The Top Three Must See Calgary Flames Games Of 2022-23
If the Calgary Flames’ regular season shapes up to be half as noteworthy as the offseason, we could be in for a very exciting year of hockey.
The Flames have made some blockbuster moves including losing three core assets in Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sean Monahan. In return, they acquired Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and most recently, Nazem Kadri. The moves alone are enough to drum up some drama so here are your top three must-watch Flames games of the 2022-23 season.
3 – Florida Panthers (November 19th)
Matthew Tkachuk joined the Florida Panthers this summer and made his goodbye to Calgary a brief one. He has already shared promotional photos in his new uniform and made the whole scenario a cut-and-dry business and personal move for himself. He played his last game with Calgary without the fans really knowing it would be his last one.
When he returns to Calgary, it will be very interesting to see. Tkachuk is notoriously known for his pest-style of play. Does he hold back against the Flames? He will be recognized for his time with the Flames but will he go after his former teammates or start trouble with new players that took his and his former linemates’ spots?
It could be all fun and games to start, but Tkachuk could create some new rivalries with Calgary when he is on the other side of things. Another part to consider is Huberdeau and Weegar on the other side. They switched from the Panthers to the Flames and while they’re not as pesty players as Tkachuk, there will still be some getting used to when they go to play their former team.
2 – Columbus Blue Jackets (December 19th)
The way Johnny Gaudreau exited Calgary left a lot of fans feeling very hurt and betrayed. The first time he makes his way back to the Saddledome to play on the opposing side might be quite an emotional one. For the fans and for Gaudreau.
The Flames’ public announcers will likely do what they’ve done in the past with departing Flames like Mark Giordano most recently and offer a small montage video with an opportunity for fans to applaud and cheer for their former player. However, Giordano’s departure was much more out of control of the team and the decision of the player due to him being selected in an expansion draft.
Johnny Gaudreau had an option to stay and had many fans thinking right at the 11th hour that he would be resigning long-term in Calgary. They were mostly blindsided by Gaudreau’s decision to test free agency and even more shocked when he left for Columbus the next day.
The extent of the public outrage that occurred after the Flames fandom lost their long-time star player was so brutal that it’s hard to believe they will have a short memory about how that all played out. Gaudreau has publicly addressed the Flames fans multiple times since leaving but even with that, his first game back could be the first time you hear a crowd full of boos directed at Johnny Gaudreau in the C of Red.
1 – Edmonton Oilers (October 15th)
You can bet there will be some jaded feelings going into the first battle of Alberta of the season. The Flames’ playoff hopes were cut short by the Oilers and an overtime play by Connor McDavid where Johnny Gaudreau practically let him walk into the zone. This would go down to be the last play Johnny Hockey had with Calgary. This was also Tkachuk’s last game as a Flame but they will not be around to get revenge in a Flames uniform.
The Oilers have lost a key part of their game in Zack Kassian and the Matthew Tkachuk rivalry between those two will have to take place in a different division if they’re still holding on to hard feelings. We are entering a new era of the Battle of Alberta. There are some fresh faces to the match-up but what never changes, is the regional proximity between these two and the number of divisional match-ups that make them such natural rivals.
There won’t be a long wait to see these two in action with the first game taking place the second regular season game of the year.
These games won’t be the only games that are going to be worth a watch. Especially with a new core lineup. The 2022-23 season will undoubtedly be an interesting one for the Flames and October can’t come soon enough.