The Calgary Flames, as a whole, have had a very solid start to the 2024-25 season. They are currently riding a four-game winning streak following Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild, and as a result sit at 12-6-3 on the campaign. It’s a shockingly-good start that even their biggest of supporters didn’t see coming.
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The biggest reason for their success has been their goaltending. Dustin Wolf has been absolutely outstanding, and to many is the frontrunner for the Calder Trophy. Meanwhile, his partner in Dan Vladar, while having lesser numbers, has also impressed in the early going.
The Flames’ defensive game has been quite steady as well, with their blue liners far exceeding expectations thus far, while their forwards also deserve some of that credit. That said, their forwards also deserve some criticism despite the hot start, as they are all really struggling offensively.
Flames Can’t Buy Goals
The Flames have managed just 55 goals this season, which ranks 25th in the NHL. Only one team lower than them is in a playoff spot, that being the Boston Bruins, though barely, as they are hanging onto the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot by a thread. Some of the others, including the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks have struggled tremendously.
A big part of this is due to their struggles on the power play. The Flames have converted on just 18.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. On top of that, Jonathan Huberdeau’s 11 points lead all Flames players in scoring. That is the lowest total of any player up front leading their team amongst all 32 NHL organizations. It’s a shocking stat given there are a number of teams who boast players with 30-plus points.
Leading the Flames in points are defencemen Rasmus Andersson (13) and MacKenzie Weegar (12). The two have combined for eight goals this season, making it quite scary to imagine where this team would be without them. They’ve been absolutely outstanding, but are going to need some help going forward.
Flames’ Top Players Struggling
Without a doubt, the Flames’ biggest disappointment so far this season has been Nazem Kadri. After an impressive 75 points in 2023-24, he’s managed just 11 through 21 outings. Even more disappointing is that his usual strong defensive play has gone completely to the wayside, as he owns a minus-12 rating on the season. That number is significantly worse than any of his teammates, as Yegor Sharangovich’s minus-6 is the second lowest.
Kadri is far from the only one to struggle, as Andrei Kuzmenko has just one goal on the season. Blake Coleman’s been rather quiet compared to a season ago with four, and while Connor Zary has played well, his four goals and 10 points are somewhat disappointing. Sharangovich, while showing signs of life as of late, has been far from his best overall.
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What also doesn’t help matters is the fact that Anthony Mantha, who was brought in to provide scoring, suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the month. By no means would he have single-handedly fixed these issues, but he would have provided plenty of help.
Offence Needed to Win Games
As fun of a ride as this has been for the Flames through the opening 21 games of the season, it is likely to come crashing down in a hurry if they don’t find a way to start putting goals on the board. By no means are they the most talented group, but they have players, such as the aforementioned, who are capable of more than they are providing. Should they get things going, this group could very well surprise and earn a playoff spot. If their struggles continue, it could all come crashing down much sooner and more suddenly than fans expect.
