CALGARY — Nazem Kadri had to answer the same question again. This time, at the outset of his third Calgary Flames training camp, days before the NHL preseason schedule begins.
Does he still want to play for a team in transition? And if so, why?
“I love the city, I love the organization,” Kadri said Thursday. “I mean, I feel like it’s super early to be asking these kind of questions. So, I’m going to ask you guys to just pump the brakes a little bit. Let us go play and we’re going to try to rally around each other and surprise some people.”
It’s the third time Kadri has fielded questions about his future in less than a calendar year. In mid-November, a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested Kadri might not be interested in playing through a rebuild. However, Kadri still felt the team — processing a trade request from disgruntled defenceman Nikita Zadorov at the time — could contend. Then, at the end of the season, Kadri affirmed his commitment to the Flames but hoped they’d make some changes in the offseason so they could be more competitive sooner rather than later.
If the Flames endure another season outside the playoffs, though, the questions surrounding him and other veteran players will be unavoidable.
They’re in a rebuild, and thus it’s worth wondering how certain Flames players feel about a roster that’s shed so much talent in favour of getting younger.
GM Craig Conroy accumulated prospects and draft picks when he moved players like Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin throughout last season. In the offseason, the Flames traded franchise goaltender Jacob Markström, only handed out short-term deals in free agency and still have over $19 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia.
The Flames have seven pending unrestricted free agents on their roster including Andrei Kuzmenko, Anthony Mantha and Dan Vladar, who all could easily become trade candidates if the team becomes a seller at the trade deadline in March. If you mention that to anyone in the Flames room, however, they’d probably tell you you’re projecting too far in the future.
“One day at a time,” Blake Coleman told the media on Thursday.
For the veterans that remain, there’s still a path toward being a “competitive team that pushes for a playoff spot,” according to their captain.
“Two years ago, we were one of the oldest teams in the league,” Mikael Backlund said. “It was time to get in some young guys and we did that last year. This year, getting some good picks and good support. We had some youth in the lineup, it definitely helped us last year.”
Kadri has a point about the timing of the question so early in training camp. Who’s to say the Flames don’t surprise and give themselves a genuine chance to make the playoffs? The Flames were supposed to be at the bottom of the standings during the 2014-15 season and made it to the second round.
Earlier this month, Coleman told Sportsnet 960 that he wanted to be “part of the solution.” When The Athletic’s Michael Russo spoke to MacKenzie Weegar during the NHL/NHLPA media tour, he expressed belief in the Flames’ front office and coaching staff and said he owed it to the organization to stay and “grind through these years.” Weegar reiterated those thoughts when he spoke Thursday afternoon.
“I say that all the time, you want guys who want to be here,” Weegar said. “And ultimately, you know, I want to be here. The guys that are here want to be here, to get that culture and those expectations to be a Stanley Cup team again.”
Even in a rebuild, veterans are crucial to helping the process along. Backlund will be tasked with leading the team as the Flames continue their transition. Hearing players like Coleman and Weegar express their interest in staying will help him through this season and beyond. Kadri, too, if he stays. He has a no-movement clause, so he’ll ultimately be able to decide if he wants to stick it out in Calgary or not.
“I need them to be there for me and for the team,” Backlund said. “I know they are, and they’re key guys for our group.”
Defenceman Rasmus Andersson, who has two years left on his contract, could be part of that transition as well if Conroy’s recent comments to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance earlier this week are any indication.
“For me, he’s a Flame. He can be a Flame for a long, long time,” Conroy told Drance. “At some point, we’re going to have those conversations, but he has two years left on his deal. And I know he’s super competitive and wants to win and I think he feels like he’s a big part of this. In fact, he knows he is.”
While many pundits expect the Flames to be outside the playoffs again, the team has adopted the underdog mentality to prove doubters wrong and hopefully play above those expectations.
Maybe a strong start to their season, against all odds, changes some minds and the Flames’ planned trajectory.
“I’d like to just put it to rest right away and have a great start. And we won’t have to have these conversations,” Coleman said. “They’ve shown a lot of faith in me here to have me be part of the solution, I’m happy to be part of it.”
(Top photo of Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri: Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images)
