Silver linings for the Calgary Flames after slow start to season

Yes, there are immediate and colossal long-term questions that need to be answered when it comes to the Calgary Flames. Yes, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri have been underwhelming through a handful of games. And yes, Dan Vladar’s trade value may be taking a hit, meaning that waiving the backup goaltender might be a more realistic avenue to getting Dustin Wolf into NHL games. But, despite the all-too-familiar feeling of perpetual mediocrity, there are some positives Flames fans can take away at this juncture. Perhaps writing this article is a coping mechanism for me (as reading it may be for you), but it’s important to take a peek at the silver linings from time to time (even if only to maintain one’s sanity).

In the spirit of positivity, let’s get into it with our first Calgary Flames silver lining:

Alternatively, if you’d like to jump to specific silver linings, here’s the list (hit the link to jump to the corresponding slide):

• The Flames’ penalty kill has been dynamite
• Elias Lindholm is playing solid two-way hockey
• Jacob Markstrom has been much better than he was last season
• Andrew Mangiapane: a bright spot on and off the ice
• The new-look fourth line featuring Yegor Sharangovich is way better than a slow old fourth line featuring Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis
• The Calgary Flames have a captain
• If the season begins to spiral, Conroy’s patience with the UFA contracts could be an asset
• Young players are in the lineup and more will get the chance

(NOTE: Advanced analytics metrics throughout this article were sourced from MoneyPuck and Natural Stat Trick)

The Flames’ penalty kill has been dynamite

The Calgary Flames are tied for the second best PK in the NHL. With a 95.5% (104.6% net) success rate, they’ve been close to perfect while down a man. With the power play yet to get clicking, it’s been a relief to see the other special team doing it’s thing.

For the Flames to maintain hope for a playoff berth, the penalty kill is going to have to stay top of class, especially if scoring goals is going to be a challenge for them.

Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm have stood out for me on the penalty kill. Hopefully Backlund can bury one (like Lindholm did against Columbus) the next time he’s gifted a breakaway while the Flames are shorthanded…

Elias Lindholm is playing solid two-way hockey

Lindholm has been the Flames’ best player so far this season. He’s the 1C, a staple on the first power play unit, and as I mentioned above, has been exceptional on the PK as well.

With a pair of goals and four assists through six games, Lindholm has contributed to the scoresheet at a point per game pace as the team’s points leader. He’s been great at the dot as well, winning the majority of his draws with a 57.4 face-off percentage.

Considering the problems the whole club is experiencing adjusting to how Ryan Huska wants them to operate in their own zone and the inconsistent personnel on his line, Lindholm has been good defensively, too. He’s a minus-1 and has an on-ice expected goal differential of -0.8, but I’d expect that to turn around as the squad continues to adapt to their new D-zone system and Lindholm’s linemates contribute better defensively.

Whether or not you believe the Flames should extend or trade Lindholm, we should appreciate what he’s doing here and now. Hopefully the power play can start producing at a better rate and Huska can put together a top line that clicks and sticks, allowing Lindholm to increase his positive impact on the Flames’ performance night in and night out. It would be pretty cool to see Lindholm exceed the 82-point mark without Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk on his wings.

Jacob Markstrom has been much better than he was last season

Remember that sick feeling we had in the pits of our stomach as soon as the puck would drop to start each and every game last year? The one that had you watching the game with one eye open because you know there was a chance that the opponent’s first shot would get by Markstrom? That sucked.

While it’s not entirely dissipated for me personally, it’s fading away and my confidence in the Flames’ starting netminder is gradually refortifying.

Markstrom holds a .905 save percentage through four starts, having turned away 105 of 116 shots faced. It’s not quite the .922 SV% he recorded two seasons ago, but it’s creeping closer to his career average and it’s better than the poor .892 SV% he managed last season behind a more functional team defence.

Most important, though, are not Markstrom’s numbers – it’s the fact that he’s given the Calgary Flames chances to win games and that he’s made big saves in crucial moments. Markstrom has ensured he’s the undisputed starting goaltender for his hockey team; now it’s time for his teammates and coaching staff to put together 60-minute efforts in front of him.

If Markstrom can continue to play well (or even get better) as the season goes on, he’ll be a vital ingredient in extending playoff chances right down to the wire.

Here’s Markstrom committing armed robbery on Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli:

Andrew Mangiapane: A bright spot on and off the ice

With three tallies in the goal column and a pair of assists, Mangiapane is off to the start a lot of Flames fans were hoping for. He’s found a decent groove early on; ideally Mangiapane builds on this start with consistent linemates (he’s bounced from the top line with Lindholm and Huberdeau to his familiar placement alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman).

On the defensive side of things, Mangiapane owns the Flames’ second best on-ice expected goal differential with 2.5. In reality, 88 is a plus-4 skater through six games, a significant contrast to the team’s top expected on-ice expected goal differential of 2.8, which is held by Huberdeau, who, despite what the advanced stats suggest, is actually a minus-5. In short, even with an impossible-to-perpetuate 42.9 shooting percentage, Mangiapane’s been on the right side of the red light more times than not – and the data suggests that should be the case.

Beyond his hot start on the scoresheet, Mangiapane and his fiancée Claudia recently launched an initiative to benefit underprivileged youth in the Youth Centres of Calgary by providing the opportunity for them to learn the fundamentals of hockey in an after-school program called Mange’s Breadsticks. The program is funded personally by Andrew and Claudia with the Calgary Flames Foundation and the Calgary Italian Open Society matching 100% of funding. Here’s more information on Mange’s Breadsticks directly from the Calgary Flames’ official press release:

Growing up as an underdog, Andrew wanted to support kids who felt the same, and provide them with the opportunities to learn to play hockey. “Our vision is to play a role in breaking down barriers in the game of hockey and supporting kids who are told they can’t, they don’t have access, or that hockey is too expensive,” said Andrew Mangiapane. “Hockey should be available to everyone who loves the game or wants to learn. Calgary has given so much to Claudia and I, and we want to show our love back to this supportive community and help all the underdogs out there play the game we love so much.”

Following a successful off-season shoulder surgery, it’s a delight to see a healthy Andrew Mangiapane. I’m proud of the guy and Claudia for what they’re doing in Calgary, whether that’s hockey with the big boys or hockey with kids in the community. Here’s to the underdog. Thanks for being awesome, Mange.

The new-look fourth line featuring Yegor Sharangovich is way better than a slow old fourth line featuring Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis

The fourth line has started to buzz. While not as exciting as an offensive explosion from Jonathan Huberdeau, the early-season emergence of a reliable fourth line is a potential critical puzzle piece for the Calgary Flames.

After trials on both wings and the power play, a bit of concern for Yegor Sharangvich was starting to bubble among the fan base. Prior to the recent road trip, I wrote that finding a fit for Sharangovich was “vital” for the Calgary Flames. Although he’s not currently slotted on the top line or either of the PP units, Sharangovich has taken on centre responsibilities on the fourth line between A.J. Greer and Walker Duehr – and it seems to be working.

On most occasions when Huska’s new fourth line trio takes the ice, they’re responsible and generate momentum for the next line coming over the boards. They’re quick, energetic, and tenacious.

All three of Sharangovich (1G, 1A), Greer (1A), and Duehr (1G, 2A) have recorded points so far this season.

We should not take this trio for granted. Fourth lines aren’t praised often enough, but as we know from recent experience, when they’re not on, they’re lambasted by fans. So, give the fourth line some love and be thankful we can stand to watch with intrigue rather than fury when they’re on the ice.

The Calgary Flames have a captain

It wasn’t long ago that we were all clamouring for GM Craig Conroy and Huska to name their captain and formal leadership group, but we’re really quick to move on, aren’t we?

Let’s take a step back and reflect on the fact that actually letting a player wear the “C” for the Calgary Flames is a massive step in the right direction. I’m done hammering Darryl Sutter for his detriments to the club (at least for now), so rather than compare and contrast the captaincy situation of today with Sutter’s yesteryear, can we simply appreciate – for a little bit longer – that the Flames made the correct decision with a Mikael Backlund captaincy? Having someone in the captain’s role is healthy for the fan community, beneficial to the players in the room and the coaching staff, and reflective of organizational cohesion from the front office to the bench.

The cherry on the cake is the addition of fan-favourite defenceman Rasmus Andersson to the Calgary Flames leadership group.

In 2022-23, the Flames had a leadership group of:

• Mikael Backlund (A)
• Chris Tanev (A)
• Elias Lindholm (A)
• Jonathan Huberdeau (A)

In 2023-24, the Flames are working with what appears to be a more complete and representative leadership group:

• Mikael Backlund (C)
• Chris Tanev (A)
• Elias Lindholm (A)
• Jonathan Huberdeau (A)
• Rasmus Andersson (A)

If you’re curious why you don’t/won’t see all five of these players with letters on their chests every night, it’s because a maximum of three skaters can don letters (a “C” and two “A”s or three “A”s) during any given game. Backlund will wear the “C” all the time – at home and and on the road, no questions asked. To start the season, Huberdeau and Andersson will wear the alternate captains’ “A”s on the road, while Tanev and Lindholm will wear them at home. History suggests the road and home “A”s will swap at the season’s midway point.

If the season begins to spiral, Conroy’s patience with the UFA contracts could be an asset

This is a hopeful and positive article, so for the sake of the exercise, join me in manifesting success.

BUT, in the event the Flames’ position in the division standings at American Thanksgiving or the holiday season don’t have them poised for a playoff appearance or at the very least, a statistically supported meaningful playoff race, perhaps we should be thankful that only one UFA contract extension has been handed out (Backlund). Players on expiring deals are much easier to deal in-season as the trade deadline approaches and teams may be willing to pay a pretty penny to add to their roster in preparation for the playoffs. The Flames’ current potential UFA trade chips are Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, A.J. Greer, Jordan Oesterle, and Dennis Gilbert (yes, five of Calgary’s seven defencemen – all except Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar – are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1 next summer).

Of course, with rumours abuzz and Conroy mentioning he’s in talks with “all” of the UFAs’ agents, that could change quickly (most notably with a Lindholm or Hanifin extension).

With that being said, UFAs aren’t the only trade bait; the Flames are currently shopping Dan Vladar and someone like Dillon Dubé could be an exciting fourth line add for a contending team.

Again, let’s hope things don’t go south for the Flames, but in the event they do, it would be a good thing that every single available dollar for years to come isn’t already committed to the exact group that was unable to provide a winning culture year over year.

Young players are in the lineup and more will get the chance

I won’t go into too much detail here. Instead, check out my article on youth in the Calgary Flames’ lineup here for a bit of background info.

The team is younger than it was last year and more youth will have opportunities to step into the lineup this season. With near certainty, Dustin Wolf will get meaningful NHL starts. When Jakob Pelletier returns from injury, he may join the Wranglers for a conditioning stint, but the Flames will absolutely try to get him into the lineup as soon as he’s ready. In addition to those two future cornerstone players, prospects like Connor Zary, Ilya Solovyov, Adam Klapka, Jeremie Poirier, and Cole Schwindt could spend time with the Flames depending on injuries, trades, and performances from currently rostered Flames.

If fans are upset with the Huberdeau and Kadri deals because of their AAVs and how old each of those players will be when their contracts expire, those same fans should find some relief knowing that youth are getting opportunities – players on entry-level contracts are low cost and age becomes an attractor versus a detractor.

While patience is a virtue when it comes to watching rookies play in the NHL, we should be thrilled about Matthew Coronato, Pelletier, Wolf, Zary, Poirier, and any other young players you’re rooting for who are knocking on the door.

I hope you enjoyed this healthy dosage of positivity. If you’re still reading this, thanks so much for being here. I appreciate you. – Brett