The Calgary Flames are 4-0 to start a season for the third time in franchise history. They are playing exciting hockey and getting contributions from across the lineup. And as a result, there's a nice excitement around the team, even if the Flames still have 78 games left.
Just the way everyone outside wrote it, right?
Sarcasm aside, Calgary has the highest points for its 4-0 start. They have won games in different ways but with some constants: a lot of work rate, good goalkeeping and a very notable attitude. It has been impressive to see.
And it also sets us up nicely for our first Flames Mailbag of a new season.
I've gotten a few different iterations of this question, and it's understandable in this market. Fans here have been conditioned to a team that chases immediate, often fleeting, success at the expense of building something longer term. So seeing the Flames go in a different direction under general manager Craig Conroy has been reassuring to many.
But if you're worried that Conroy is going to alter the course of the plan he's put in place, you can rest assured. I think Conroy and the Flames are fully committed to seeing this through, which means not getting distracted by on-ice success sooner than expected. Conroy stated that this is a “three to five year plan” at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, and that plan remains in place.
Let's not forget that Conroy was part of Calgary's front office the last time they were in a similar situation. About a year into a restructuring process, the 2014-15 season saw the Flames defy all expectations, make the playoffs and even win a round. What followed, despite evidence that that season was something of a mirage, was a clear departure in approach.
Calgary once again pursued immediate success much sooner than planned. I don't think that's something Conroy and the Flames are willing to do this time around.
Now, that doesn't mean that using assets to help improve the team is completely out of the question. If it fits the vision. Conroy has said publicly that he would like to add a young (think 25 or younger) and NHL-ready center to the group, for example. And according to Frank Seravalli's report from earlier this week, that search is still active.
But a complete departure from the team's path doesn't appear to be in the cards, even if Calgary's hot start turns into a good season.
Since the start of training camp last month, Flames players have been adamant about not listening to or worrying about outside noise. But that doesn't mean they haven't heard it. The players know that the external expectations for this group are not high, which does not match what this group feels they are capable of doing.
“I don't feel like this team is externally motivated,” defenseman Jake Bean said on Tuesday's Flames Discuss postgame show. “What we want to do is happening inside that room.”
Attitudes like that can bring a team together. It's hard for me to compare anything to the 2004 Calgary team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but I certainly see similarities between the 2014-15 team we mentioned above. That team adopted an “us against the world” mentality and it served them well.
It already appears the Flames are taking a similar approach 10 years later.
This is a difficult question to answer definitively because we don't know what Rasmus Andersson is thinking. But if he's open to a long-term extension, I think it's something the Flames should make a priority. Andersson's current six-year contract expires at the end of next season, meaning he is eligible to sign an extension starting this summer.
Keeping a player like Andersson in the fold makes a lot of sense for Calgary, even with the appreciable raise he is due for his current $4.5 million salary cap hit. Off to an outstanding start, Andersson is a drafted and developed product who plays big minutes in all situations and has become an important part of the team's leadership group.
Things change if Andersson is not interested in staying with the Flames. And Conroy can be expected to approach this situation the same way he did last season with players like Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. If an extension isn't in the cards, you can be sure the Flames will trade Andersson for assets sometime before the 2026 deadline.
I think it's important to note how transparent Conroy has been in not looking to trade veterans like Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri. Those two are part of Calgary's veteran “core six,” a group Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska are counting on to help set the standard and build a new culture as this blueprint unfolds.
If I had to go back up with one of Antonio Mantha or Andrei Kuzmenko, although I lean towards the latter. This is mainly due to both of them: Kuzmenko is 18 months younger and has formed a good connection on the ice with Kadri. To be fair, Mantha is off to a positive start in Calgary after signing a one-year deal in July. But when I was asked to pick one, Kuzmenko would get my vote.
Nico's question is timely as Daniil Miromanov tends to be the odd man out on Calgary's blue line for Saturday in Seattle. Acquired from Las Vegas in the Hanifin trade last season, Miromanov showed promise in a pairing with MacKenzie Weegar late last year. However, after four games this season, Miromanov would probably fall into the “just okay” category.
However, since the Flames have seven d-men competing for daily minutes, sometimes “just fine” may find you sitting in the press box during a game. Removing Tyson Barrie from his PTO gave Calgary more defensive depth and they want him to play. The Flames rotated Bean for Barrie in Sunday's win over Edmonton. It could be Miromanov's turn to facilitate Barrie's second game with his new team.
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