Flames Mailbag: Will hot start derail Conroy’s plans for rebuild?

The Calgary Flames are 4-0 to start a season for the third time in franchise history. They’re playing exciting hockey and getting contributions up and down the lineup. And there’s a palatable excitement around the team as a result, even if the Flames still have 78 games to go.

Just like everyone on the outside drew it up, right?

All sarcasm aside, Calgary is full marks for their 4-0 start. They’ve won games in different ways but with a few constants: a high work rate, good goaltending and a very noticeable attitude. It’s been impressive to see.

And it also sets us up nicely for our first Flames Mailbag of a brand-new season.

I got a few different iterations of this question, and understandably so in this market. Fans here have been conditioned to a team chasing immediate, often fleeting, success at the expense of building for something longer term. So, seeing the Flames go in a different direction under general manager Craig Conroy has been refreshing for many.

But if you’re worried Conroy is going to alter course from the plan he’s put in motion, you can rest easy. It’s my belief Conroy and the Flames are fully committed to seeing this through, which means not being distracted by on-ice success earlier than expected. Conroy stated this is a “three to five-year plan” at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, and that plan remains in place.

Let’s not forget Conroy was part of Calgary’s front office the last time they were in a similar situation. Roughly a year into a retooling process, the 2014-15 season saw the Flames defy all expectations, make the playoffs, and even win a round. What followed, despite evidence of that season being somewhat of a mirage, was a clear deviation in approach.

Calgary was back to chasing immediate success way earlier than planned. I don’t believe that’s something Conroy and the Flames are ready to do this time around.

Now, that doesn’t mean using assets to help improve the team would be completely off the table. If it fits the vision. Conroy has said publicly he’d like to add a young (think 25 and under) and NHL ready centre to the group, for instance. And according to Frank Seravalli’s report earlier this week, that search remains active.

But a complete detour from the path the team is on doesn’t seem in the cards, even if Calgary’s strong start turns into a strong season.

From the beginning of training camp last month, Flames players have been adamant about not listening to, or caring about, outside noise. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t heard it. Players know outside expectations for this group aren’t high, which doesn’t mesh with what this group feels they’re capable of.

“I don’t feel like this team is externally motivated,” said defenceman Jake Bean on Tuesday’s Flames Talk post-game show. “What we want to do is happening inside that room.”

Attitudes like that can bring a team together. I find it difficult to compare anything to Calgary’s 2004 team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but I certainly see similarities between the 2014-15 squad we mentioned earlier. That team adopted an “us against the world” mentality and it served them well.

It already feels like the Flames are taking a similar approach 10 years later.

This is a difficult one to definitively answer because we don’t know what Rasmus Andersson is thinking. But if he’s open to extending long-term, I believe it’s something the Flames should make a priority. Andersson’s current six-year contract expires at the end of next season, which means he’s eligible to sign an extension starting this summer.

Keeping a player like Andersson in the fold makes a lot of sense for Calgary, even with the considerable raise he’ll be due on his current $4.5 million cap hit. Off to an outstanding start, Andersson is a drafted and developed product who plays big minutes in all situations and has grown into an important part of the team’s leadership group.

Things change if Andersson isn’t keen on staying with the Flames. And you can expect Conroy to approach this situation the same way he did last season with the likes of Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. If an extension isn’t in the cards, you can be confident the Flames will trade Andersson for assets sometime before the 2026 deadline.  

I think it’s important to point out how transparent Conroy has been about not looking to trade veterans like Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri. Those two are part of Calgary’s “core six” of veterans, a group Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska are counting on to help set the standard and build a new culture as this big-picture plan plays out.

If it were to come down to re-upping with one of Anthony Mantha or Andrei Kuzmenko, though, I lean towards the latter. That’s mainly because of the two, Kuzmenko is 18 months younger and has formed a nice on-ice connection with Kadri. In fairness, Mantha is off to a positive start in Calgary after signing a one-year contract in July. But when asked to choose one, Kuzmenko would get my vote.

Nico’s question is timely as Daniil Miromanov is trending towards being the odd man out on Calgary’s blueline for Saturday in Seattle. Acquired from Vegas in the Hanifin trade last season, Miromanov showed promise on a pairing with MacKenzie Weegar down the stretch last year. Through four games this season, though, Miromanov would probably fall into the “just okay” category.

With the Flames having seven d-men competing for everyday minutes, though, sometimes “just okay” might find you sitting in the press box for a game. Signing Tyson Barrie off his PTO gave Calgary added defensive depth, and they want him to play. The Flames rotated Bean out for Barrie in Sunday’s win over Edmonton. It might be Miromanov’s turn to facilitate Barrie’s second game with his new team.

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