We are officially just under a month away from NHL Training Camps opening up in preparation for the 2024–25 season. The off-season has felt incredibly short after the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs wrapped up right at the end of June, but you can bet all of us fans are ready to have the hockey season up and going once again.
The Calgary Flames are projected to be a lottery team as opposed to a playoff team this year. I, for one, cannot wait to watch them this season to see the progression of some of the younger players on the roster. With that being said, there are a few things the Flames will have to achieve this season. Some for the better and some for the worse, and there have to be no questions asked.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Flames have to finish in the bottom 10
This one right here will be the most important this upcoming season, given the circumstances. Yes, another top-10 pick to continue building up the prospect pool would be tremendous, but I cannot stress enough that the Flames NEED to finish in the bottom 10 next season.
Brad Treliving left the Flames a nice parting gift when he dumped Sean Monahan to the Montreal Canadiens in the summer of 2022 to free up the cap space to sign Nazem Kadri. As we all know, Treliving gave up a first-round pick to get Monahan and his cap hit off the books. Well, the pick will be coming into play this season. If the Flames’ 2025 first is in the top 10, they will keep their pick, and the Canadiens will receive the Florida Panthers’ 2025 first-round pick. If the Flames’ pick lands anywhere from 11-32, the Canadiens will receive the Flames’ first-round pick in 2025. There are a couple of other minor variables at hand, but that is the short of it.
It would be an absolute disaster if the Flames lose a pick in the 11-15 range because of a bad trade made by the previous General Manager, especially when the rebuild is just beginning. The easiest way to avoid this? Just don’t be a good team! Obviously, that is a lot easier said than done. The players are never playing to lose, and we have seen crazier things happen. That said, this Flames team is much worse than the one from a season ago. With more players potentially being moved, I believe it will be another tough season.
Wolf needs to get a substantial amount of starts
If this season is going to be remembered for anything, it might just be the year that Dustin Wolf came in and stole the crease from anyone else on the roster. Wolf will be given the chance to solidify himself as the team’s starting goaltending with the departure of Jacob Markstrom. At least, that is what we all think is going to happen.
The Flames have to give Wolf some runway and keep him in the NHL the entire season to let him experience the grind of a full 82-game season. Considering how depleted the Flames are compared to a year ago, there will be tons of quality chances against him.
The only way for Wolf to continue his development is to play in the NHL. He has dominated the AHL for far too long, and there is no longer anything left for him to prove there. There is zero doubt that he has the pedigree and the drive to be a number-one goalie in this league; he just has to show it this season with a good stretch of games in the NHL. It is time to unleash Wolf.
Zary and Coronato are top-six forwards
Like Wolf, the development of young players will continue to be key this upcoming season. I don’t think there are two players more important on that front than Connor Zary and Matthew Coronato. Zary carved out a nice little spot for himself in the top six last season alongside Kadri. Coronato had to fight for his ice time and spent the majority of his NHL time buried on the fourth line.
It will be extremely important this season for both of these players to be given huge opportunities to show they can hang at the NHL level, preferably in the team’s top six.
Zary is pretty much already a lock, whether that is on the wing or in the middle. It will be a little more of an uphill battle for Coronato as the team added more wingers like Anthony Mantha and Ryan Lomberg over the offseason. For a team that is already extremely winger-heavy, Coronato may be on the outside looking in at the start of training camp. So, it will be on both Coronato and the coaching staff to make this work.
Having both Zary and Coronato play meaningful minutes this season will be crucial. With how different the roster is from last season and all the players who have been moved, it will be a great chance to see what kind of players they can truly be.
Flames have to sell veteran pieces at the trade deadline
Come the trade deadline, it will most likely be the same story for the Flames as it was last season: continue to add picks and prospects and move on from players who have contracts expiring at the end of the season. This should be the plan for four players the Flames have on their roster: Mantha, Andrei Kuzmenko, Kevin Rooney, and Joel Hanley.
Look, I already know that two of these players are not like the other two—those being Rooney and Hanley—but in saying that, we have seen those types of players moved for a late-round draft pick in the past. If there is a team that, for whatever reason, needs a Rooney or Hanley on their roster, then you have to pull the trigger on a trade if it comes along.
When it comes to Kuzmenko and Mantha, I definitely think there will be suitors out there for them at the deadline. Both are guys who will probably be used as secondary scoring on whichever team picks them up for a playoff run. Both players have scoring pedigree, and at reduced costs (via salary retention), I think both could be great adds for teams looking to go on runs in the playoffs.
Kuzmenko was super useful after coming over from the Vancouver Canucks in February. He got his scoring touch back after being underused in Vancouver. He fit in very well and brought an aspect of excitement to the Flames roster that was missing a little bit. He may not be the best two-way player, but when he has the puck on his stick, he is magic. It has yet to be seen if that will translate to playoff hockey, but I am willing to bet that at least one team will take a chance on him.
When it comes to Mantha, I really do believe it will be based on how he performs with the Flames before the deadline. He was very efficient with the Washington Capitals last season before getting traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, but life wasn’t as smooth there. Mantha only played three games in the playoffs before Vegas was eliminated. Teams may move with caution on Mantha. He is a big player who does not necessarily play big. His underlying numbers are always very good, but come playoff time, teams simply do not care about that.
Flames must continue to use the kids from the Wranglers
One thing the Flames did a very good job with last season was rewarding players in the AHL with NHL games. We saw multiple players get the call a season ago. Whether it was a longer stint like Zary and Martin Pospisil or a cup of coffee like Adam Klapka and Ilya Solovyov, it was a breath of fresh air to see the kids getting a chance with the Flames.
That will be something that Craig Conroy needs to continue this season. As I mentioned above, I expect players to be moved once again this season, so it will open up spots for the guys with the Calgary Wranglers to get a shot. It not only gives the organization a chance to see what these guys can do at the NHL level, but it also gives the fans a glimpse of what can be. At the very least, it’s just another reason to tune into the games to see some new young and hungry players get a chance at the NHL level.
I would keep my eye on Jeremie Poirer, William Stromgren, Hunter Brzustewicz, and Sam Morton to get a shot sooner or later.
Trust the process
Conroy clearly has a plan in place. Long gone are the days of Treliving going year by year to eventually put himself in a bad spot. There is a process now with this team, and the hope moving forward is that the Flames can be more progressive in how they do business.
From all accounts, Conroy has done that in the year he has been on the job. It will continue to be fascinating to watch as the year moves forward.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
