CALGARY -- Milan Lucic has been around the game for a long time. He's played 1,014 games over 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and the Flames.
Lucic won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins. When asked to pinpoint what went wrong in a season where the Flames never really seemed to get into gear, the 32-year-old was brutally honest.
"When you play for individual achievements versus team achievements this is what happens. You don't get to play in the playoffs," Lucic said.
"When you play for team achievements, playing to win the division title and home ice and all that type of stuff then that's when things go well for you as an individual," he added. "So like I said it's between the ears and that's the mindset that we have to have this summer moving forward and that's the mindset we have to bring into this season."
CHANGES COMING
But how many of these players will be coming back this season? Once again the core of this team failed to get the job done. General Manger Brad Treliving said he'll look at everything to make this team better.
"Well we've got to make changes," Treliving told the media on Thursday.
"The answer is as we're currently constructed you know we have to make some changes to our team and how deep those changes will go, we'll have to determine that."
EXPANSION DRAFT
There's no doubt this will be a much different-looking team next season. The Flames have eight unrestricted free agents and there's also the expansion draft as the NHL welcomes its newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken.
Captain Mark Giordano is 37-years-old and therefore a prime candidate to be left unprotected. Giordano knows that could happen but said he'd prefer to stay here.
"For me it's pretty obvious as a player there's going to be certain situations that are going to, you know we're going to have to talk about," Giordano said.
"As far as me personally I mean I've been here my whole career and I love it here so obviously I still want to be here next year."
WHAT ABOUT JOHNNY?
Johnny Gaudreau led the Flames in scoring this season with 19 goals and 30 assists in 56 games. He has one year left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Gaudreau said he would be open to signing an extension with the club. "I love playing here. I don't think I've said once that I wouldn't want to be here," Gaudreau said.
"The guys in the locker room are great here," he added. "I've always enjoyed my time here so if that's something that comes up this summer it's something that I'd be very willing to do and try to get done."
Matthew Tkachuk is also eligible to re-sign this summer but said he hasn't spoken to the team about an extension as of yet.
One other note. Dillon Dube won't be going to the World Hockey Championship due to a concussion he suffered in Wednesday afternoon's game against Vancouver.
