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New Arena Deal Announced For Flames, Andrew Mangiapane Undergoes Surgery

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The long wait is over for an announcement of a new arena for the Flames as the City of Calgary announced that they have come to an agreement on a new arena and events center.  The agreement will be funded between the city ($537MM), the Province of Alberta ($300MM towards supportive infrastructure), and Flames ownership ($356MM) over the next three years.  Don Braid of the Calgary Herald notes that this agreement also covers the demolition of the Saddledome, the oldest arena in the NHL which turns 40 in October.  There is no projected timeline yet for when the new arena will be operational.  Given the scope of the project, it will almost certainly take a while.

  • Still with the Flames, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Andrew Mangiapane has undergone successful shoulder surgery and will be ready for training camp. The 27-year-old wasn’t able to repeat his 35-goal performance from last season, slipping down to 17 tallies while chipping in with 26 assists to finish eighth on the team in scoring.  He has two years left on his deal which carries a $5.8MM AAV so Calgary will certainly be hoping that the surgery will help Mangiapane reclaim his scoring touch.

Calgary Flames GM Search Pointing To Conroy

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  • Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 discusses the possibilities for the next Calgary Flames general manager and points out one very likely candidate. Steinberg says the team isn’t looking for a veteran retread for the job as they have Don Maloney in place as an experienced executive after naming him the team’s President of Hockey Operations. Steinberg discusses Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy, the most likely candidate. The 51-year-old has been in the Flames front office since 2010, acting as a special assistant to the GM or the assistant GM.

Calgary Flames Sign Walker Duehr To An Extension

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The Calgary Flames have announced that they’ve re-signed forward Walker Duehr to a two-year one-way contract extension. Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the deal comes with an annual cap hit of $825K, not a bad payday for a player who had played in just a single NHL game prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a solid first season in the NHL putting up seven goals and 11 points in 27 NHL games. Duehr also holds the unusual distinction of being the first South Dakota born player to score a goal in the NHL.

Prior to his breakthrough last season Duehr had spent two plus seasons playing in the AHL with Calgary’s AHL affiliates and four seasons in the NCAA with Minnesota State University. Despite his 11 points with the Flames last season in limited action, Duehr has never been one to put up much in the way of offense. He hasn’t eclipsed 27 points at any level dating back to 2011-12, however given his low cap hit and his track record, he likely won’t be relied upon for anything more than bottom six minutes.

It’s a gamble for Calgary, but given the work to be done this summer re-tooling a team that disappointed in the regular season, it was a safe, low risk move to make with a player they are quite familiar with.

Dustin Wolf Wins AHL MVP

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One of the major factors that sunk the Calgary Flames’ 2022-23 season (besides the stunning production decline from team offensive centerpiece Jonathan Huberdeau) was the decline in goaltending quality coach Darryl Sutter’s team received. Jacob Markstrom was a Vezina Trophy contender in his first season as a Flame, posting a .922 save percentage in 63 games. Even backup Daniel Vladar was good, putting up a .906 through 23 starts after his offseason trade from the Boston Bruins. This season, though, both regressed significantly and played to save percentages below .900.

That reality facing the Flames in the crease makes today’s announcement that Calgary’s top prospect Dustin Wolf, 22, was named the league’s Les Cunningham Award Winner. (MVP) Wolf is the American League’s youngest MVP since Jason Spezza won it after his 117-point 2004-05 season, and it comes after he posted a near-bulletproof .932 save percentage in 55 games played. As FloHockey’s Chris Peters notes, this is the fourth straight season Wolf has won Goaltender of the Year in the league he’s played in, and his lowest save percentage as a junior or pro player has been a .924. Although there is much uncertainty facing the Flames organization in the aftermath of former GM Brad Treliving’s departure, Wolf is undoubtedly a player to be excited about.

Minor Notes: Wolf, U18, Viveiros

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The Calgary Flames had a disappointing season that ended with them on the outside of the playoff picture. Their AHL affiliate, on the other hand, has been enjoying a tremendous 2022-23 season and finished first in the AHL standings with a 51-17-4 record. They ended up in first place in the AHL standings and will begin their Calder Cup chase next week. That is little consolation to Flames fans today, who were expecting a competitive NHL team this season, and not just a great minor league team to hand their hat on.

One reason for future hope in Calgary is goaltender Dustin Wolf who played a huge role in the Calgary Wranglers leading the way in the AHL. Wolf was named the winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s best goaltender. The 22-year-old goaltender was the leader in goals-against average (2.09) save percentage (.932) and shutouts with seven. In his final two years of Junior, Wolf was named the top goaltender in the WHL and now he has won that award in his first two pro seasons at the AHL level.

  • USA Hockey announced its roster for the upcoming World Under-18 Championships. The team promises to be a high-scoring one as the roster is headlined by forwards Will Smith, Gabe Perreault, Ryan Leonard, Oliver Moore who will all be selected in the first round of the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft. Cole Eiserman, a top-ranked prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft is also on the roster. USA begins its tournament with a game tomorrow against Latvia. The event is taking place in Switzerland. USA will be looking for its first gold medal at the event since 2017.
  • Per a team release, the Vegas Golden Knights announced Manny Viveiros will be leaving the organization. Viveiros has been the head coach of the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights since their inception in 2020. In their first year of existence, the team had a 25-13-1 record in a Covid-shortened season, and followed that up with a 34-28-5 record in 2021-22. The team struggled this season however, finished outside the Calder Cup Playoffs with a record of 29-38-5. Viveiros’ contract is set to expire on June 30 and it will not be renewed.

Mitch Love Wins AHL Coach Of The Year

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For the second year in a row, Mitch Love has won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding coach. The Calgary Wranglers bench boss led his team to a 51-17-4 record, blending a dynamic offensive attack with a smothering defensive structure. He is just the third coach to win the award in consecutive seasons (Bill Dineen and Robbie Ftorek are the others).

Overall, Love has a 96-33-11 record through his first two years behind an AHL bench. His meteoric rise through the ranks included just three years as head coach of the Saskatoon Blades before jumping to the AHL level, and now puts him on a trajectory toward NHL duties in the near future. With uncertainty surrounding the future of the Flames, though, it’s unclear if that will eventually come in Calgary. When the NHL squad parted ways with general manager Brad Treliving recently, reports indicated that head coach Darryl Sutter’s job was safe.

As teams around the league search for new candidates in the coming years, you can bet that Love’s name will start to surface. Two incredible years in the AHL may not be a very long track record, but it is an impressive one. He is the first coach in league history to win the award in his first two seasons.

During his playing career, Love was a prototypical “tough guy,” racking up penalty minutes without any real offensive impact. In 278 regular season AHL games, he scored just six goals but registered 808 penalty minutes. Before that, he was one of the most feared competitors in the WHL, once recording more than 300 PIM in a single season.

While the performance of Dustin Wolf as the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender has certainly helped through his first two years, the relationship is symbiotic. Love’s system has taken a lot of stress off his netminders, as there is almost always someone in the face of an attacking player as soon as they get the puck. With the top seed secured, the Wranglers will wait to see who they play in the Pacific Division semifinals.

Calgary Flames, Brad Treliving Agree To Part Ways

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The Calgary Flames and general manager Brad Treliving have mutually agreed to part ways upon the conclusion of his contract this season, the team announced Monday. Calgary has promoted Don Maloney to president of hockey operations, and he will serve as the interim general manager.

Interestingly enough, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Darryl Sutter’s job as head coach appears to be safe. Seravalli said it’s “fair to say” that Sutter’s continuation in his role influenced whether Calgary would re-sign Treliving.

Treliving had been with the Flames for nine years, during which he led the team to five playoff appearances. With the team massively underachieving this season after a transformational offseason, though, it was decided mutually that a new direction for both Treliving and the Flames was the right choice.

Maloney has been serving as senior vice president of hockey operations with the Flames for the past five seasons. He has previous GM experience in the NHL with the Coyotes, serving in that role from 2007 to 2016.

Calgary says Maloney’s appointment to the role is not permanent, and the interviewing process to find a new general manager will begin immediately.

For the Flames, it’s a chance to start a whole new regime on and off the ice, save for Sutter momentarily. With former core pieces Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, and others gone by the wayside, along with noncommital answers on their future from Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm, there’s a chance for even more significant roster turnover in the near future.

Treliving is a very well-respected person in NHL front office circles, and, despite a disappointing end to his lengthy tenure in Calgary, should have no trouble finding another NHL role soon. Calgary Sports and Entertainment CEO and president John Bean gave a statement on Treliving’s departure:

It’s a difficult day when you must part ways with a quality colleague and friend. We are grateful of Brad’s contributions over the past nine years and wish him every success in his future, both personally and professionally. But for our fans and our business, we need to move forward, and we are confident with Don’s experience that we will find the right General Manager to build on Brad’s work and lead our team to the Stanley Cup.

Mikael Backlund Unsure About Signing Extension With Flames

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Mikael Backlund has been a fixture in Calgary’s lineup for well over a decade as the center has suited up in over 900 games for them over parts of 15 seasons.  Along the way, it has widely been expected that the 34-year-old would be someone who sticks with the Flames for his entire career.  However, speaking with reporters recently (video link), Backlund expressed some hesitance in committing to signing another deal with them this summer:

I’ve been here for a long time and I love Calgary, I love this organization.  But the year that we had, I’m 34 years old and I want to win the Stanley Cup and I … I don’t know this summer what’s going to happen, if they even offer me anything. I might want to see what this group can do before I make a decision.

It’s worth noting that Backlund has one more year remaining on his deal, a pact that carries a $5.35MM AAV and a 21-team no-trade clause so in the short term, he probably isn’t going anywhere.

Interestingly, in a season where not a lot went right for Calgary, things certainly went well for Backlund as he potted 19 goals and 37 assists while playing all 82 games, setting new career highs in assists and points in the process.  The Flames were in the bottom half of the league offensively but while others struggled, Backlund did quite well.  So much so, in fact, that he could be in line to command a similar price tag to his current deal on an extension, a scenario that wouldn’t have been realistic even a year ago.

It’s telling that Backlund hinted at wanting to see what happens with this group before deciding on if he wants to remain with the only NHL organization he has ever played for.  Things haven’t gone well for Calgary in the past year with Johnny Gaudreau leaving in free agency and Matthew Tkachuk indicating he wouldn’t sign a long-term agreement after the playoffs last season.  Their acquisitions in that swap – winger Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar – both underachieved.  They entered this season as a speculative contender and finished outside the playoffs altogether.

When things don’t go as planned, players understandably aren’t as openly enthusiastic about the prospect of sticking around; Elias Lindholm, in the same contractual situation as Backlund, was even less committal (video link) about his future.

We’ll see what happens.  I have one more year and I’m gonna look at it that way. I have one more year, and that’s all I can say.

That type of response from Lindholm isn’t entirely surprising given that he’s likely heading for a max-term agreement on his next contract so it’s understandable that he might want to see what the market brings in 2024.  But for Backlund, a player who many thought would be a ‘forever Flame’, to be hesitant about an early extension is a sign of how much they’ve fallen over the past year and indicative of the team needing a busy summer to restore some faith in its direction.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

MacKenzie Weegar To Play At Worlds

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  • Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The 29-year-old had a bit of a down year in his first season with Calgary, seeing his point output dip from 44 to 31 (in 81 games) while his playing time was shaved by more than two minutes per game.  While Weegar’s current contract expires in June, he has already locked in with the Flames for the long haul, inking an eight-year, $50MM extension back in October.  This will be Weegar’s first time suiting up for Canada in an international tournament.

Rasmus Andersson Does Not Require Surgery

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  • Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press reports Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson does not require surgery in the offseason, but has been dealing with pain since a scooter accident in Detroit on February 8. The 26-year-old was riding a scooter to dinner that night when he was struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk. He went to hospital for observation but was released and he missed three games before returning to the lineup on February 16. He quickly returned to his role as a top-pairing defenseman, but did struggle down the stretch, scoring just one point in his final ten games.

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