Flames have regressed since replacing Sutter with Huska

Those who predicted the Calgary Flames to be a mediocre team in the 2023-24 season look like they were correct in their assessment.

The Flames have been average at best through the first 30 games of the season. Their 11-14-5 record has them 25th in league standings, though somewhat shockingly just two points outside of a wild-card spot. There have been glimpses where they appear to be a playoff calibre team, and others where they look like a bottom feeder.

In many ways, they look very similar to what they did a season ago. This isn’t a major surprise given that they didn’t have much roster turnover, though some had hoped that replacing Darryl Sutter with Ryan Huska may have provided a boost. So far, that hasn’t been the case.

From a statistical standpoint, the Flames have been worse at both ends of the ice this season. They are averaging just 2.97 goals per game, down from 3.15 in 2022-23. Their goals against per game have climbed from 3.15 a season ago to 3.43.

Perhaps the biggest difference has been their power play, which last season converted on 19.8% of their opportunities. By no means was it an elite special teams unit, but it was right around the middle of the pack, finishing 19th among all teams. Their work on the man advantage has been horrendous so far in 2023-24, however, scoring on just 12.1% of their opportunities.

To little surprise based on those numbers, their goal differential has also taken a hit. Despite their struggles last season, they still ended the year with a +11 goal differential, far better than the -14 they sit at currently through 30 games. Their struggles at both ends of the ice have resulted in just a .450 winning percentage, down significantly from last season’s .567.

What is quite apparent when watching the Flames this season is that while they play with plenty of heart, they lack top-end talent. Jonathan Huberdeau hasn’t provided them with any of that, as he is having an even worse season than a year ago with just 15 points through 30 games. Others whom they hoped to see resurgent seasons from — Elias Lindholm, Nazem Kadri, and Andrew Mangiapane — have also struggled.

Another player who seemed to be a strong bounce-back candidate was Jacob Markstrom, who had the worst season of his career in 2022-23 with a 2.92 goals-against average (GAA) paired with a .892 save percentage (SV%). He hasn’t been much better through 16 appearances this season, compiling a 2.94 GAA and a .896 SV%.

Given how mediocre their play was a season ago, paired with the fact that they have shown regression this season, suggests that they simply aren’t a very good team. Though they have some solid pieces, their lack of top-tiered talent is preventing them from being a contender in the Western Conference. They do, of course, have 52 games remaining to pull things together, but based on their play for nearly a season and a half now, the odds don’t appear to be in their favour.

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