The Calgary Flames need a reset
After last night’s outdoor Heritage Classic game between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames that saw Connor McDavid’s Oilers take a 5-2 win, it’s evident the Flames need to do something to get out from behind the eight-ball and get some wins. Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHLer Colby Cohen talk about why the Flames need a reset and rebuild.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Last night’s Heritage Classic was a good step in the right direction for the Edmonton Oilers but not so much for the Calgary Flames. This is Ryan Huska’s crew. Frank Seravalli and I have made this point a couple of times already; we were sitting there in the preseason, and it felt like a breath of fresh air in Calgary; everyone was excited to be back, Darryl Sutter was gone, and they’ve just come out looking completely flat. I’m not sure what hope Flames fans should have. It doesn’t look good there.
Colby Cohen: It really doesn’t. You know, I look at the whole makeup of the Flames organization and moving on from Sutter to me seemed like a perfect time to start a rebuild. You walked away from a couple of big-name players who pushed their way out of there, and you got some players in return, but you can’t really compare, in my opinion; Matthew Tkachuk is just not a replaceable player in my opinion. I think about the fact they’re a couple of years away from a new building, and I really do think this would’ve been the right time for a rebuild. I think their roster is heavy on one side and light on the other, and there’s just not a lot of middle class in the lineup and, so I think when their top players aren’t producing offensively, they’re going to have a hard time being a good hockey team.
Colby Cohen: The other problem is, and it’s not too much different than Edmonton, they aren’t getting consistent goaltending. You can’t win in this league without it. Markstrom and Vladar, these guys have been good in their careers; Markstrom makes a good chunk of money since he’s proven he’s an NHL goalie. But it’s just the consistency, and when you feel that deflated moment constantly, it’s super infectious throughout your lineup. You hit on this off the top; it was a Heritage outdoor game, old-school-looking uniforms, gloves, pants, and everything about it looked it. I know it’s early, but those types of games are checkpoints; they can propel you or push you down the other way. Huge opposite effect here, not just because one team wins and one loses. It’s the way Edmonton beat up on Calgary last night, they demoralized and dominated them. Didn’t give up scoring chances or shots, either. The Flames are in trouble.
You can watch the full episode here…