After a tumultuous 2023-24 season, Calgary Flames management is looking to calm things for their players moving forward.
There was nonstop media focus on the Flames for a significant amount of time. It started last offseason when general manager (GM) Craig Conroy was hired in place of Brad Treliving and then immediately flipped to trade rumours that seemed to involve nearly every player on the roster.
From the start of the 2023-24 season until the final few days before the trade deadline, there were countless reports daily about potential deals in the works. This affected not only the player involved but all his teammates, as no one seemed to know exactly what was happening.
Management appears to have realized how difficult the entire situation was and has decided to do what they can to make things smooth sailing moving forward. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, they aren’t planning on making any moves whatsoever for the remainder of the offseason.
“One of the things I have heard about the Flames is that they have basically told all their guys that nothing is coming this summer. Last year was too noisy; this year has been a lot quieter. They like it that way, and they want to see how things are going to play out. Anything can happen. You make them an offer they can’t refuse. They have to consider it. But I have heard that Calgary’s plan is, ‘We’re enjoying our quiet summer, and we’d like to keep it that way.’”
What helps with that plan is that Conroy has far fewer pending UFAs that would draw significant interest. The two to keep an eye on are Andrei Kuzmenko and Anthony Mantha, but neither, if traded, is likely to be dealt until closer to the deadline. Until then, it sounds like very few, if any, changes will be happening in Calgary.
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