Can the Calgary Flames win one more Stanley Cup in the Saddledome?

The Calgary Flames’ days in the Saddledome are numbered. With this summer’s announcement of a new arena, what are the odds they win one more cup in it?

The days in the Saddledome are numbered, which is something that Calgary Flames fans have known for a while. With this summer’s announcement of a new arena, that dream is finally set to become a reality.

This will not happen right away, but it is expected that the new facility will be ready for the 2023-24 season. The Flames have won a single Stanley Cup in the Saddledome. So, what are the odds of them winning another before the dome is no longer the place they call home?

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If last season was any indication of what this team is capable of, it was proven through pure statistical result. They found themselves at the top of the league on several occasions, battling the ever-strong Tampa Bay Lightning, and clinched the Pacific Division to top it all off.

However, once playoffs hit, both those teams met the end of their season sooner than most our playoff brackets could have ever anticipated. The Flames have a total of four seasons for one last ride in the Saddledome. So the real question is, who is going to be along for the ride?

The Flames’ top contracts come with a timestamp. Assuming no trades are made between now and then, it may come to a point where they will not be able to afford their top players anymore. As much as we would all love Johnny Gaudreau to be forever a Flame, if his skill continues to rise, it may just not be financially feasible anymore.

The Flames locked Gaudreau down for six years in October of 2016, meaning he enters into his fourth year this upcoming season. If there is an outside chance that these are the last two years of the Gaudreau era in Calgary, it is in the team’s best interest to use the time wisely.

Centering Gaudreau is Sean Monahan, who also signed a long term contract in 2016. Monahan was penciled in for seven years and the duo has been an electric part of the Flames top line ever since they started playing together.

Contractually, Monahan will have an extra season before the closure of the Saddledome, but even he may be in a different jersey when the new arena opens. The alternate captain has been among talks in the past as the future of the leadership of the team when Mark Giordano’s career comes to an end. However, if Matthew Tkachuk is there to stay, Monahan could have fierce competition.

Unfortunately, what can be assumed about the Flames is that there is a giant question mark between the pipes. This year brings a hopeful duo of David Rittich and Cam Talbot, but after going through seven full-time goalies since the times of Miikka Kiprusoff, the club does not yet show any signs of upsetting the pattern.

In their preseason rankings, Money Puck predicted the Calgary Flames have a 62.05% chance of making the playoffs and a 4% chance of winning the cup in the 2019-20 season. The last meaningful playoff run the Flames had was in 2003-04. Last year was giving fans flashbacks of their 1989 win but did not succeed in producing the same results. The time is arguably now to do everything they can with the team that takes the ice on opening night and the players that are in development in their affiliated squads.

Beyond the players that often make headlines, there are a handful of others who are expected to be in Calgary more long term. According to Cap Friendly, there are currently seven players who have contracts that extend up until or beyond the 2020-21 season.

Besides Gaudreau and Monahan, also included is Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Mark Giordano, and Milan Lucic. Many of these guys have proven their skills on and off the team. All eyes are on Milan Lucic this year for his breakout season as a Flame. Each of these guys has a chance to show why the club locked them down for longer terms. That’s if that hasn’t already been proven to fans in the past.

The way this team came together last year shows that the pieces are all there. With the young talent and dynamic chemistry between lines, the window for their success appears to be in the next two or three years. What is left to figure out is how they will use it and if the results will reflect the potential of this team.