Flames need to rethink ownership's anti-rebuild stance
The Calgary Flames’ hopes of re-establishing themselves as a contender are falling apart quicker than anyone could have anticipated.
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Flames have just two wins. They have already been forced to make some drastic roster decisions, including placing Jordan Oesterle on waivers and assigning Matt Coronato to the AHL.
Unless something drastically changes in the very near future, it seems as though playoffs will be out of the question for this group. Pair that with the fact they still have several players in the final year of their respective contracts, and you have a team with no real sense of direction.
In an end-of-season interview following the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation’s president and CEO, John Bean, was asked about tearing things down and said he isn’t allowed to use the word “rebuild.” Clearly, ownership doesn’t want to go down that path, but as this team continues to struggle, you can’t help but wonder if that may be the right course of action.
Given that the Flames have some very good players set to become UFAs in Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov, trading them for future picks and/or prospects would help speed up the rebuild process. It would also likely result in the Flames struggling next season, though it isn’t as if they aren’t right now.
While a rebuild does take some time, the Flames do have several young, talented players who are on the verge of making significant impacts at the NHL level: Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier, Connor Zary, and Dustin Wolf. There are also others in Jeremie Poirier, Samuel Honzek, and recent call-up Martin Pospisil, who all appear to have exciting futures ahead.
Though a rebuild may not be on their mind, the Flames’ front office has clearly had some discussions lately, as they have reportedly chosen to cut off any extension talks at this time. That is certainly the right move to be made, and assuming things don’t turn around in the very near future, the next step forward should be to trade some of their top players listed above who are set to become UFAs in the summer.
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