So far, this has been an extremely boring season for the Calgary Flames. There is no energy in the Saddledome, and the team does not do any better on the road. Going into the season, no one was sure what kind of season the Flames would have. At this point, there are on full team tank with the hopes of securing a top-three pick in the upcoming NHL draft. They sent Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights, which is hopefully the beginning of a fire sale. All this fanbase wants is for this team to tank. Let’s take a look at why this team is so boring.
The Flames have a lack of star power
One of the obvious reasons why this team is so boring to watch is that they lack star power. The biggest “superstar” that this team currently has is Nazem Kadri. The veteran forward currently has 37 points across 55 games. It is likely that Kadri’s time as a Flame is coming to an end, as the forward has been in plenty of trade rumours. Other than Kadri, the biggest superstar this team has is Dustin Wolf, who, quite frankly, is held out to dry at times. It has been a tough season for the young goalie, who currently has a sub-.900 save percentage. Although you can’t blame him with the team that is playing in front of him.
Along with the lack of star power, there have been plenty of players who have underperformed this season. Guys like Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich have had abysmal seasons. Huberdeau will finish with 25 points on the year and was on pace for roughly 38 points. It was recently revealed that Huberdeau will undergo hip surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. Hopefully, this can help him revitalize his career.
Sharangovich never had the expectations that people have had for Huberdeau. Although he is still expected to be a 50-point player. Sharangovich had a phenomenal first season as a Flame, where he scored 31 goals and 59 points. After this, Craig Conroy signed him to a five-year deal worth $28.75M. Unfortunately, the forward has completely fallen off, posting twenty points in 52 games this season, and has even been placed in the bottom-six.
The young players get limited opportunities
All season long, Flames fans have wanted one thing. To watch the young guns play. Specifically, the players the people want to see are:
- Zayne Parekh
- Hunter Brzustewicz
- Matvei Gridin
- William Stromgren
- Rory Kerins
These five players potentially could have had full-time roles with the Flames this season. Unfortunately, that has not happened for any of them. These five players have played a combined total of 49 games. That is not a lot for a team that is currently fourth last in the entire NHL. All five of these players could be key pieces to the Flames’ future. It is only right to give them lots of playing time when playoff hopes are pretty much abolished.
Parekh and Brzustewicz are the ones who should be playing the most. Parekh is the top prospect in the whole organization, while Brzustewicz is the second-best defensive prospect. There are currently too many defencemen in the Flames organization. Even with Parekh and Brzustewicz out of the lineup, the Flames can still easily fill a full defencemen lineup. Guys like Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal have taken away opportunities for these guys to shine.
The other three forwards should all have at least a depth role for the remainder of the season. To this point, Kerins, Stromgren, and Gridin have barely jumped into the lineup. Gridin has played the most, as he truly has some undeniable talent that you can’t really teach. But Stromgren and Kerins could be perfect third liners. The players standing in their way have been Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. On a brighter side, Coleman will hopefully be traded after the Olympic break, opening up a spot, while the Huberdeau injury gives Gridin a full-time role.
No good rivalries for Calgary
With the Flames being in tank mode, it is difficult to get excited over games. Since they lose so often, it is tough to develop any rivalry with any team. The recent win against the Edmonton Oilers was awesome, but the rivalry has completely disappeared. The Oilers are consistent Stanley Cup contenders, while the Flames are sinking in the standings. This rivalry used to be the best in the NHL before the Flames messed everything up.
The only rivalry that this team has going on at the moment is with the Vancouver Canucks. Obviously, this is the battle for the potential first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. For right now, the Canucks hold the lead for the first overall pick as they have ten fewer points than the Flames. Their team is totally beaten up as Thatcher Demko, Brock Boeser, Marco Rossi, and Zeev Buium are all dealing with injuries. The Canucks have also not been afraid to part with big-name players. They traded Quinn Hughes at an unexpected time and dealt Kiefer Sherwood way before the deadline. This is what the Flames should be doing, but instead, it took them over a year to make up their mind on what to do with Rasmus Andersson.
At least Flames fans can enjoy watching some Olympic hockey in the near future. The only current Flame representing their country at the tournament will be Martin Pospisil on Team Slovakia. Sam Honzek should also be on that roster, but Backlund’s friendly-fire hit ended his season. Meanwhile, former Flame Andersson will also be representing his country of Sweden. The men’s Olympic hockey begins on Wednesday when Pospisil and Slovakia take on Team Finland.
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