3 Flames Who Shouldn't Return In New Year
Summers are the time for hellos and goodbyes.
thehockeynews.comHere’s a concise update on the Calgary Flames’ 2024–25 season with a focus on the latest developments.
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Playoff status and standings: The Flames were in a rebuilding phase, trading several veterans at the 2024 trade deadline and leaning on a younger core. Reports from the season’s midpoints indicated they were aiming to develop young players while staying competitive, with playoff positioning a longer-term goal rather than an immediate expectation. The team did not sustain a strong late-season push to the playoffs in many analyses, reinforcing the rebuild narrative.[2][3]
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Roster and front office moves: General Manager Craig Conroy pursued a gradual rebuild by moving pending UFAs and retooling with younger forwards and defensemen, including new signings like Anthony Mantha and Ryan Lomberg to inject offense and depth. Key veteran departures continued to shape the lineup, with expectations that young players would assume larger roles as the season progressed.[3][2]
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Goaltending and defense: The Flames entered the season with a trio of goaltenders—Dustin Wolf, Dan Vladar, and Devin Cooley—fighting for playing time and development. Analyses highlighted goaltending as a major question mark, given Wolf’s AHL success contrasted with his NHL sample and the need for stronger support from the blue line. On the blue line, Calgary leaned on veterans like MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson, while depth pieces and younger players were expected to contribute more regularly.[2][3]
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Notable storylines to watch:
- Huberdeau’s offense: Jonathan Huberdeau’s goal to rediscover top-line consistency remained a recurring storyline, with discussions about whether he could return to a near-point-per-game level given prior seasons’ volatility.[2]
- Young contributors: The organization looked to Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil, and Matt Coronato to establish themselves as core contributors and spark plug players for the future.[3]
Illustration example (what to look for as the season progresses):
- A projected development arc table, showing: player, role, expected ice time, and current point totals over the season. This can help visualize how the young core is absorbing larger responsibilities compared with veteran departure baselines.
Would you like a compact, sourced timeline of the Flames’ key trades and injuries from the 2024–25 season, or a quick player-by-player snapshot for the core group to gauge who stepped up most? I can provide a concise list with dates and impacts.