The Calgary Flames are gearing up for a fresh start and embracing lower expectations as they head into training camp for the upcoming season. The team recently held its annual golf tournament, which is seen as the unofficial kickoff to another exciting campaign. The focus of last season was on pending free agents, such as Mikael Backlund, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Noah Hanifin, and whether they would stay with the team or move on.
However, this year’s tournament was buzzing with talk of the franchise-altering trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to acquire Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. The Flames are now enjoying a period of quiet and stability, with no major pending free agents and minimal activity in the off-season.
With a roster that includes several rookies and sophomores in key roles, the Flames will rely heavily on their veteran players to lead the team. Blake Coleman, who had a breakout season with 30 goals in 2023-24, expressed his excitement about the potential for young players to make their mark.
“There’s been a lot of turnover in the last couple of years, there’s no secret there,” Coleman said. “To me, it’s exciting. It’s a blank canvas. We have a lot of guys that have great opportunities to take steps in their career and leave their stamp and make a difference for us.”
Captain Mikael Backlund emphasized the importance of competing every night and maintaining a strong work ethic.
“We’ll go out there and play hard every night and see where it takes us,” Backlund said. “From the outside world, there’s little expectation. But inside the room we’re expecting to go out every night, play hard, and win games.”
General manager Craig Conroy acknowledged that there may be some growing pains as the team relies on young players, but he believes that experienced leaders like Backlund and Coleman will be crucial to the team’s success.
“The last couple of years, there was a lot of negativity coming in here,” Conroy said. “Everybody I’ve talked to is so positive right now, from Backs to Coleman to [Nazem] Kadri. Everybody just has a real feeling, ‘It’s kind of us against them.’ I like when we’re the underdogs and people maybe take us lightly.”
