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(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
I tried not to be back here. I stated in my article that covered the Jonathan Huberdeau to Calgary trade that I would not be writing about the Flames for the remainder of the offseason. But just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
After putting up career numbers en route to a Stanley Cup Championship with the Colorado Avalanche last season, star center — and the last big free-agent to come off the board this year — reportedly agreed to a 7-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames.
The Flames, who at the beginning of the offseason looked destined to be perennial losers for years to come after losing Matt Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, made a slurry of strong moves to insure that their team would not go from first to worst over the course of six months. Calgary also traded Sean Monohan to the Montreal Canadiens in order to clear up some cap space to land Kadri.
Those moves included:
Trading for and signing Jonathan Huberdeau to an 8-year deal
Trading for MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a 2025 conditional first-round pick
Signing Nazem Kadri to a 7-year deal
Signing Kevin Rooney to a 2-year deal
The Flames finished in first place in the Pacific Division last season with 111 points before being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the playoffs. After finishing as the best team in their division last year, the question now is: is Calgary a worse team or a better team than they were in 2021-22 after all these moves?
Kadri finished last season with 87 points on 28 goals and 59 assists, with 15 playoff points on 7 goals and 8 assists.
Dare I touch the New York Islanders’ offseason misfortunes? Maybe I’m not the best guy to cover that one.