Ranking the Calgary Flames needs this off-season
The Calgary Flames once again head into this summer with plenty of work to do to turn the franchise around, and with some talented pieces already on the roster, the building blocks are in place for a successful rebuild. Unfortunately for Calgary, there's still plenty of work to do for them to get to that stage, but with the No. 9 overall pick in the upcoming draft and some solid pieces inserting themselves into the lineup this past year, the future could be bright.
Now, Craig Conroy has a few difficult months to make some monumental decisions, and if he can get those right, in a wide open Western Conference, the team could certainly surprise in 2024-25. With the NHL Draft a month away and free agency shortly thereafter, let's now take a look at the Flames biggest needs this summer, and while they may not be able to get all of these things accomplished, it would be a huge help for the rebuild moving forward.
A trade partner for Jacob Markstrom
This one goes hand-in-hand with another entry on this list, but after what happened during the 2023-24 season when Jacob Markstrom was told he was being traded, his play declined at a rapid rate. The team had a deal done to send him to New Jersey, but ultimately it was ownership that nixed a deal, but with Dustin Wolf emerging towards the end of the season, they need to finally pull the trigger on a deal.
In the post-season, we saw teams like Toronto, Los Angeles and Colorado struggle with goaltending, and given that the Flames are likely looking to acquire more draft capital moving forward, the framework of a new deal shouldn't be too hard to put together. With the draft upcoming, the Flames have a fantastic opportunity to unload a veteran and get another high leverage draft pick back in return,
A second pairing blue liner
Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Calgary Flames lined up with a top four on the blue line of Rasmus Andersson, Mackenzie Weegar, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, but after the trade deadline, they now have just Andersson and Weegar remaining. Sure, the blue line has a bright future with the likes of Jeremie Poirier, Etienne Morin and Hunter Brzustewicz, but they need to fill out the NHL roster in 2024-25.
Beloved defenseman Oliver Kylington is a free agent come July 1st, and while there's plenty of interest in bringing him back, that still wouldn't fill out the Flames blue line. The teeam also have veteran's Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal, who both suit the third pairing much better, with the wild card being Daniil Miromanov, who impressed mightily in his short time with the Flames.
All those names make up six spots, along with their prospect group that could see a player or two graduate to the next level in 2024-25, so now the Flames need to decide whether they are rolling with this current group (assuming Kylington returns), or whether or not they will look to acquire a veteran or a young, NHL ready player to jon the group.
A backup goaltender
Going off a previous point, the Flames need to move Jacob Markstrom in the coming months, and if they do, the team need a different backup for Dustin Wolf, who figures to be the teams No. 1 option moving forward. On paper, the best option would be to find a veteran such as David Rittich, Cam Talbot or others that would relish a backup role, but there are other potential names out there like Ilya Samsonov that may be worth taking a look at.
If the Flames can find a worthy piece behind Wolf, they may also be able to get an asset in return for Dan Vladar (although it's likely to be a pick below the fourth round), but whoever they acquire must come with the knowledge that Wolf is the guy moving forward. Given Wolf's potential, he needs to be starting at least 60 games in 2024-25, but if Calgary can find themselves a serviceable backup, and potentially one that can stick around for a few years, it will help confidence and the development of their potential young star.
A franchise star of the future
While the Flames didn't manage to have any lottery luck, they still find themselves sitting at the No. 9 spot in the upcoming draft, giving them the chance to land a potential star of the future. The obvious name is Tij Iginla, but the team have so many needs that they could opt for the likes of Zayne Parekh, Zeev Buium or Sam Dickinson, with Berkley Catton and so many others potentially available at the pick.
In recent years, the team have landed solid players like Matt Coronato, Dustin Wolf, Jakob Pelletier and Connor Zary, but none of those project to be superstar level players, so this is the year that Calgary need to change that. The front office clearly has a plan moving forward, but one thing they need to do is give the fans hope, and if they can tune into the AHL and see a superstar of the future take the ice, it makes a huge difference.
The Flames also have a late first-round pick and eight in the first four rounds, so they will have their chances to take some major swings as they look to fill out some key positions for the future of the organization.
The Flames desperately need to find their 1C
When going down the list of all time positions for every team in NHL history, the Flames may have the weakest center group in the league, as Joe Nieuwendyk ranks as the top center the team has ever seen. Since that point, they've seen solid play from the likes of Craig Conroy, Sean Monohan, Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm and most recently Nazem Kadri, but the future on the top line is incredibly bleak still for the Flames.
Yegor Sharnagovich showed flashes at the position, but excels most prominently on the wing, and while it may take some time for the Flames to fix their 1C spot with a potential draft pick, even the promise of a future would help energize Flames fans. Martin Necas has been floated as a potentially young option to fill the void for Calgary, while some in the organization may consider an overpay for Sam Reinhart, but both of those options simply don't fit with the Flames timeline.
This has been Calgary's top need since the days of their lone Stanley Cup win, but it has still yet to be filled, so while this off-season the Flames may land a center of the future, it's unclear whether or not they'll yet find a 1C moving forward.