The Calgary Flames have had a massive roster turnover, and they have finally committed to rebuilding. During free agency, the Flames added Devin Cooley (G), Anthony Mantha (RW), and Ryan Lomberg (LW). The most noticeable addition from their free-agent signings is Anthony Mantha. However, it is clear that the Flames organization had no intention of going big fish hunting. With the additions that they made, where do you think the Flames will finish at the end of the season? We asked, you answered.
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Reader responses
We presented the below poll to our readers.
Playoff Bubble
This might be the option that some in the Flames organization are hoping for, but realistically, this just won’t happen. Our readers seem to think so as well, as only 6% of our readers selected this option.
Just miss playoffs
Around the same number of readers selected this option as the last option. It just doesn’t seem realistic. The Flames have gotten rid of all their best players and received futures and prospects in return. The Flames are hoping to be competitive, as no player in the NHL wants to lose NHL games. However, just looking at their roster, this season may be more about player development rather than actually winning games.
Bottom 10
Most readers selected this option. This is where the Flames finished at the end of last season, finishing 24th out of the 32 teams in the league. Both Flames management and the players came into last season with full intentions of making the playoffs. However, things turned south, and the team ended up selling at the deadline, trading away Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin. Overall, they finished ninth last, even with these four players being on the team for most of the year. It’s safe to say some players may really need to improve their game if they want to finish in the same spot as last year.
Bottom Five
If I were to place a bet, this is what I would select. Lindholm, Zadorov, Tanev, and Hanifin are gone, and now even Jacob Markstrom has been traded off the Flames. Right now, their starting goalie is either going to be Dan Vladar or Dustin Wolf. Though Wolf has shown a lot of promise for his career, it would be unfair to expect him to carry the team. From a standings standpoint, this might be one of the worst years in franchise history. However, for the long-term success of the franchise, it is probably very necessary.
From the ground up
The Flames have hit the reset button. Although this year may not be the most winningest, it should still be an exciting time to watch Flames games. Fans will get to see Dustin Wolf finally take the reins as the Flames goaltender, and they will see Coronato with another year of development under his belt. It will be fun for the fans to watch the future stars of this team come into their own.
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