Ranking NHL Rebuilds: Flames (2nd)

Flames Overall Rebuild Grade: A
Core: A
Overall Roster: B+
Prospect Pool: A
Head Coach & General Manager: A+

Flames Are The Hot Rebuild to Watch

There’s some debate about whether the Calgary Flames rebuilt or retooled their roster. Did they do a full teardown? No. However, once they started trading away core players like Elias Lindholm and three staples of their defense, it became clear that GM Craig Conroy was rebuilding. 

Yet, two years into his tenure and the Flames are set up to contend for a long time. The trades helped set them up to do so, with the Tyler Toffoli trade landing them Yegor Sharangovich, while the Jacob Markstrom deal gave them Kevin Bahl. Meanwhile, the Flames acquired Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from Philadelphia in a steal of a trade. Those are just three of the moves that helped the Flames become a younger team and set up to contend in the long run. 

The reason the Flames stand out is that the best player in their lineup is a young goaltender who already looks like a top-five goaltender in the NHL in Dustin Wolf. Wolf was second in the Calder Trophy voting last season and single-handedly won enough games to nearly put the Flames into the playoffs (they lost the tiebreaker to the St. Louis Blues for the final spot). This team, like the Winnipeg Jets, might not have star power or elite difference-makers, and it doesn’t matter because they have Wolf, who can put them near the top of the Western Conference every season.

While Wolf is the star, the Flames’ core is more than just him. They have Conor Zary, Matthew Coronato, and Martin Pospisil leading the young group. With the Flames, it’s important to specify between the current core, led by Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, and MacKenzie Weegar, compared to the younger, above-mentioned one. The veterans won’t be around when this team is competing for a Cup, and if they are, they’ll be depth contributors at that point.       

The Flames also have a great rebuild working in their favor because they don’t have prospects or picks. They have young NHL-caliber players. More of their key contributors are 27 or younger. Even depth players like Sharangovich, and Daniil Miramonov are in their early 20s and making an impact on a nightly basis. 

Frost looked downright dominant at times when used on a line with Coronato and Huberdeau. Mikael Backlund was sidelined by injury, and Ryan Huska put Frost together with veteran Huberdeau and youngster Coronato. They produced scoring chances like clockwork. Actually, they created so many chances during their run together that the actual goal production didn’t reflect the quality. Meanwhile, as soon as Backlund healed, Coronato went back to his line. Huberdeau went back to flanking Kadri.

However, when playing with Sharangovich and either Posoposil or Farabee, Frost looked very average. Meanwhile, Farabee has become something of an enigma. A few years ago, he looked like a money-in-the-bank blossoming 25-to-30 goal guy with a complete two-way game. He hasn’t been quite the same ever since suffering a serious neck injury a few seasons ago. However, he’s been fully healthy for a couple years. Farabee showed flashes of his better form in Calgary, but they were sporadic.

Perhaps Huska can bring that player back out in Farabee. John Tortorella was the wrong coach for him, because he only knows how to nitpick and tear down players’ confidence. That’s just about the WORST situation for a young player who’s already pressing. Ryan Huska, however, is more a new age NHL coach: much more patient and constructive (rather than destructive) in critiquing a player. That’s more in line with what a player like Farabee needs.

The roster build makes it a difficult task for a head coach to balance. There’s a lot of young talent and still a few veterans taking up ice time and playing well enough to earn it. It’s why Huska’s done a great job as the head coach. He’s leaned into their strengths and allowed the young team to develop into a contender. 

The big question mark with this team is scoring. They averaged under 2.70 goals per game last season, and they won’t win every game 2-1 or 1-0 (even with Wolf in the net). It’s where they’ll likely look to add in the future, from drafting forwards to making a blockbuster trade. The Flames aren’t a destination, and Conroy knows it (at least until they start winning and build a new arena). It’s why, when this team is in the playoff picture, his next big task is making a trade to add an elite scorer to the team. 

Outsider’s Perspective

The Flames’ situation made them take a different path to a rebuild. While it’s easy to look at it as a retool or reset, Conroy did a good job rebuilding “A team who hasn’t been able to fully tank given the nature of their market, yet Conroy has added some great young pieces. The big question is Rasmus Andersson, who is blocking younger defenseman from top minutes. Every day he stays a Flame, his value decreases.” 

Andersson isn’t the lone veteran with this issue. Like Kadri, Huberdeau, and Weegar, he’s taking up valuable ice time from the younger players. That said, it’s more likely the Flames will keep him around as a veteran in a depth role than trade him for more assets. They already moved Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Noah Hanifin for assets. Andersson will probably be the defenseman who bridges the gap and then sticks around on a Cup-contending team but of course, that’s anyone’s guess. 

The Bottom Line

The Flames have an exciting young team already. And that doesn’t even include Zayne Parekh, their top prospect who is expected to join the NHL roster this season. Parekh is a two-way defenseman who has the upside to become a difference-maker and impact the game in multiple ways. If he’s that, the conversation around the Flames changes. They go from a good team that will be in the playoffs to a perennial Cup contender. This is the team to watch out for in the Western Conference, looking ahead. 

One of the questions about this team was about where they stand in the big picture. If they face the Edmonton Oilers or the Vegas Golden Knights, will they handle the elite talent both of those teams have? The short answer is yes if Conroy continues to make the right moves. They have the defense and goaltending to compete with those teams, and now it’s about adding the scoring to that mix. So, give them time, although not a lot of time, and they’ll be set up to go on a deep playoff run.