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The Calgary Flames are navigating a transitional period under general manager Craig Conroy, who has overseen the departure of several key players from their last postseason appearance in 2022. However, with multiple new additions, Calgary is looking to the future and hoping that these fresh faces can help lead them back to the playoffs next spring.
While several new players have joined the roster, the Flames are also seeking renewed commitments from their existing players, including their new team captain and a former 115-point scorer. Additionally, they're counting on strong contributions from their young talent, a solid mix, Conroy told Adam Vickers of NHL.com.
“You want to bring in players that can help your club right now but also not block (young) players in the future,” Conroy said. “Who knows when guys are going to be ready? We don't want to just rush them in to rush them in. We want them to be ready. I think we want to be patient with our young guys, but we also want to give them opportunity at some point.”
With that being said, who are the three top candidates to be game-changers for the Flames in the upcoming 2024-25 season?
Can Anthony Mantha become a successful reclamation project?
Once a top-line player for the Detroit Red Wings with the potential to be one of the game's top power forwards, Mantha instead developed a reputation for inconsistent effort on the ice. It lead to his trade by Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman to the Washington Capitals at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline.
Things didn't improve much for Mantha in Washington, as he quickly found himself in the doghouse of then-head coach Peter Laviolette, leading to multiple healthy scratches. However, he bounced back in the 2023-24 season, posting 23 goals and 21 assists while being traded for the second time in his career, this time to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas decided not to retain him, making him a free agent. He would agree to terms with the Flames on a one-year contract worth $3 million, representing a low-risk, high-reward proposition. At just 29 years of age, Mantha still has plenty of hockey left in him – but it will be up to him to prove that he's still worthy of being considered a top contributor.
Don't be surprised to see him rebound with a more consistent effort in 2024-25, as he's certainly aware that he's running out of chances to stay in the NHL. In 492 career games played with the Red Wings, Capitals, and Golden Knights, he has scored 142 goals with 154 assists and registered six assists in 14 career postseason games.
Will Mikael Backlund prove worthy of the captaincy?
Popular forward Mikael Backlund saw his production drop from 56 points in 2022-23 to 39 points this past season, with 15 goals and 24 assists. Now entering a two-year contract he signed in 2023 as his previous six-year deal was ending, Backlund has already taken on a major new responsibility as the team's captain, the 21st in team history.
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Don't be surprised to see his production rise as he shoulders the leadership role of a team attempting to make it back to the playoffs.
Can Jonathan Huberdeau start producing again?
In one of the biggest blockbuster trades in recent memory, the Florida Panthers dealt Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar to the Flames in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk during the summer of 2022. The fortunes of the two teams couldn't have been more different.
While the Panthers have reached the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row, winning the championship this past spring, the Flames have failed to qualify for the playoffs both years.
Even more surprising than the trade is the decline in Huberdeau's production. After posting a career-high 115 points, including 85 assists, in his final season with Florida, his output dropped to just 55 and 52 points in his first two years with the Flames. In fact, his offensive decline from 2022 to 2023 marked the largest drop in NHL history.
The Flames are committed to him for the next seven seasons with a hefty $10.1 million cap hit, a deal that The Athletic recently named the worst contract in the NHL today.
“Jonathan Huberdeau has the worst contract in hockey. You know it. I know it. He knows it. He’s making franchise forward money for seven more seasons despite scoring like a second-liner in back-to-back seasons,” Dom Luszczyszyn wrote.
Look for Huberdeau to recapture some of the magic that made him one of the top players on the Panthers prior to his trade to the Flames, as he surely wants to quiet his detractors and prove himself worthy of earning his star salary.
