Grading each Calgary Flames player for the 2023-24 season
The Calgary Flames team ended their regular season without seeing post-season playoffs for a second consecutive season. They ended their regular season with a 38-39-5 record and 81 points in the regular season.
However this season a lot challenges to tackle including shuffle of lines because of injuries, trading 5 UFA's (Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadarov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin) and finding chemistry with the upbringing of young rookies to the line-up. Credit to Head Coach Ryan Huska and General Manager Craig Conroy who made the necessary changes to this team as they look to settle on a direction moving forward.
At the end of the regular season, per the Calgary Flames roster page, the team has thirteen (13) forwards, nine (9) defensemen and three (3) goal-tenders (Dustin Wolf not listed because he is with the Wranglers for the Calder Cup playoff run). Let's take a look how the players performed this year so far.
Forwards
Mikael Backlund (#11 - Captain): B
82GP, 15G, 24A, 39pts.
Mikael Backlund the captain of the team has been dealing with an injury at some point during the season, per Pat Steinberg, so his game-style hasn't been up to the expectation. Backlund however excelled as a leader on and off the ice, and drove the play well for his line alongside Blake Coleman and Andrew Mangiapane, providing consistent play once more for the Flames.
Blake Coleman (#20): A+
78GP, 30G, 24A, 54pts.
Blake Coleman, the 'Texas Tiger' has been the goal machine the Flames team were wanting, but not expecting when they landed him in free agency. He scored his career-high 30 goals this season, and was ranked by many as the team’s MVP, providing clutch goals and consistent play all season long for Calgary.
Walker Duehr (#71): C-
40GP, 2G, 5A, 7pts.
Walker Duehr this season's performance wasn't upto the expectation. He has struggled finding his rhythm and couldn't find the momentum to make an impact after a strong rookie campaign a season ago. He will look to rebound in 2024-25 and fight for a spot on the Flames fourth line despite all of the competition he’ll face for a roster spot.
AJ Greer (#18): B
59GP, 6G, 6A, 12pts.
AJ Greer was a waiver pickup by Craig Conroy from the Boston Bruins. He made a huge impact early in his Flames career, scoring some clutch goals for the team before succumbing to an injury that ultimately cost him that strong start to the season.
Jonathan Huberdeau (#10): B
81GP, 12G, 40A, 52pts.
Jonathan Huberdeau struggled during the first half of the season, but he improved in a huge way after the New Year. Although he hasn't played upto expectation based on his contract, he played well alongside Yegor Sharangovich, with signs that he could be the impact player the team hoped for when they traded for him two summers ago.
Dryden Hunt (#15): C
28GP, 3G, 5A, 8pts.
Dryden Hunt has been working hard for the Flames and was often moved between the teams third and fourth line through 28 games this season. He was earlier re-called from the Wranglers after an injury conditioning stint, and showed plenty of promise late in the year, with the potential to be a full-time fourth liner for this team moving forward.
Nazem Kadri (#91): A+
82GP, 29G, 46A, 75pts.
Nazem Kadri was the Calgary Flames team MVP in 2023-24, on the back of his elite skill set and promising performances alongside two top rookies in Zary and Pospisil. It’s unclear whether or not his future lies in Calgary, but if it does, it’s clear he’s going to be a major part of any success they have going forward.
Andrei Kuzmenko (#96): A+
72GP, 22G, 24A, 46pts (29GP, 14G, 11A, 25pts with the Flames).
Andrei Kuzmenko was dealing with an injury and illness when he first landed in Calgary as a result of the Elias Lindholm deal, resulting in a slow start. He quickly turned that around however, and became one of the Flames most promising players, with 14 goals in 29 games showing that he could be a key piece for the team moving forward.
Andrew Mangiapane (#88): C-
75GP, 14G, 26A, 40pts.
Andrew Mangiapane has had an interesting season, has scored a couple different amazing goals but hasn't had a fully productive season with the consistency that we have expected. He also missed a few games with injuries during the second half of the season.
Martin Pospisil (#76): A
63GP, 8G, 16A, 24pts.
Although his stats don’t show it, Martin Pospisil has had an amazing rookie season. He hasproven that he can be aggressive and create momentum for the team, standing up in big moments and showing the physicality that this team sorely lacked. However he will need to improve his game and his discipline if he wants to continue playing that style of hockey.
Kevin Rooney (#21): C
33GP, 3G, 1A, 4pts.
Kevin Rooney returned to the line-up after a surgery for a shoulder injury late into the season. He is best suited for a role on the teams fourth-line, and in that role he played well, especially when lined up with talented teammates. He’s under contract next season for Calgary, and will look to fight for a spot on a roster that may look to push for the playoffs again.
Yegor Sharangovich (#17): A+
82GP, 31G, 28A, 59pts.
In his first season with the Flames, Yegor Sharangovich stood out as a great player on the ice, and a very likeable character away from it. Yegor Sharangovich joined the team from the Tyler Toffoli trade and he scored his career high goals while settting a record as the most goals scored as a Belarusian in the NHL. He’s expected to be a major part of the Flames moving forward, and could even push to be the full-time top line winger next season, especially if the Flames find the right combination alongside Jonathan Huberdeau.
Connor Zary (#47): A
63GP, 14G, 20A, 34pts.
Connor Zary has had an amazing rookie season, and while he slowed down towards the end of the year, he was rightfully placed in Calder Trophy conversations all season long. Zary was tested in a few different positions in the forward lines including at center and as a winger, impressing mightily as he went from standout rookie to regular NHLer.
Defenseman
Rasmus Andersson (#4): B
78GP, 9G, 30A, 39pts.
Rasmus Andersson put in a lot of effort and dedication this season, and while he struggled after the Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin deals, he remains a key piece for this blue line. Even before that, Andersson struggled to play to the level we’ve become accustomed too, and with his deal coming up soon, he will look for a big bounce back in 2024-25.
Dennis Gilbert (#48): B
34GP, 1G, 6A, 7pts.
Dennis Gilbert had a rough season but contributed as much as possible to the team. He had to deal with a lower-body foot injury for a part of the season and was difficult to be included into the regular roster because of the high number of defenceman the team had to juggle around. He will look to get more opportunities next season as the Flames look to continue getting younger on the blue line.
Joel Hanley (#44): B
42GP, 1G, 4A, 5pts (10GP, 1G, 1A, 2pts with the Flames).
Joel Hanley joined the Flames after the Chris Tanev deal seemingly replaced him on the Stars, and he quickly became very likeable in Calgary. His veteran instincts and abilities translated well to this team, and with the team getting younger on the blue line, he could play a key role for them as a veteran presence moving forward.
Oliver Kylington (#58): A+
33GP, 3G, 5A, 8pts.
Oliver Kylington was the best storyline for the Calgary Flames this season. It was very doubtful that he could return to the line-up on a regular basis after taking a mental health leave absence for more than a year. His return has been remarkable, he scored 3 goals and is now one of the finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial trophy.
Daniil Miromanov (#62): A
24GP, 3G, 4A, 7pts (20GP, 3G, 4A, 7pts with the Flames).
Danill Miromanov joined the Flames in the Noah Hanifin deal, and while he had little NHL experience, the expectations were high given his potential. Miromanov used to be a forward before transitioning to a defenceman, and that certainly shows when he has the puck on his stick. Miromanov is very likeable on and off the ice, and given the Flames already put him on the power play, his future could be very bright.
Nikita Okhotiuk (#28): B
52GP, 1G, 8A, 9pts (9GP, 0G, 1A, 1pts with the Flames)
Nikita Okhotiuk's performance was difficult to analyze this season, and he was one of the last defenceman brought in by the team just right before the NHL trade deadline. He also had very limited game-time as there the team had plenty of defensemen to rely on, but he will look to make an impact with a full off-season and training camp.
Brayden Pachal (#94): B
50GP, 2G, 5A, 7pts (33GP, 1G, 5A, 6pts with the Flames).
Brayden Pachal was one of the most overlooked moves of the year by GM Craig Conroy, as he was a waiver wire pickup from the Vegas Golden Knights. His offensive game is certainly limited, but he is the perfect third-pairing defenseman who will likely have a role with Calgary in that spot next season.
Ilya Solovyov (#98): B
10G, 3A, 3pts.
Ilya Solovyov recently called up from the Calgary Wranglers played to the best of his ability in limited time, as he saw just 10 games with the Flames. In that time he flashed plenty of potential, and with a playoff run with the Wranglers another chance to show what he’s got, he could be a nice depth piece for Calgary going forward.
Mackenzie Weegar (#52): A+
82GP, 20G, 32A, 52pts
Mackenzie Weegar, the best defenseman a team could ask for. He has been everything that Calgary hoped when they landed him as a part of the Jonathan Huberdeau deal, and is tabbed by many as a future Flames captain. This year he not only netted 20 goals (third only behind Cale Makar and Roman Josi), but blocked almost 200 shots, and he will be the anchor that leads this team for years to come.
Goaltenders
Jacob Markstrom (#25): B+
48GP, 23-23-2, 2 shutouts, .905 save percentage, 2.78 GAA.
Jacob Markstrom was stellar through the first half of the season, even being put in the Vezina Trophy conversation among the games best net-minders. Unfortunately, trade rumours to the back end of the year stifled his confidence, and with the emergence of Dustin Wolf, he struggled down the stretch.
Dan Vladar (#80): C
20GP, 8-9-2, .882 save percentage, 3.62 GAA.
Dan Vladar didn't play as much as Flames fans expected, as he routinely served as Jacob Markstrom’s backup through his incredible run early in the year. When he did take the ice, he was unlucky in many games, but showed the talent of a solid backup before ultimately ending his season when he needed hip surgery.
Dustin Wolf (#32): A
17GP, 7-7-1, .893 save percentage, 3.16 GAA.
Dustin Wolf was called up several times throughout the Flames season, before ultimately settling in as their primary starter down the stretch. The number may not reflect this, but he played well in his final few starts, posting a save percentage over .900 in five of his last seven starts. At 23-years of age, Wolf is still years away from the time most goaltenders will find their maturity and best hockey, and with the Flames potentially moving on from Jacob Markstrom, he’s set to be the future of this team in net.