CALGARY — The Calgary Flames' push for their first playoff appearance in three seasons will have to come without the benefit of reinforcements.
With his team clinging to the second wild card spot in the NHL’s Western Conference, Flames general manager Craig Conroy opted to do nothing ahead of Friday’s trade deadline while conference rivals brought in players to bolster their lineups.
"I watch in the locker room, they do care about each other, they want to do it, and they've got a chip on their shoulders and I love that," Conroy said. "The next step is not easy because we know all these games get more and more difficult, but for these last 20, I think they're going to be excited. They're all together. Nobody's leaving."
In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the overachieving Flames are one point up on the Vancouver Canucks, who hold a game in hand. They’re just three points back of Los Angeles for third in the Pacific, although the Kings have played two fewer games.
“The one thing we've talked about right from day 1 of training camp from the golf tournament was, hey, I know people don't believe in the team. Maybe they think we're going to be at the bottom of the standings. But these guys have done an amazing job to put us in the playoff picture,” said Conroy.
Calgary is back in action on Saturday when they kick-off a three-game homestand against the Montreal Canadiens.
"This group believes in themselves, and they can beat anybody on any given night," said Conroy. "They're going to take this as OK, it's another challenge for them. We've been challenging them all year and this is just the next challenge to get us into the playoffs."
The Flames are in the position they’re in largely because of the strong play from rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf, who has grabbed hold of the No. 1 job. The 23-year-old Calder Trophy candidate for top rookie has a 21-12-4 record and ranks seventh in the league with a .913 save percentage.
He’s kept Calgary in the playoff fight despite ranking dead last in the NHL in scoring, averaging just 2.58 goals per game.
Conroy, in his second season as GM, is in the opposite position this season than he was a year ago.
The Flames entered the 2023-24 campaign with several impactful pending unrestricted free agents on the roster in Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov, all of whom were eventually traded.
Approaching the trade deadline this year, the only UFAs on the roster were back-up goaltender Dan Vladar, fourth-line centre Kevin Rooney, and depth defenceman Joel Hanley. All of them remain with the club.
“Definitely less stressful,” said Conroy with a chuckle, reflecting on a year ago. “When you have so many guys, and you're trying to gauge the market, see what you're going to be able to get, and you're constantly talking to teams, constantly talking to teams, maybe new teams jumping in. So, you're always trying to figure out when's the right time to do it, what's the maximum value.”
While Friday was quiet, Conroy made his trade noise back on Jan. 31 when he dealt pending UFA Andrei Kuzmenko and 2019 first-rounder Jakob Pelletier to the Philadelphia Flyers for centre Morgan Frost and winger Joel Farabee.
Frost had a goal and assist on Tuesday in a win against his former team. Farabee had a highlight reel goal on Thursday as the Flames picked up a point in an overtime loss to Dallas to wrap up a difficult six-game road trip at 2-2-2.
“We made our big move earlier with Frost and Farabee and I really like that because I think they're really starting to play much better, feel more comfortable, and you can see it on the ice,” said Conroy. “To be able to get ahead of that, to have 10, 11 games in prior (to the trade deadline), it makes a huge difference.”
From here on in, the only help available will have to come from the minors. Conroy is OK with that, singling out 2020 second-round defenceman Yan Kuznetsov and 2021 second-rounder left-winger William Stromgren, who are currently playing for the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers.
"We definitely have options down there, and that's the best part," Conroy said. "Those guys are young, hungry and excited, and they're probably happy to see me not do anything today, either, because they know their opportunity is that much closer now."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.
Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press
