Silver linings for the Calgary Flames after slow start to season
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.