Huberdeau's Historically Bad Contract & Needing More From Mangiapane
Plus, what are the worst trades in Flames franchise history?
Welcome to the THW Calgary Flames Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Flames writers.
In today’s edition, we have a piece on how bad Jonathan Huberdeau’s contract is, Andrew Mangiapane underperforming, and look back at the 2023 calendar year.
Finally, we have two historical pieces. One looks at the worst trades in Flames franchise history. The second revisits the team’s Noah Hanifin for Elias Lindholm trade.
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Now, on to the good stuff…
7 Worst Flames Trades Ever
December 29, 2023 by THW Archives
In the National Hockey League, making trades is simultaneously an art, a science and a task in intelligent asset management. Over the years, the Calgary Flames have had several general managers that were quite good at the art of the deal – notably the legendary “Trader Cliff” Fletcher.
But at the same time, the Flames have had their fair share of awful trades over the course of their history. Here are the seven worst swaps the Flames have ever made from the perspective of maximizing the value of any organizational assets.
Flames Need Much More From Struggling Mangiapane
December 29, 2023 by Rupert McDonald
Much has been made of the struggling stars of the Calgary Flames this season. Through 34 games, they own a 14-16-5 record, and that is in large part due to their star talent not performing. In fact, if their big guns were performing to the levels they have in past years, the Flames could very well be one of the better teams in the Western Conference.
The most disappointing star this season has undeniably been Jonathan Huberdeau, though he is far from the only one not pulling his weight. Elias Lindholm hasn’t been anywhere close to his best, while Nazem Kadri got off to a really slow start before beginning to get back on track. Meanwhile, in between the pipes, Jacob Markstrom has been great in some games and less than stellar in others. But there is another struggling player who hasn’t been brought up nearly as much but has shown in the past he can be a very solid offensive contributor.
Flames Have the Worst Salary-Cap Era Contract in Huberdeau
December 27, 2023 by Rupert McDonald
In any professional sports league with a salary cap, teams are going to have bad contracts. The NHL is no different in that regard, as there have been plenty of ugly deals over the years since the salary cap was first introduced ahead of the 2005-06 season.
The Flames, like many teams, have had their fair share of bad contracts over the years. Troy Brouwer’s four-year deal signed ahead of the 2016-17 season was a bad one in retrospect, while James Neal’s five-year deal signed prior to the 2018-19 campaign was an outright disaster. That said, neither were nearly as bad of contracts as one they are dealing with right now.
Flames 2023 Was a Year Filled With Perpetual Mediocrity
December 27, 2023 by Rupert McDonald
2023 has been quite the year for the Calgary Flames, and as negative as it may sound, little of it has been good. In terms of team performance, the word inconsistent has been used plenty, but with how long it’s gone on perhaps it’s just what they are. When playing their best, they can compete with top teams in the league, but they are every bit as capable of losing to a lottery team. Put that together, and you get exactly what they have been; a team hovering right around the .500 mark that isn’t good enough to make the playoffs but isn’t bad enough to get a high draft pick.
Revisiting the Flames’ Lindholm & Hanifin Trade
December 27, 2023 by Rob Couch
After missing the playoffs in seven of the last nine seasons leading up to the 2018 offseason, the Calgary Flames decided to make a massive trade that would change their franchise for the better. The team acquired 22-year-old Noah Hanifin and 24-year-old Elias Lindholm in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and the signing rights to Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes on June 23, 2018.
The trade did wonders for the Flames, adding two young and talented players who fit with the team’s young core but who were stuck behind others in the Hurricanes’ lineup. At the time, Hamilton didn’t really fit in the Flames’ locker room, while Ferland was a necessary sacrifice to make the deal happen, and Fox wasn’t going to sign with the team anyway. Calgary won this trade despite what seems to be happening with Lindholm, Hanifin, and the rest of their 2024 unrestricted free agents (UFA).