Checking in and around the Western Canadian NHL teams, the Calgary Flames don’t have much offseason news to report just yet. At least nothing major anyway. Their most recent news piece, was that Assistant Coach Marc Savard has agreed along with the organization to mutually part ways. Moreover, they also had some injury news to report from the currently underway and finishing tomorrow with the Gold Medal final, the 2024 Men’s IIHF World Championships. Their forward Martin Pospisil had suited up for his native Slovak side. Furthermore, Pospisil sustained a shoulder injury in a tournament game versus the team from Sweden.
Fortunately, as Flames General Manager Craig Conroy told Sportsnet on Monday, an MRI revealed no major damage. Therefore, the Flames forward will be able to resume his regular offseason training within a couple weeks. Pospisil was a 24-year-old NHL rookie for the Flames this past year. The 6’2″ forward definitely brings a lot to like in his game. In 63 games with the club, he only averaged 12:43 of ice time. However, he put up eight goals and 16 assists. He also gets in the game in other ways, including his 109 PIMs. His physical style of play is noteworthy and he put up 238 hits as proof. Look for him to continue to provide energy to this Flames lineup in 2024-25.
News but Nothing Major So Far in the Calgary Flames Offseason
Craig Conroy said he “didn’t sense any negativity” around the players from the Flames year-end exit interviews. That is a good sign, because one name in particular seemed to be causing drama. However, Conroy details his exit interview with star goaltender Jacob Markstrom as “cordial.” Conroy admitted that along with Markstrom, even Conroy himself wasn’t thrilled with hearing his name tossed around at the trade deadline. Conroy went on to say that Markstrom “is a great pro. The way he treated the staff, the coaches.”
Conroy reiterated he wasn’t happy with a lot of the names that were potentially being thrown around at the trade deadline, not just Markstrom. In terms of bringing Markstrom back, one factor will no doubt be their goaltender prospect Dustin Wolf. Will Conroy elect to better be safe than sorry, and have a spot available in the AHL for him? They can take advantage of the fact that Wolf is still waiver exempt. Therefore, even if the Flames do decide to move Markstrom in the offseason, they would likely want a veteran goalie presence to replace him, and be available as a tutor for the young Wolf.
A Look at the Players on the Roster for Conroy to Work With
Do the Flames have a window for a retool or is a rebuild the top priority now? The turnover could be natural and substantial after the 2024-25 season anyway. All their key pieces are locked up for this coming year. Many even longer, but there are a number of unrestricted free agents coming up in the summer of 2025. Names like Andrew Mangiapane, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Yegor Sharangovich are all UFAs next summer. Each of those players as an example, are important to the Flames success given their productivity. Kuzmenko had 25 points in 29 games after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. Meanwhile, Mangiapane had 40 points in 75 games and Sharangovich was second on the team with 59 points. Look for Conroy to make some moves to set his roster for the coming season with these players in mind.
Main photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
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