Flames mid-season report: Poor start leaves team scrambling

CALGARY — The first half of the season has been a colossal failure for the Calgary Flames.

Instead of opening the season with the same swagger they finished with last season, they sit 30th overall, thanks in large part to an eight-game losing skid to open the season.

They’ve been scratching and clawing to save their season ever since.

And while there were glimmers of hope when a solid December allowed the team to get back to .500 last week, the team promptly responded with two duds against fellow bottom-dwellers.

“Tough start, better middle, last two games not the way we want,” summed up Flames coach Ryan Huska, whose hard-working club simply can’t score goals.

“I think earlier on in the year, there were games that I thought we played really well, (but) when we had our struggles, we beat ourselves a lot of nights. After we got over that hump, I thought we started playing more of a complete game as a team. We got better goaltending, our special teams, especially the penalty kill, started performing much better and allowed us to gain some traction.”

The strength of this club, goaltending, has given them a chance to keep its slim playoff hopes alive.

But much more is needed up front.   

Armed with the league’s worst road record, the Flames now head out on a five-game eastern swing that could add clarity to some of the tough personnel decisions at hand.

There is hope that with the return of rejuvenated world juniors star Zayne Parekh returning, the league’s worst power play will get a jolt.

Otherwise, offence will continue to be the club’s No. 1 issue.

Mikael Backlund’s third line has been, by far, the team’s best this season, playing stellar hockey of late with Blake Coleman and Matt Coronato on the wings.

They spearheaded the recent surge that saw the club win nine of 12, which has served to cloud what many thought was a great opportunity to lean into their nightmarish start by selling off assets as part of a lost season.

It still may very well come to that, but with ownership hesitant to completely rebuild, and the team sitting just five points out of a playoff spot, the direction GM Craig Conroy will take is still a mystery.

He’s patiently listening to offers on everyone on his roster, but is steadfast in refusing to trade anyone unless the prices he’s set are matched.

Despite being the Flames' best player this year, Rasmus Andersson will undoubtedly be swapped out, as he’s a 29-year-old pending UFA who is too old for the retooling club to be re-upped for the eight years he’s looking for.

Coleman, who has been the team’s best forward, will be in heavy demand, as will Nazem Kadri, who was the team’s best player a year earlier.

How deep the selloff goes will play a big role in shaping the team’s second half.

And so, we wait …    

Key stats

Record: 18-20-4 (7th in Division, 30th in NHL)

Goals per game: 2.62 (30th in NHL)

Goals against per game: 2.95 (12th in NHL)

Power play: 14.5 per cent (32nd in NHL)

Penalty kill: 81.3 per cent (13th in NHL)

Best surprise

After playing parts of six seasons in the minors, patiently developing, Flames 2020 second-round pick Yan Kuznetsov was summoned from the Wranglers Nov. 5 and is here to stay.

The six-foot-four, 209-pound lefty added instant stability to a blue line that has now found the perfect partner for MacKenzie Weegar.

Averaging well over 20 minutes a game, he is now one of the team’s pillars moving forward. 

While his offence is considered a bonus, with just 28 games under his belt he sits third among Flames defenceman, with three goals and eight points.

Kuznetsov, 23, is a shining example of what the organization hopes to see more of as its young prospects continue to develop and get chances with the big club.

Biggest disappointment

While the opening 10 games of the schedule were murderous, losing eight of their first nine games put the Flames' goal of making the playoffs in serious jeopardy.

Some would suggest Parekh was the biggest disappointment, but those in the know were aware the undersized defenceman would be in tough to make the jump as a 19-year-old who would undoubtedly have started in the AHL had the CBA allowed it.

Biggest question for the second half

How deep does the sell-off go?

It’s time to start selling over the next month, preferably before the Olympic break, but to what extent does Conroy cash in on his most desirable veterans?

Andersson, Kadri and Coleman are the big three who could be in play, with the latter two providing endless debate as they both have term on their contracts beyond this year.