The 2024-25 NHL season is still months away, yet it already feels as though everybody is counting the Calgary Flames out.
It’s no secret that they are a retooling team, having shipped out many veteran players for mainly picks and prospects. That said, plenty of talent remains, and given the parity in the NHL, they could prove to be far more competitive than most seem to believe.
For that to happen, they will need everybody on the roster to be at their best. These four in particular, who struggled in 2023-24, will need to bounce back. Luckily for Flames fans, they are all capable of doing so.
Jonathan Huberdeau
- 2023-24 stats: 81 GP, 12 G, 40 A, 52 PTS
Jonathan Huberdeau’s two seasons as a Flame have been disastrous. There is no way around it. The 31-year-old is regarded by many to have the worst contract in the league with a cap hit of $10.5 million. What many seem to forget, however, is that just a few short years ago, he was a player playing up to the level of that hefty salary.
Over his final four seasons with the Florida Panthers, Huberdeau registered 346 points in 286 games. That is elite-level production, and skill like that doesn’t vanish overnight. With seemingly everyone doubting him now, he has a great opportunity to prove he is still capable of putting up massive numbers.
Rasmus Andersson
- 2023-24 stats: 78 GP, 9 G, 30 A, 39 PTS
By no means was Rasmus Andersson terrible in 2023-24, but his season felt somewhat underwhelming given what he has proven to be capable of. His offensive numbers went down a tad, while he also seemed to take a step back on the defensive side of things.
Andersson will be relied on a ton this season, as he and MacKenzie Weegar are expected to be the pillars of an inexperienced Flames blue line. The added responsibilities should help the 27-year-old get back to playing like the top-pairing defenceman he’s capable of being.
Andrei Kuzmenko
- 2023-24 stats: 72 GP, 22 G, 24 A, 46 PTS
Being traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Flames partway through the 2023-24 season seemed to rejuvenate Andrei Kuzmenko. He wound up registering 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games while dawning the Flaming ‘C’, but the fact of the matter is, his overall season totals of 22 goals and 46 points were quite underwhelming for the 28-year-old.
Just a season prior, Kuzmenko scored 39 goals and 74 points as a rookie. On a Flames team that is lacking some elite scoring talent, he’ll be given plenty of opportunity, and could very well play near a point-per-game pace in 2023-24.
Jakob Pelletier
- 2023-24 stats: 13 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS
The 2023-24 season was an ugly one for Jakob Pelletier. The 23-year-old suffered a shoulder injury in exhibition play which required surgery and kept him out of the lineup for months. When he returned, he failed to make much of an impact through 13 games and wound up being sent to the AHL.
This upcoming season feels like a potential make-or-break for Pelletier. Fans should be confident that this is the year he can begin showing his offensive potential at the NHL level, as he has in the AHL in prior seasons. If he can, it will bode well not only this season for the Flames, but for future years as well.
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