Calgary Flames 24-25 Season Preview

Calgary Flames
Pacific Division

2023-24 Recap
Record (W-L-OTL): 38-39-5
Over/Under: 46-32-4
Home Favorite: 12-11
Home Dog: 9-8
Road Favorite: 7-6
Road Dog: 11-14
Win Score 4 or more: 28 of 38
Lose Give Up 4 or more: 33 of 44
Puck Line Wins: 25 of 38
Puck Line Losses: 31 of 44
Front End Back-to-Back: 2-6
Back End Back-to-Back: 1-7
Goals Scored Per Game/Rank: 3.09 (18th)
Goals Against Per Game/Rank: 3.26 (22nd)

Additions: Ryan Lomberg, Anthony Mantha, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Tyson Barrie (PTO)
Subtractions: Jacob Markstrom, Oliver Kylington, Andrew Mangiapane

The rebuild is on in Calgary. In the past two seasons, the Flames have said goodbye to a host of key players: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm, Jacob Markstrom, Andrew Mangiapane, Nikita Zadorov, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. Seven of those players were moved by Craig Conroy who was named GM in May of 2023.

The Flames are set to move into a brand-new state-of-the-art arena for the 2027-28 season, and if all goes to plan Calgary fans will be watching a team that is playoff-relevant.

Offense
The Flames had hoped to build their offense around Jonathan Huberdeau when they acquired him in the Matthew Tkachuk trade and then handed him an 8-year, $84 million deal. His 107 combined points in his two seasons with Calgary are 8 points fewer than his final season in Florida alone, when he amassed 115 points.

Yegor Sharangovich, who last season came to Calgary in exchange for Tyler Toffoli, was one of the few bright spots leading the team with 31 goals. Nazem Kadri had a bounce back season in 23-24, with his team best 75 points and his 29 goals put him just one shy of his third 30-goal season. Calgary will need complimentary players like Connor Zary and Andrei Kuzmenko to have a scoring impact for the team to be competitive on a nightly basis.

Defense
Calgary’s blueline will have a far different look this coming season with Mackenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson being the only full-time holdovers. Weegar was only one of four NHL defensemen to reach the 20-goal mark in the 2023-24 season while Andersson led the Flames in average time on ice. The two will be joined by Kevin Bahl, acquired from NJ in the Markstrom trade, and Jake Bean, who comes over from Columbus. Two former Golden Knights blueliners, Daniel Miromanov and Braydon Pachal, should round out the top six.

The Flames finished middle of the pack in shots against in 2023-24, after being in the top five the previous two seasons. Don’t be surprised to see Flames goalies seeing even rubber in 24-25.

Goaltending
With Jacob Markstrom traded to New Jersey, the Dustin Wolf era now begins in Calgary. Wolf, born in Gilroy, California, was the AHL MVP in 2023 and twice named the top goalie in the Western Hockey League. Last season he played 17 games for the Flames going 7-7-1 with a 3.16 GAA and an 893 sv%. Wolf will share the net with veteran Dan Vladar, who enters his fourth season in Calgary. Expect the 27-year-old to surpass his career high 23 starts to help Wolf ease into his first full NHL season.

Player to Watch – Jonathan Huberdeau
Once again, all eyes in Calgary will and should be on their $10.5 million man, Jonathan Huberdeau. For the Flames to have any chance to sniff the playoffs, Huberdeau must be at least a point per game player.

Outlook
Management’s decision to rebuild could see the Flames miss the playoffs for a third straight season. I’m on board betting the Flames at -400 to miss the playoffs.

Regular Season Point Total: 81.5 (Over/Under -115)
To Make the Playoffs: +300
To Miss the Playoffs: -400
To Win the Pacific Division: +3500
To Win the Western Conference: +4000
To Win the Stanley Cup: +7500