The Calgary Flames have been one of the worst teams in the NHL to start the year. Nobody is really surprised about this outcome; however, not everything needs to be all doom and gloom surrounding this team. Despite the losses and lack of offence, there have been some standouts on this roster. In a season that everyone knew would be a long one, some players have not let that get in the way of their performance. Who has been the most impressive Flame so far this season? We asked, you answered.
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Which Flame has impressed the most?
We presented the following poll to our readers:
Kevin Bahl
Bahl has no doubt been Calgary’s best defenceman. At 5v5, he leads all Flames defencemen in CF% at 61.25, xGF% at 65.80, and HDCF% at 63.16. When Bahl is on the ice, the opposition gets the least amount of high-quality scoring chances, and the Flames are the most stable. Bahl is one of the most experienced defencemen on this roster, and his play on the ice provides steady guidance for the younger defencemen on the team, like Parekh and Nemec.
Matt Coronato
For a team that has to fight tooth and nail to generate any sort of offence, Coronato has had a respectable start to the season. He has generated four points in seven games, tying Joel Farabee for the team lead. Despite this, he is around the middle of the pack of forwards when it comes to CF%, xGF%, and HDCF% at 5v5. Looking at his numbers, a good amount of offensive chances are generated with him on the ice, but so are chances against. In a perfect world, Coronato’s numbers would lean more towards the offensive side, allowing him to spend more time in the offensive zone and generate chances for this team.
Aydar Suniev
Suniev has arguably been the biggest bright spot on this team. He had a great preseason, consistently being a threat to score on a team starving for goals. In just four games, he already has three points and two goals, currently outproducing players like Matvei Gridin. Suniev is likely here to stay on the Flames roster. The team should focus on putting Suniev in positions where he can succeed and continue to contribute to the scoresheet.
Simon Nemec
Although it hasn’t necessarily translated to the score sheet yet, Nemec has produced some strong underlying numbers, ranking among the top defencemen on the team in CF%, xGF%, and HDCF%. These stats are encouraging, but it is worth discussing how much of these results are due to his pairing with Kevin Bahl. Nemec has played most of his minutes with Bahl, and Bahl’s contributions are a major factor in inflating Nemec’s numbers. Despite that, Nemec was acquired to be an integral part of the future of this Calgary team, and if Bahl’s contributions allow Nemec to start getting consistent production on the score sheet, that would be great news.
Some bright spots
Cheer up, Flames fans! There are some current bright spots about this team right now! It isn’t fun seeing so many losses, but it’s always a good thing to see certain players play well, especially if they are young. As the Flames continue their rebuild, the development and overall success of these players will be integral to the future of the team.
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