, Andrei Kuzmenko, Joni Jurmo, Hunter Brzustewicz, Artem Grushnikov, Daniil Miromanov, Riley Damiani, Nikita Okhotiuk, a 2024 first-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick, three future third-round picks and a future fourth-round pick. Phew, that’s a list and half right there.
It’s a pretty good transaction sheet for any first-year general manager. When pen couldn’t come to paper on extensions, Conroy didn’t hesitate to make business decisions, much to the appeal of fans.
The most important thing is that the trades that did happen, by and large, have looked to be paying off great. Kuzmenko and Sharangovich have had bounce backs in Calgary, while Hunter Brzustewicz looks like he will be a dangerous offensive defenceman in the NHL one day.
He bolstered the depleted defensive core with some decent young NHLers and facilitated that with a Brayden Pachal mid-season waiver acquisition. Outside of players, the draft capital is very attractive. I’m sure fans certainly would’ve hoped for a first-round pick in return for Chris Tanev, but Conroy fleeced Vancouver so badly on the Lindholm trade, that I think it makes up for it. The market is what it is.
The Markstrom situation was seemingly the only real blemish in year one for Conroy. But, I don’t believe that storyline has closed its chapter just yet, nor do I think we’ll have to wait long for a resolution. Conroy just might be calling up the New Jersey Devils once more at the NHL Draft to inquire about their top 10 pick.
Weegar’s 20 goals and 200 blocks
MacKenzie Weegar had a great season this year and it was reflected in the poll. Finishing second overall this week, Weegar’s record-setting storyline gained 33% of votes. Weegar finished the season tied for third in goal-scoring amongst defencemen with Rasmus Dahlin. His 200 blocked shots—well, that’s good for sixth overall in the league. I’d say that’s pretty much the statistical definition of an elite two-way defenceman. There’s more than enough evidence worthy of a Norris nomination in my eyes.
Weegar not only improved his play on the ice, but he also grew into a larger leadership role. Ryan Huska cited Weegar as a crucial part of the team and an example of what everyone should strive for. His effort was visible every game, especially as the ship was sinking in the final 20 games. No one battled harder than Weegar this season.
Weegar is a fan favourite and added to his stellar social media resume with this clip from earlier in the year addressing his value on the fantasy hockey market.
There’s no question Weegar will be front and centre for this team moving forward with some people already discussing if he should take over Backlund’s captaincy upon his departure. It was a record-setting season for Weegar and here’s to many more.
The vibes are immaculate, as Weegar would say.
April showers bring… July flowers?
The first year post-Sutter/Treliving was one many fans were both nervously and excitedly anticipating. It was a rollercoaster season but the team has taken strides towards the future. Veterans had bounce-back seasons, rookies got the play, records were set, and the only pending UFAs on the roster are interested in staying here. The plan was laid out 11 months ago and so far, things are going pretty good.
Obviously, playoff hockey would’ve been amazing and losing is never fun to watch, but this season for fans was primarily focussed on the long game. Team Tank was out in droves this season and although the Flames could’ve improved their draft stock exceptionally with some late-season losses, the team is in a good spot and has plenty of capital to potentially move up in July’s draft.
The next chapter of Calgary Flames hockey is officially here and although it was disappointing to miss the playoffs, the outlook for the future continues to look better.
Now it all starts over and the path to a new era of Flames success is in full motion.
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