The Calgary Flames have completely faded away in the Western Conference playoff picture, losing four games in a row and seven of nine since March 9.
The roster deserves a lot of credit for staying competitive for most of the 2023-24 campaign, despite the trade noise and eventual departures of Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev mid-season.
But general manager Craig Conroy is reportedly looking to improve the squad over the summer, and will be targeting multiple players in free agency, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
“I was certainly surprised to hear this when Craig Conroy said it, but he’s excited and looking forward to free agency,” Seravalli said on FlamesNation’s Barn Burner earlier this week.
“I think we would all be sitting back and saying retooling, rebuilding, whatever R-word you want to use for the Calgary Flames, spending money in free agency isn’t typically one of those avenues you see teams take. They’re not going to be big game hunting in free agency this summer, but I think they’re going to be all over a bunch of mid-tier guys to try and keep this team as competitive as they possibly can.”
The Flames do have a plethora of cap space to work with heading into the summer — around $19 million — and the salary cap is expected to increase next season.
“They’re not going to be tanking, that part isn’t really a surprise,” explained the hockey insider. “I think they needed to turn things over to the young guys. But when you’ve got 18 or 19 million bucks to spend, and you can have a couple of guys come in on two, three, or four-year contracts that can prop you up in between, that seems like that’s the target the Flames want to go for.”
Flames looking for right shot D-man, middle-six forwards
But who will Calgary's front office be targeting?
Per Seravalli, the team is looking to add a right-handed defenseman, as well as a couple of middle-six forwards. They should also have a relatively high pick at the 2024 NHL Draft who could step into the lineup right away.
“While the Flames’ playoff outlook continues to look grim, their off-season plans are both becoming more clear and more intriguing,” wrote FlamesNation's Jeff Middleton.
“There is a high likelihood that they will receive a top draft pick for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, so their approach to the player they draft (if they are looking for mid-tier forwards and defencemen) will be interesting to watch as well. Nonetheless, there are some interesting ramifications and rumours that could pop up here and there as the 2023-24 season comes to a close.”
With the 2023-24 campaign all but over for the Flames, Conroy will already be looking ahead to the draft and free agency. It'll be intriguing to see how the squad looks heading into next season — especially if the front office ends up making a splash on July 1.
Follow Us
Subscribe