THW Calgary Flames Substack - Aug. 17, 2023
Welcome to the THW Calgary Flames Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Flames writers.
In today’s edition we have the Flames needing to sign Lindholm, reasons for optimism in Calgary, the latest news & rumors, and much more.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Flames Are Better Off Extending Rather Than Trading Lindholm
August 17, 2023 by Rupert McDonald
After months of speculation that he would likely be traded, it appears that the Calgary Flames and Elias Lindholm are inching toward a contract extension. The 28-year-old, who expressed hesitancy about signing an extension when the 2022-23 season had concluded, appears to have had a change of heart when it comes to remaining in Calgary long-term.
Lindholm, who is coming off a season in which he scored 22 goals and 64 points, is entering the final year of a contract that pays him $4.85 million annually. That contract has been considered a steal for several seasons, and won’t be even close to any new deal he does ink. Based on several reports, it is expected that he will sign a maximum eight-year deal, with the average annual value (AAV) coming in at roughly $9 million. While it won’t be cheap, it is more than worth it for the Flames to agree upon.
2023-24 Flames Providing Fans with Reasons for Optimism
August 17, 2023 by Ben Hockley
I took to my Instagram the other day, which is built around and for NHL fans of all teams, and asked for people’s opinions on why they think the Calgary Flames will be good or bad this upcoming season and to declare whether they were a Flames fan or not. I received 40 or so responses from all sorts of fans giving some very good reasons as to why they believe the Flames will be good or bad this season. In this article, I will go over the reasons to be optimistic about the 2023-24 season based on the responses I received. Another article based on reasons to be concerned will follow in the near future.
Flames News & Rumors: Hanifin, Lindholm, Kadri & More
August 16, 2023 by Michael DeRosa
In this latest edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumors, Noah Hanifin may be a bigger trade target than ever before now with Erik Karlsson off of the board. In other news, Elias Lindholm is continuing to be connected to the Boston Bruins. Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri recently spoke with the media about the positivity heading into the new season. Lastly, THW’s Rob Couch discussed some Flames wild cards heading into the new season. Let’s talk about all of this and more in today’s (Aug. 16) Flames News & Rumors column.
3 Flames Wild Cards for the 2023-24 Season
August 15, 2023 by Rob Couch
Much more was expected from the Calgary Flames last season, but they have an opportunity for a fresh start to rectify that this season. Everybody is still waiting on decisions from some of the upcoming unrestricted free agents (UFA) next summer, but with or without them, the Flames have to move forward and the remaining members of the team must persevere. The team didn’t struggle as a whole; some players had strong seasons, but others didn’t. The players we are going to look at here are wild cards that might make or break the Flames’ season depending on if they show up or struggle again.
Flames Future Will be the Judge of Conroy’s Patience
August 15, 2023 by Ben Hockley
There could be a few reasons attributed to the Flames’ lack of moves, including reasons such as; not a good enough market, unclear willingness to re-sign, and more pressing moves, among others. One thing that is certain, is that Conroy is willing to make a move involving his pending UFAs as he stated as much in his opening press conference, and followed it with the Tyler Toffoli trade that brought forward Yegor Sharangovich to Calgary. So why have there not been more moves made by the Flames’ new GM? Well, it seems he is taking a patient approach to the situation in hopes of not making an unnecessary move that hurts the organization.