Realistic season expectations for five key Flames players

The Calgary Flames are one of the most interesting teams as the 2023-24 NHL season inches closer.

This time last year, they had sky-high expectations, with some even considering them a Stanley Cup contender. They wound up falling well short of that goal, as they missed the playoffs entirely. That resulted in some major changes, as Craig Conroy is now in as GM, while Ryan Huska is the new head coach.

It seems that with those changes, particularly appointing Huska, the Flames group has been re-energized. They sound extremely excited to begin the 2023-24 season and prove their many detractors wrong.

With the talent assembled on this roster, there is reason to believe the Flames can get back into the playoffs. That said, they will need their top players to be much better than they were a season ago. Let’s look at how we can expect five of their key guys to perform in 2023-24.

Jonathan Huberdeau — 80 points

Will Jonathan Huberdeau ever reach the 115-point total he had in his final season as a Florida Panther? Probably not. That said, anyone expecting that he has suddenly fallen off to the point of being a 56-point player like he was in 2022-23 is mistaken.

Now free of former head coach Darryl Sutter, Huberdeau is in store for a major bounce-back season. The 30-year-old has a ton to prove to show Flames fans he was worthy of the eight-year extension he signed last summer, and being able to record 80 or more points this season will go a long way in helping that cause.

Nazem Kadri — 65 points

In his final season with the Colorado Avalanche before joining the Flames, Nazem Kadri had a career-high 87 points in just 71 games. Many were weary he could put up the same totals moving forward given his past stats, and that was very much the case in 2022-23, as he regressed to just 56.

While many will see his stats from last season and think Kadri was back to being his usual self, there are two things to note. One is how poorly he played over the second half of the season, which caused his point total to be lower than some had hoped. The other is that scoring in the NHL has increased over the past few seasons. What that means is looking at numbers from Kadri’s past may not be a sign of what’s to come, as many players throughout the league have been putting up better numbers as of late. Expect 65+ points from the 32-year-old this season.

Yegor Sharangovich — 50 points

Those expecting Yegor Sharangovich to be as productive as Tyler Toffoli was last season with the Flames will be disappointed. General manager Craig Conroy was in a tough spot after Toffoli’s trade request but did manage to bring back a highly skilled yet unproven player in Sharangovich.

During his three seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Sharangovich often played outside the top six, which hindered his ability to put up offensive numbers. He will be given a much bigger role in Calgary, and given his skill, he should be expected to put up 50 or more points in 2023-24.

Rasmus Andersson — 55 points

Before the 2021-22 season, Rasmus Andersson was not considered an offensive defenceman. That all changed, however, thanks to his 50-point 2021-22 campaign. He followed that up with 49 points in 79 games this past season, proving that his offensive game is here to stay.

What makes Andersson’s 49 points last season all the more impressive is that the Flames as a whole struggled to score goals. Assuming their forwards get their games back on track in 2023-24, there is no reason to doubt that Andersson will set a new career high in points.

Jacob Markstrom — .915 SV%

The 2022-23 season was a disaster for Jacob Markstrom. After being a Vezina finalist a year prior, he posted an ugly 2.92 goals against average paired with a .892 save percentage in 59 appearances. While not the sole reason, his struggles were a big part of why the Flames missed the playoffs.

While Markstrom isn’t the type to blame anyone, his ex-teammate Tyler Toffoli recently explained how Sutter played mind games with him throughout the 2022-23 campaign. That won’t be an issue going forward, and should help Markstrom get back to playing like the $6 million goaltender he has proven he can be.

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