CALGARY — The off-season is officially underway for the Calgary Flames.

And while this summer doesn’t carry the same weight compared to where things sat one year ago, there’s still plenty that needs to get figured out.

The Flames have missed the playoffs two straight years. They’ve begun a retooling process with an eye on contending in the future. And they have significant player decisions to make over the next few months.

Here’s just a little of what’s on general manager Craig Conroy’s plate as he enters his second summer at the helm.

Jacob Markstrom’s future

Hearing from Jacob Markstrom was the top thing on most minds heading into last week’s locker clean-out day.

There was widespread speculation on the future of Calgary’s No. 1 goaltender leading up to the trade deadline. After the deadline, Markstrom voiced his displeasure on how things were handled. And now there’s plenty of intrigue on what jersey Markstrom will be wearing come September.

[brightcove videoID=6351252659112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

“I don’t know,” Markstrom said last week when asked about where he sees himself playing next season.

“What I do know and what I tell you guys every day is: I love winning hockey games. That’s the competitive side of me. Every time I lace up the skates, that’s something I want to accomplish. You want to win hockey games and I know everyone in that locker room wants to win hockey games, too. That’s pretty much where my head is at right now.”

Understandably, Markstrom wasn’t eager to divulge what was said in his exit meeting with Conroy. He also didn’t want to share anything about conversations leading up to the deadline. But it’s safe to say the Flames know where Markstrom stands, and vice versa.

Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet

It all comes down to this: 16 teams, one trophy. Watch every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs live on Sportsnet+, beginning on April 20.

Broadcast schedule

“You want to just clear the air,” Conroy told Flames Talk on Sportsnet 960, when asked about his end-of-season conversation with Markstrom.

“They know where you stand, and you know where they stand. Jacob is an unbelievable competitor, good person, great teammate. There are no issues. Maybe (there were) some frustrations with what was going on, 100 per cent that’s his thing. He lost (Chris) Tanev, I totally understand where he’s coming from.

“We had a good talk. I know where he stands, and we’ll just move forward.”

Markstrom drew significant interest from the New Jersey Devils throughout the season. Other teams will inquire on his availability this summer.

At 34 and with two years remaining on his contract, Markstrom’s future will remain Calgary’s top off-season storyline by a large margin.

Helping Jonathan Huberdeau

After a frustrating first season with the Flames, there was healthy optimism Huberdeau would rebound in Year 2. Instead, Huberdeau’s offensive totals stepped back.

He finished with 52 points in 81 games, three fewer than he posted the season prior. Huberdeau is now one year into the eight-year, $84-million extension he signed in August 2022. Retooling or not, the Flames need to find a way to get more out of their highest-paid player.

[brightcove videoID=6350032721112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

“I’d like to find chemistry, I’d like to get him a player with chemistry,” Conroy told the media last week.

“It seems like he has a little chemistry with guys, but that’s something I have to try to figure out this summer.”

Somewhat positively, Huberdeau was more productive in the second half of the season. He posted 37 points in Calgary’s final 46 games, which almost doubled his production from the first half. If targeting another player over the summer can help the Flames better maximize Huberdeau though, it’s worth the effort.

“I think he almost wants it so bad … and he puts so much pressure on himself, it’d be nice for us to be able to take the pressure off him,” Conroy said.

“When you’re the highest-paid player on the team, that always doesn’t happen. We just want him to come and play the way he did down the stretch.”

Cap room and flexibility

By moving out as many established veterans as they did over the course of the season, the Flames are looking at more cap flexibility than they’ve had in a long time. And, because they’ve been vocally opposed to a complete teardown, you can assume the Flames will look to use some of that flexibility.

Conroy suggested, when he spoke to the media, he'll take a targeted approach to free agency. But that approach likely won’t include deals involving a lot of term.

“That’s fair,” Conroy told Flames Talk. “I would say that’s fair, just with where we’re at and what we’re trying to do. Locking in long contracts probably doesn’t make a lot of sense for us right now.

“Again, with that said, I’d never want to say never … just because we’re on the radio.”

And then there’s the trade market. The Flames have done a nice job of identifying “market inefficiencies” since Conroy took the helm. Yegor Sharangovich, Andrei Kuzmenko and Daniil Miromanov are all examples of players Calgary has seen more value in compared to their prior teams.

You can expect Conroy to continue that approach this summer.

“Sometimes people just get caught up in the names," he said. "We’re trying to look at value. Who do we believe has value but maybe … they just can’t get in the lineup. They can’t get a role on their team. They can’t get on the power play.”

[brightcove videoID=6351124116112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

The 2024 NHL Draft

As it stands, Calgary is missing one key part of a successful retool: young, foundational core players. Even with promising rookie seasons from the likes of Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil and Matt Coronato, the Flames are missing those bona fide cornerstones to build around.

And, excluding rare circumstances, the NHL Draft is the only way to acquire those types of players.

Calgary enters the 2024 draft with a pair of first-round picks and at least three more in the next two rounds. Depending on how a few trade conditions play out, they could have more. June’s event in Las Vegas is a huge opportunity for Conroy to kickstart a new direction.

“I want to nail every draft,” Conroy said during his chat with Flames Talk.

“What you’re trying to do with the ones you didn’t nail: where did we make the mistakes, why did we miss on a player?

“We want to nail every pick. It’s not just the first pick. You want to nail the last pick you have too, and everything in between. You look at a fourth-round pick like Pospisil … that was our first pick in (the 2018) draft.”

The Flames will most likely be selecting ninth overall, although that could change based on the May 7 NHL Draft lottery. And there will be some intriguing names to consider at ninth overall if that’s how things play out.

Sportsnet's Eric Francis recently wrote about Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla, for instance. The son of Calgary legend Jarome, now a member of the team’s front office, could very well be on the board at No. 9. The hype that would go along with picking Iginla would be unparalleled in this city.

And, in a draft class rich at defence, the Flames could also be selecting a future top-pair blue-liner.

Fair or not, though, the pressure is on to hit a few home runs this June.

Markstrom's status tops Flames off-season storylines to watch

NHL Newsletter

Blue Jays Newsletter

Raptors Newsletter

Informative

Service Plus

Marketing

Sponsored

Contest

Event

Affiliate