The Calgary Flames started the season 2-7-1, confirming fans' fears they weren't a contender this season. They're coming off two consecutive wins and look better than their Alberta rival Edmonton Oilers. It will be a steep hill to climb to get back into playoff contention, but a change of form from a couple of their stars may help.
Calgary's highest point-getter through 12 games is Elias Lindholm with eight, and Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri are struggling to produce. Jacob Markstrom has done an acceptable job in the net but still isn't back to his form from a couple of seasons ago. Markstrom is currently going through an injury which prompted the recall of the team's top prospect, Dustin Wolf.
Can Wolf step between the pipes and turn the season around? Will Huberdeau and Kadri begin producing closer to their worth and give the Flames some offensive support? If you're looking at the last 94 games of Flames hockey, you may say the answer is no to both of those questions. However, some fans maintain optimism this team has what it takes to succeed. In this article, we will look at the Calgary Flames' biggest disappointment and surprise this season.
Biggest Surprise: Connor Zary, F
Matt Coronato figured to be the rookie to enter the Flames lineup in 2023-24 and make an immediate impact. Coronato scored his first goal in a 5-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins but finished the game -4. Coronato was still stuck on one goal and had a -9 rating eight games later. He wasn't ready for a full-time chance in the NHL. In Coronato's last game in the NHL, he saw Connor Zary make his NHL debut and score his first career goal in a 4-3 loss. Coronato was sent to the AHL to fine-tune his game the following day.
Zary stayed with Calgary, which enjoyed its best game of the season against the Seattle Kraken, winning 6-3 while Zary registered an assist. The Flames won their next game against the Nashville Predators, and Zary found himself on the scoresheet again. Calgary has been playing tits best hockey with Zary in the lineup, and he has three points in his first three games. He wouldn't be the first player to start his career hot out of the gate and fall off. However, Zary looked good in the preseason and has earned an opportunity to stick around for the foreseeable future.
Like the rival Oilers', the Flames' season has been disappointing, and it's hard to find the biggest surprise. Therefore, Calgary takes what it can get with Connor Zary.
Biggest Disappointment: Jonathan Huberdeau, F
Jonathan Huberdeau's first season with the Calgary Flames was an epic disappointment. Huberdeau was coming off a 115-point season with the Florida Panthers, but the Panthers put him on the trade market. Matthew Tkachuk wanted to be moved from the Flames, which opened up the possibility of a trade. Calgary traded Tkachuk to the Panthers for Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick in 2025. It was expected to benefit both teams as they swapped superstars who looked for a fresh start.
Well, we now know that the rest is history. Huberdeau had his worst season as a professional, tallying 55 points in 79 games for the Flames. Tkachuk was a Hart Trophy candidate and led the Panthers on a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final. Year one of the trade fell in the Panthers' favor.
In the 2023-24 season, most pundits expected Huberdeau to have a bounce-back season. Calgary, as a team, was also supposed to improve. We now know that the Flames have most of the same problems this season, and Huberdeau hasn't rounded into form. Some believe that Huberdeau isn't adjusting well to life in the more physical Western Conference, according to the 32 Thoughts podcast with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. Huberdeau has six points in 12 games so far and is a devastating -12 in plus/minus. In the most public show of disdain for the play of Huberdeau, coach Ryan Huska sat him on the bench for the entirety of the third period in the November 7th game against the Nashville Predators.
Huberdeau signed an eight-year, $84 million deal last summer. If he doesn't want it to go down as one of the worst contracts in league history, he will need to try and turn his Calgary career around.
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