Calgary Flames: Top 3 questions that remain to be answered in 2020
The Calgary Flames have had tons of questions to deal with this season while providing few answers. Here are their three big questions that still need answers.
The Calgary Flames were one of the best teams in the NHL during the 2018-19 season. However, they got upset by the Colorado Avalanche in five games in the first round. After a summer that saw very few changes other than the Milan Lucic for James Neal trade, the Flames were expected to at least contend for the Pacific Division title.
Instead, they’ve had a season defined by hills and valleys with very few plateaus. It took them until mid-November to pull off a streak of more than three consecutive wins or losses. The Flames have had four losing streaks of at least three games and four winning streaks of at least three games.
Currently, the Flames are waiting to see if the rest of the regular season (or playoffs) will be played. They have a record of 36-27-7, good for 79 points, which is four points shy of the Edmonton Oilers in second place and seven points shy of the Vegas Golden Knights in first. However, if the postseason teams were determined by point percentage, the Flames would be the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
No matter how this season ends for the Flames, they’re going to have numerous questions to answer during the offseason. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Who’s The Coach?
The Flames fired head coach Bill Peters back in November after allegations of abuse and racism were made public. Geoff Ward has done an adequate job replacing him, leading the Flames to the ninth-best point percentage in the NHL since taking over.
On the other hand, a dive into their underlying numbers shows the Flames aren’t actually playing that well as far as possession. Their only increase from Peters to Ward is in 5v5 goals for percentage.
Now, Ward’s only their interim head coach. And though the Flames’ underlying numbers are weak under him, he’s getting them to win games. Ultimately, that means a lot in the NHL. Before the Flames can move onto the other questions, the first one they must answer is who will be in charge behind the bench after the season’s over.
2. The Future Of The Blueline
The Calgary Flames only have three of their eight defensemen on their roster signed through next season. T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic, Erik Gustafsson, and Michael Stone will all be unrestricted free agents. Moreover, young defenseman Oliver Kylington will be a restricted free agent. Only Mark Giordano, Noah Hanifin, and Rasmus Andersson have a contract past this season.
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Of course, Juuso Valimaki could fill one of those spots. But he’s coming off a serious knee injury. Returns from those kinds of injuries aren’t always smooth. Still, Valimaki remains at the very least a viable option.
Kylington will likely be re-signed as well, probably to a short-term deal seeing as how he hasn’t proven too much in the NHL. In 87 games (a shade over a full season), he has 15 points. But Kylington is still young, so there’s certainly room and time for him to grow.
That leaves at least one spot wide open, and that’s assuming Valimaki is capable of handling a regular spot in the lineup following his injury. This is also assuming the Flames are fine with having a blueline with four left-handed options. The Flames need to add at least one right-handed defenseman. Maybe even two.
Complicating the matter is Giordano’s down season. After winning the Norris Trophy last season, Giordano has taken a clear step back this season. The Flames must figure out if this season is merely a blip on the radar or if it’s a sign Father Time is finally catching up to the soon-to-be 37-year-old defenseman.
3. Does The Core Need A Shakeup?
Perhaps no team needs the postseason to happen more than the Calgary Flames. There are a lot of questions that their core have to answer. Through five seasons together (not including this one), the core of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Giordano, Brodie, and Mikael Backlund have combined to win a single postseason series.
Obviously, Matthew Tkachuk isn’t going anywhere. The Flames clearly value him and they proved that last summer when they signed him to a three-year deal worth $7 million per year. The only reason they didn’t sign him to a longer term deal was because they didn’t have the cap space to do it.
Which brings us to the number one question the Flames have to answer – do they need to cut some cap space by trading a member of their core? Obviously, it would help if they get a chance to prove themselves in the postseason. But what if they don’t get that chance? What do the Flames do?
Giordano has a no-trade clause and he’s the team captain, so he’s not going anywhere unless he wants to and the Flames want him to. It is worth noting, though, that his no-trade clause turns into a modified no-trade clause after the start of the league’s new year (whenever that may be).
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Backlund could be moved, but he has a modified no-trade clause which allows him to submit a 10-team trade list. Brodie’s probably departing in free agency. That leaves Gaudreau and Monahan. Do the Flames double down on their core? Or shake it up by trading Gaudreau or Monahan? Whatever the Flames choose, it’s going to affect the short-term and long-term future of the franchise.