The Calgary Flames have gotten off to a surprising start, with various storylines already popping up. The expectation was that the Flames would start off as one of the worst teams in the league, but that certainly hasn’t been the case so far.
With every season comes disappointment. On this year’s Flames roster, elite talent is non-existent, but certain players have stepped up when needed. However, there’s also been a group of players that haven’t been able to get it together yet. In this article, I want to go over three Flames players who’ve had mediocre starts to the year, and I’ll share my thoughts on how much they can improve as the season continues.
Andrei Kuzmenko is snakebit for goals
The first player I want to mention is Andrei Kuzmenko. The 28-year-old Russian forward was acquired by the Flames as a cap dump from the Vancouver Canucks in the Elias Lindholm trade. When Kuzmenko arrived in Calgary, he made an immediate impact scoring 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games with the Flames, and instantly became a fan favourite.
This season, Kuzmenko has struggled mightily in the goal-scoring department. He has just one goal and eight points in 17 games and has already faced consequences such as benching and decreases in ice time from the Flames coaching staff.
Kuzmenko is set to become a UFA this summer and his poor start has not exactly been doing him well in a contract year. Additionally, he’s also expected to be a trade candidate for the Flames near the Trade Deadline, as the team will look to acquire additional assets for the future. As his poor play continues, it hinders the return the Flames might get for him as well as his demand from the market.
There’s no doubt that Kuzmenko has talent and I think he eventually starts to heat up, but his consistency concerns me greatly. This is a player the Flames shouldn’t be looking at extending, instead give him all the tools he needs to put up significant offensive totals in hopes that the team can cash in on his value.
Yegor Sharangovich has had a slow return
With Yegor Sharangovich, it’s been a struggle to build off his success from last season. Now circumstances are a bit different since he missed the start of the season with an injury, but he’s played 11 games since, only scoring two goals. Last year, Sharangovich was the team’s leader in goals, scoring 31 in 82 games.
The Flames also signed Sharangovich to a five-year extension this offseason, paying him an AAV of $5.75 million. It’s a hefty raise from his previous deal that carried an AAV of $3.1 million. His start on his new deal hasn’t been the strongest, as he’s also recorded a -6 rating in the games he’s played in.
Sharangovich has not lived up to his deal so far, but there’s also the benefit of the doubt since he was injured. I expect that his offence gets back on track as the season progresses, assuming the Flames play him mostly on the wing instead of the center position. His goalscoring is his biggest asset and he possesses a great shot. For Sharangovich, it’s about getting his confidence back, and once he gets into a groove, the offence will follow.
The Flames haven’t been impressed with Martin Pospisil’s lack of discipline
If you ask Flames fans which player they think has had a disappointing start, Martin Pospisil’s name is sure to come up.
When he was called up to the NHL last season, Pospisil made quite a statement. He, along with Connor Zary, gave the Flames a boost with their youthful energy, and Pospisil established himself as a gritty, skillful player.
That said, it’s been a completely different narrative for the 24-year-old this season. On top of his low production on the score sheet, Pospisil has also been responsible for many costly penalties. The problem of him taking penalties that would lead to opposing teams scoring occurred one too many times. In fact, things got bad to the point where Pospisil would be benched by the Flames’ coaching staff in response to his reckless play.
The transition to the center position has also not been easy for him. It’s clear that the Flames need more options down the middle, and Pospisil doesn’t seem to be a solution right now. His play has been the complete opposite of what it was last season.
With his five points in 18 games, the Flames need to get more out of him if he stands any chance of being a part of the long-term future of this team. We’ve seen what the Flames look like when Pospisil is on his game, and fans are eager for that version of him to return to make a positive impact on the team.
