The Calgary Flames endured a difficult 2022-23 season when much was expected from the team. The Flames failed to make the NHL postseason a year ago, but Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson does not believe the poor performance a year ago will keep the team from reaching a high level in the upcoming season.

The start of the new season next month will give the Flames a chance to get back to the kind of hockey they played in 2021-22, when they went 50-21-11 and finished the season with 111 points and were first in the Pacific Division.

“We have a really good team,” the 26-year-old defenseman said. “We just have to make a few adjustments, which I think we'll make. I think a lot of people have kind of written us off because of last year, so it will be fun to come in with a chip on our shoulder and prove to everyone how good of a team we really are.”

The Flames have undergone multiple changes throughout the organization during the offseason. Hard-nosed Darryl Sutter has been replaced at head coach by Ryan Huska, and that should breathe new life into the locker room. Sutter was an “old-school” head coach who was extremely demanding of his players and that may have weighed some of the Flames down.

General manager Craig Conroy has been promoted during the offseason, and he takes over from long-time organizational leader Brad Treliving. While Treliving has been acknowledged for a solid overall job, a new voice could lead to a new attitude within the Calgary Flames leadership group, which includes Rasmus Andersson.