Craig Conroy Already Better Than Brad Treliving & Flames' Trades Provide Hope
Plus, what Canadian teams are interested in Chris Tanev?
Welcome to the THW Calgary Flames Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Flames writers.
In today’s edition, we have an article arguing that Craig Conroy is already a better general manager than Brad Treliving was. We also look at the team’s recent moves and explain why they provide hope and discuss what Canadian teams are interested in trading for Chris Tanev. Finally, Flames fans deserve better than the produce the Flames have given them over the past 30 years.
It would be great if you’d share the THW Flames Substack with your friends and family so they can subscribe and enjoy all the latest.
Now, on to the good stuff…
Flames’ Recent Roster Changes Create Hope For Season
February 4, 2024 by Abigail Hubbard
Last week, we saw a lot of changes in the roster of the Calgary Flames. Adam Ružička and Nick DeSimone left on waivers to the Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils, respectively, and Elias Lindholm was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31. It hasn’t all been trade news, however. Oliver Kylington returned to the NHL during the Flames’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 25 after taking the 2022-23 season off for his mental health.
The Flames are currently vying for a spot in the playoffs while sitting third from the bottom of the Pacific Division. With 49 points to their name, they sit three points behind the Seattle Kraken. They are in a good position to move up, or at least to keep from moving down, as they have 11 points on the Anaheim Ducks below them. Still, the Flames have a lot of work ahead of them, and the changes to their roster may prove to be the key.
Calgary Flames: 3 Canadian Teams in on Chris Tanev
February 4, 2024 by Derek Olsen
With just over a month until the NHL trade deadline, the Calgary Flames have finally begun wheeling and dealing. The club just sent star forward Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a package including Andrei Kuzmenko. Lindholm followed in the footsteps of Nikita Zadorov, another Flames unrestricted free agent (UFA) sent to the Canucks in late 2023. That marks two of the ‘big four’ Flames UFAs: Zadorov, Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev. It makes sense for the team to re-sign Hanifin as he is an integral part of the team and is just 27. At 34 and without a Stanley Cup ring, Tanev is likely destined to follow in the footsteps of his departed teammates.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Tanev was originally found by the Canucks as an undrafted free agent and played the first ten seasons of his career there. He is now in his fourth year as a Flame after signing with the team in the 2020 offseason. Tanev carries a $4.5 million cap hit and has a 10-team no-trade list. This means he can say no to moving to a third of the teams in the NHL. Despite his age and cap hit, Tanev should be a highly sought-after commodity in the league; he is a coveted right-shot defender who posts some of the best defensive metrics in the NHL. Let’s have a look at three Canadian teams that may take a swing at acquiring Tanev’s services.
Flames’ Conroy Looking Like a Much Better GM Than Treliving
February 3, 2024 by Rupert McDonald
Nearing the end of Brad Treliving’s tenure as the general manager (GM) of the Calgary Flames, fans were becoming more and more frustrated. The team had limited success under the now Toronto Maple Leafs GM, and seemed to always fall just short of landing big players. As a result, they were always a middling team, one who never felt like a Stanley Cup threat but wasn’t bad enough to obtain a high pick in drafts.
Last offseason, Treliving chose to walk away from the Flames and instead took over as GM of the Maple Leafs. Replacing him was Craig Conroy, who had served as an assistant GM in Calgary for several years prior. Fans had mixed reactions at the time, given that he was inexperienced in the role, but support for their new GM has risen tremendously in recent months.
Calgary Flames Fans Deserve Better Than 35 Years of Mediocrity
February 2, 2024 by Gary Pearson
While many words come to mind to characterize the Calgary Flames organization since its lonesome 1989 Stanley Cup triumph, mediocrity best encapsulates ongoings in the Stampede city. Fittingly, that same word perfectly embodies the 2023-24 season, which has seen the Flames stumble into the All-Star Break, sitting 12th in the Western Conference. In the past 10 seasons, the Flames, with a 51.3 winning percentage, have made the playoffs five times.
On Wednesday, the Flames shipped Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in a bitter-sweet move for Calgarians. While the organization, which essentially triggered a rebuild with the move, should feel good about what they received for Lindholm, it’s hard to stomach knowing the deal will substantially improve the Canucks’ chances of hoisting the Holy Grail come June. Vancouver is one of 11 teams that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup, a tidbit Canucks fans don’t need reminding of.
Flames fans have dangled it over their bitter rivals’ heads for over three decades, but how long will that unrelenting one-liner hold weight? The Flames have again been cast away from the Stanley Cup-chasing pack, like Chuck Noland and his only confidant, Wilson, in the classic 2000 film. Unlike Noland, however, being cast away is nothing new for the Flames, who’ve been in purgatory for over 35 years.