CALGARY — Wearing the kind of tired smile that comes only after a storm has passed and you’re still checking to see what’s left standing, Blake Coleman found a way to bring much-needed levity to a Calgary Flames room decimated by the deadline.
“I think half the city already said goodbye to me,” chuckled the 34-year-old winger, who was the odds-on favourite to be sent to a contender.
At the start of the season, the Flames had five alternate captains, leading a team that still believed it could compete.
Coleman is the only one left.
Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri were shipped out in franchise‑altering blockbusters. Jonathan Huberdeau’s season ended on an operating table.
Coleman remains.
Not because he demanded it. Not because he refused to go. But because his character prompted him to tell GM Craig Conroy he’d made peace with whatever the club decided was best for the organization.
In the end, despite endless enticing offers, that same character is what led management to keep him around as one of the most important culture-shapers moving forward.
“It’s been tough for probably a few months now, but really the last few weeks,” said Coleman in his first interview since the deadline drama ended.
“You read a lot of things, you see a lot of things, it’s a lot of discussions. It’s tough.”
This is a man who has won Cups, who has played his best hockey when the stakes are highest. He knows what a contender looks like. He knows what spring hockey feels like. And he knows he still has that level in him.
“I look at it as there was a lot of opportunity to maybe go to a contender and play and compete in the playoffs, where I feel like I’ve still got a lot of game left to give in that type of scenario. It’s kind of where I thrive.”
But he also loves Calgary, loves the room, loves the life he’s built here.
“The other half of me was also really wanting to stay,” he said.
“I love Calgary, and our family loves it here. I have a lot of great friends in this room. Staff’s awesome. At the end of the day, I was very clear with Connie that, I'm happy to go to a contender if it helps this team get the pieces that they need, but I'm also extremely happy here. I left it in their hands, and it took me about an hour or two to just get the mindset right for where I am and where we're going.”
There’s no time to mourn in NHL dressing rooms.
He gave himself an hour to process the shock of staying put while so many close friends packed their bags. Then he went out and had a goal and an assist Saturday night against one of the NHL’s best teams, Carolina.
“It’s a new reality, it’s a leadership role, helping this team grow and get better,” he said.
“For me, it’s how can I bring my best to the rink to make this team better and make these players better.”
Whether he expected it or not, Coleman is now the bridge between what was and what’s coming.
Mikael Backlund remains captain, but he’s never been the loudest voice. Joel Farabee wore an A at home Saturday. Zach Whitecloud will wear it on the road (assuming he’s able to join the team for a five-game roadie Sunday after leaving with an upper body injury Saturday). Ryan Lomberg, beloved and relentless, will lead too.
“There’s a ton of opportunity here now, and guys have to step into bigger roles and show that they belong in that role. It’s exciting.”
The hardest part wasn’t staying. It was watching others go.
“We lost a couple good buddies — they’re two good friends,” he said, voice softening.
“(The Weegar trade) kind of hit us all hard. Such a good guy and such an important piece of our team and our room.”
As tough as it was for Weegar, he bounced back with an assist and a team-high 23:21 of ice time in an overtime-winning debut with Utah Saturday.
Saturday’s game at the Dome wasn’t the funeral some expected.
Strome’s debut included a goal and an assist, Maatta had a nifty helper and both Farabee and Frost had three points apiece.
Their 5-4 win was a testament to the culture they’ve walked into, a group with a tireless work ethic that represents their biggest weapon as the team develops.
Take a bow, Mr. Coleman.
With one year left in his deal, Coleman won’t be here forever.
But he’s here now.
And for a franchise that just detonated its leadership core, that matters.
The rebuild will take time, new leaders will emerge slowly, and the wins will be hard to come by.
But Coleman will show up. He’ll work. He’ll lead. He’ll teach. He’ll compete. He’ll keep the standard alive until someone else is ready to carry it.
He didn’t ask to be the last man standing.
But he’s standing anyway.
