Tuesday night’s loss to the San Jose Sharks was near poetic for the Calgary Flames.
Weeks after the team’s President of Hockey Operations, Don Maloney, claimed that drafting first overall was akin to fantasy hockey, as well as suffering multiple beatings by the Connor Bedard-led Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames found themselves yet again at the mercy of a former number-one overall pick in Macklin Celebrini.
With two goals and two assists, as well as a highlight reel goal that was posted all over social media, the Flames were yet again outclassed by a top-tier talent in the NHL.
But that isn’t the only storyline coming out of last night; in fact, it’s not even the biggest.
The main storyline should be how the Sharks are now the perfect example of what the Flames need to do immediately in order to be the next up-and-coming team breaking into the postseason.
How did San Jose get here?
The Sharks are the perfect example of a team that has spent years extending its playoff window, far past the runway it should have. The team made some big mistakes, like trading for Erik Karlsson in a now-lopsided deal that cost them Josh Norris and Tim Stutzle, but they were simply trying to extend their chance at a cup as long as possible.
They gave it a good shot, even making the Conference Finals in 2019, but after that, they continuously found themselves at the bottom of their division. It didn’t work, and that’s hockey, but they continued to keep trying at rolling it back with a very similar squad until 2022, when they started their sell-off.
The team pivoted to a rebuild with the trades of Brent Burns, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and the second Karlsson trade. It was painful, and some seasons were nearly unbearable for the organization and its fan bases, but this season already shows that memories are short, as the future of the Sharks is here and immediately challenging for a playoff spot.
When they committed to a rebuild and tanked hard, the team was rewarded with Celebrini, Will Smith, and Michael Misa through their own first-round picks. By trading Hertl, the team eventually used those assets to acquire Yaroslav Askaraov. By trading Karlsson, the team acquired an additional first-rounder that eventually led to Sam Dickinson.
Add in the various other trades they made over that time period, and you’re looking at even more first-round talent and young prospects that now look like an embarrassment of riches.
The team went from 2019 Conference Finalists, to rebuild, to a potential playoff team in under seven years.
The Flames? Not so much.
A missed opportunity for the Flames
Over that same seven-year time period, the Flames did not make it to the Conference Finals, nor did they amass any top-tier first-round talent like the Sharks. They have simply been treading water, trying to extend their window.
Since the Sharks truly started trading away their core veterans and committing to the rebuild, the Flames have yet to make the postseason, often finishing just outside. Had they equally committed to a fresh start after Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk’s departures, the team could have dipped its toes into the Sharks’ pool of prospect riches.
Now that is not to downplay the value of Zayne Parekh or Cole Reschny, but the difference maker that is Celebrini right now would have been worth the risk.
The Sharks have technically had more playoff success and a successful rebuild over the same time the Flames have done virtually nothing in the Jonathan Huberdeau/Nazem Kadri era.
Where do the Flames go from here?
What is critical is that the Flames face a key decision point for the future of the franchise. They have valuable veterans, like Rasmus Andersson and Kadri, who would fetch a haul on the market. They are extremely valuable players to the franchise, but would be more valuable for the future. Combine that with the team being increasingly close to a top pick in a generational draft, and the time is now to finally commit.
If the team can just commit to one path, it may be a quick turnaround. There is always a risk that you go down the Buffalo path, but there are too many examples of it working well to ignore.
If not, the team can continue to expect future blowouts at the hands of the Sharks.
