Change of atmosphere fuels Calgary Flames' playoff ambitions

Will a new general manager, coach, captain and attitude push the Calgary Flames over the hump to the playoffs in 2023-24? Calgary Flames' Dillon Dube (29) trips battling for the puck with Vancouver Canucks' Anthony Beauvillier (72), Noah Juulsen (47) and Pius Suter (24) during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game in Vancouver, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Will a new general manager, coach, captain and attitude push the Calgary Flames over the hump to the playoffs in 2023-24?

A club that missed the NHL post-season last season by two points — and left a league-leading 17 on the table in overtime and shootout losses — starts afresh determined to be a contender with the words "compete, commitment, consistency" adorning the dressing room walls.

"We've got the team in here," defenceman MacKenzie Weegar told media during training camp. "Whether you guys believe it or not, we believe in here. I think that's all that matters. 

"Whether we're under the radar or we're on the radar, doesn't matter to us. We know what we got here."

What the Flames have that is new this season is GM Craig Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska, who were promoted from within after Brad Treliving departed to become the Toronto Maple Leafs GM and Darryl Sutter was fired in the spring.

Without a captain for two seasons under Sutter, the Flames were able to put a 'C' on centre Mikael Backlund when the 14-year Flames' veteran signed a two-year contract extension during training camp.

Left-winger Jonathan Huberdeau's "I completely lost my swagger this year" assessment of his first season as a Flame was last spring's red flag that the club's highest-paid player was unhappy.

A more convivial atmosphere around the team is a stated goal in the belief that fun and hard work are not mutually exclusive, and can translate into wins.

"If you enjoy going to work every day, your job is that much easier to do," Huska said. "It's no different for these guys. Sometimes, I even catch myself that these guys are the best at what they do. They just go and do (their) job, but they have bad days like everybody else. 

"It's important that they know when they come to the rink, they're going to be pushed to get better every day, but they're going to enjoy being around each other. That's what we have to create. It's easy to say that now. When everything starts to get going for real, and we go into a stretch where we face a little adversity, that's the challenge."

Calgary ranked second to the Carolina Hurricanes in shots that missed the net and also hit 81 posts and crossbars last season. 

So the Flames need a finisher, particularly after the departure of Tyler Toffoli and his team-leading 34 goals in a trade with the New Jersey Devils.

Belarusian right-winger Yegor Sharangovich, who arrived in that deal, auditioned on the right wing of Huberdeau and centre Elias Lindholm on Calgary's top line in training camp, as did Andrew Mangiapane.

Right-winger Matt Coronato, the club's 2021 first-round pick, made a solid case to be a full-time Flame this season with four goals and three assists in his six pre-season games.

Calgary's hope is a happier Huberdeau can return to his 115-point production of the season before Florida traded him to Calgary, and that Nazem Kadri can similarly regain his groove in his second year as a Flame after winning a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022.

"What I look for is the guy that's playing with some pace, and when he's making his passes or plays, he's completed most of them," Huska said.

"When you see a player doing that, you know he's feeling really good about himself and his game. That'll allow us to put him in situations where he can have a direct impact on the game."

Calgary's strength is its blue line with a solid top five in Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, Weeger, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov augmented by the free-agent signing of seasoned Jordan Oesterle.

"Our top six can go against any top six in the league," Weegar said.

FORTUNES RIDE ON MARKSTROM

New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas, right, tries to score on a breakaway as Calgary Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom blocks him during second period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

But the Flames' fortunes ride on a Jacob Markstrom rebound in goal. Despite more Dan Vladar starts to give Calgary's No. 1 more rest, Markstrom's .892 save percentage last season was his lowest in eight years. 

"I don't look back. I look forward," Markstrom said.

With Lindholm, Hanifin, Tanev and Zadorov entering the final years of their contracts before unrestricted free agency, Conroy is under pressure to either extend them or get value back for them in the trade market.

"I think he believes that what we have in this room is capable of winning the Stanley Cup," Weegar said. "The 23 guys that are on the roster got to believe it too."

WOW WEEGAR

While Huberdeau was the centrepiece of the Calgary-Florida trade in the summer of 2022, Weegar turned out to be a bonus get in that deal. The 29-year-old defenceman from Ottawa was often Calgary's best player of the game after last season's all-star break. Weegar helped Canada win a gold medal at the men's world championship in June. Huska indicated Weegar will be a big-minute man this season.

Washington Capitals' Nic Dowd, left, is knocked down by Calgary Flames' MacKenzie Weegar during first period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Ab., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal Larry MacDougal

"It's just all confidence for me, feeling comfortable," Weegar said. "I thought the worlds was big for me as well in the summertime. Just trying to carry that same mentality I had at the end of the year and into the worlds, and carry it into this season right off the start."

COACH CHEMISTRY

Marc Savard and Dan Lambert are new to Calgary's coaching staff. They join Cail MacLean as Huska's assistants. While defensive zone coverage and limiting the opposition's scoring chances is among of Huska's priorities, he feels his new assistants bring offensive know-how.  

"(Marc) thinks the game quite a bit differently than I do. Dan is the same. He's got offensive flair to him the way he played and thought the game. Cail is a little bit more like me, so I feel like we have a group that kind of balances each other out," Huska said.

"When you have certain guys that balance each other out and bring different ideas to the table, you're going to eventually come up with the best solution and that's what we're going to do."

SCHEDULE WATCH

The Heritage Classic in Edmonton is a Battle of Alberta with the Oilers hosting the Flames in the outdoor game Oct. 29 at Commonwealth Stadium. It's the first of four meetings between Alberta's NHL teams. The Chicago Blackhawks and star rookie Connor Bedard are in Calgary on Jan. 27.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2023.