This changes EVERYTHING for the Flames... | Calgary Flames News

This changes everything for the Calgary Flames. The Flames were oh so close to sneaking into last year's postseason, and had they had a better offense, they easily could have found themselves in the playoffs. Well, if certain players step it up this upcoming season, we could see Flames hockey into May. We're going to get into all that more in this video, but first I want to welcome you to Flames Digest. I'm Mark Griffith. If you're new around here and you love the Flames, make sure you subscribe so you can stay up to date on all the latest news, updates, reports, and rumors revolving around your Calgary Flames. We would love to welcome you to the Flames Digest family, and we have a domino effect to talk about here, and essentially, why does this change everything for the Flames? If one little thing can change, then the domino effect can take place. One thing changes, then a few other things can happen, and who knows? The Flames could actually be a force offensively and could sneak into the playoffs, and we have a great article to take a look at here written by Liam Mabley, and he is onto something in this article for sure. He writes, four Flames forwards who need to take a step forward in 2024-25. As we know, a couple seasons ago, some Flames had career years. You look at guys like Blake Coleman, you look at Sharkey, who's obviously going to be essentially the main man of this video. Had we had that last year, the Flames easily could have snuck into the playoffs. If you need a quick reminder, the Flames were tied with the Blues on point, and just didn't get the tiebreaker obviously in terms of regulation wins and regulation or overtime wins, but hey, the Flames were that close to being in the playoffs. Had they had any sort of proper offense and power play throughout all 82 games, man oh man, the Flames could have been in the playoffs, but here are four Flames who need to take a step forward, and if they do, it really could change everything for this team. So highs and lows have marked the past two NHL seasons in Calgary for many who don the flaming seat. We're going to take a look at essentially this entire article, so all credit due to Liam here. A select few have been uber-consistent key veteran players like Caudry, Weeks, and Backland. As for the rest of the bunch, they've seen massive peaks and valleys in terms of production and on-ice contribution. Very strict. In 2024-25, Huberto seemingly rose out of a slump that had plagued him since his acquisition from Florida. Though he didn't return to a 100-point form, Huberto scored more goals last season than the previous two seasons combined, 28 over 27. On the other hand, there was stark regression for Blake Coleman, who halved his 30-goal campaign in 2023-24 with just 15 tallies last season. Amongst those who we'll discuss below, both Connor Zeri and Sharon Govich failed to build upon breakout campaigns a couple seasons ago, with the latter actually regressing, albeit largely due to injuries. Those are two names that we will take a look at, of course, and injuries can excuse Zeri for sure. However, I don't know what really went wrong with Sharon Govich. I know he was hurt at the very beginning of last season. We weren't too sure what was going on, and maybe he never fully recovered because he really wasn't the 30-goal scorer that we signed him to be, of course. In that way, we'll get into it. But it's been somewhat of a bizarro world in Flamesland over the past two seasons. In 2023-24, they were a team that could score but struggled to keep the puck out of the net. I mean, there was no Dustin Wolf. Whereas in 2024-25, they scored 33 fewer goals while also allowing 31 fewer. So the offense dried up, but the defense and goaltending got a lot better. With Calgary looking to ditch its apparent Jekyll and Hyde nature, here are four players they desperately need to take a step forward in 2025-26. And let's start with Sharky, because I think that's the one who Flames fans, he was a ghost out there last year, and Flames fans will know it. Sure, he's a likable guy, but he just did nothing for the team, really, which isn't great. So in June of 2023, Sharon Govich came over from the Devils, along with a 2023 third-round pick that ended up being Sunya, in return for Toffoli. The Flames package for Toffoli was widely considered to be weak at the time, but a 31-goal effort from Sharky the following season cooled all criticism. The sharpshooting winger was then rewarded by Calgary with a five-year contract extension And I think that kicks in this upcoming season, hopefully he can play to that contract. Now last season was not nearly as rosy for the MISC native, totaling 17 goals and 32 points over 73 contests. Sharky appeared more hesitant to shoot the puck in contrast to his initial campaign as a Flame, but there's reason to believe that it was correlated with a lower body injury he suffered in preseason, resulting in him missing the team's first seven games. Regardless of what exactly ailed him, a lot is riding on the now 27-year-old to return to form this season, especially considering how much Calgary has invested in him. It's worth noting that Sharon Govich sustained a broken foot in Game 82 against the Kings. So yes, injuries haven't been on his side. They weren't last year. A couple seasons ago, he looked so good, he could score at will, it seemed. Last year, it really, really dried up, but if he can get going, him over anyone else on this team, really, if he can get going, then the Flames can definitely be more of an offensive force for sure. Now let's get into Zary, the other one that has already been mentioned. So Zary enjoyed a stellar rookie season in 2023-24, emerging from the AHL early in the year to post solid numbers, much like Coronado did this past season. The Flames' first-round selection in 2020 flashed skill night in and night out en route to a solid 34 points in 63 games as a 22-year-old. He was fantastic. However, Zary's injury-plagued sophomore year cast some doubt on his future, though it was likely just a setback. His 27 points in 54 games last season have led some to pump the brakes a little, but does that include Craig Conroy? Whoa. His slight regression has seemingly made Calgary more hesitant in contract discussions with Zary as he remains the lone roster player without a contract as of this writing and as of this video, of course. So again, Zary can only, you know, step it up next year if he's got a contract, which again, we don't need to get too, too worried about it. We are in August now and, you know, training camp is slowly creeping up on us. But still, if Zary can sign and get going, then just like Sharkey, this team could be so much better offensively. The Saskatoon native has no shortage of skill and confidence with the puck and an injury-free year should result in a major bounce back. And that's true. And we have our fingers crossed for him, of course, in a flame sweater. Now, the last two. The last two of the four mentioned in the article. So Morgan Frost and Joel Theraby. So since being acquired in late January for Andre Kuzmenko, Jacob Pelce, and a 2025 second round pick, Frostby, the beautiful bromance, has been the topic of much conversation, more specifically the desire for more output from the former Philadelphia duo. The need for improvement has only grown since the Flames inked Frost to a two-year extension that carries an AAV of 4.375 mil. Frost's new deal means that he and Theraby will be making a combined 9.375 mil over the next two seasons. Although cap space is not necessarily an issue in Calgary at the moment, they currently have over $15 million in cap space with only Zary to sign. Frost and Theraby's combined ticket is still a big one, not to mention the assets leveraged to acquire them. The Flames did give up quite a bit. I mean, I wouldn't say the Flyers won that trade either since both Kuzmenko and Pelce are gone. Um, so, I mean, I guess the Flames won the trade in that way, but it's, it's still kind of, you expect more out of Frost and Theraby. We were really excited when they came in and then the production just wasn't there. There were flashes for sure. They looked great at certain points, but some more consistency from them, if they, you know, get together and start playing amazingly on a line with potentially Sharon Govich or Zary, then it's just a recipe to really change this offense, change everything for the Flames, make them a team that is destined for the playoffs. Though the entire team struggled offensively in 2024-25, the newest Flames production was especially underwhelming, having totaled just 18 points in 63 games between them. Yeah, not too good. In all likelihood, Frost and Theraby will improve on their performance last season as they continue to settle in. The question is how much? And these obviously aren't the only four guys who could probably step it up a bit. I know people still expect a lot out of Huberto based off of his contract, so it would be nice if he could step it up. Of course, he did step it up last year, but not quite to the level that a lot of people still do expect. And there's other players that you could argue, you know, maybe offensively if they step it up a bit, maybe even from some of the defensemen, then obviously the Flames could be doing a lot better. But let me know. Do you think other than these four, there's one guy in particular who really needs to step it up that could change this offense and change this team's destiny? Now let's get into the comment of the day to wrap up this video, as we love to do here on the channel. It comes from yesterday's video, of course, which went over an interesting trade rumor that involves Huberto of all people. But a lot of people are talking about Anderson in the comments, and this was a great one from Krupix. They said, Flames should get a ransom for Anderson. Look ahead to the next two UFA classes as well as available D-men for trade. He is the clear 1-D, especially for right-handed defensemen. The Flames should be getting a package at par or better than the Hannafin deal. And that's true. A lot of people think he's completely overrated. Look at his plus minus from last year. He is still so valuable, and he really should go for a ransom. I know there was a reply underneath from Guitar Memoir that said, ransom Anderson. What a nickname that'll be if it continues with all these trade talks. But it is true. He's still worth a lot. Look at who else is going to be on the market. The Flames should get a lot for ransom. Thank you so much for watching this video. Please subscribe to what you saw here today, and have a wonderful rest of your day.