The Calgary Flames have completed their 2020-21 season. Thursday was the day for exit interviews with the media and the beginning of the off-season as management tries to improve upon a club that missed the post-season.
Here’s the most important things you need to know from the visits with the media.
General manager Brad Treliving was on with our pal Pat Steinberg on Sportsnet 960 The Fan this afternoon. He summarized the season in a very succinct way:
I feel that it was a good team that under-performed. Now, is it good enough to get us to where we need to go? To me, the answer is no. So then you have to sit back and really evaluate where you go with it and what changes need to be made and what direction you take.
Later on, when answering a subsequent question, he conceded that now is probably the time to look at the club’s core, noting “I think we’re going to have some hard conversations about where we go with the group.”
In his chat with the broader media crew earlier in the afternoon, Treliving confirmed that the league will have a flat cap “for the foreseeable future” – it’ll last at least until league revenues have recovered to pre-pandemic levels and the NHLPA has paid back its hefty escrow debt to the owners. He also confirmed that the AHL affiliate will be returning to Stockton in 2021-22 after a year north of the border playing out of the Saddledome.
Treliving also provided some insight into some player injuries:
Jacob Markstrom had a concussion mid-season. (It wasn’t specifically mentioned, but it seems likely that it was in that scary collision with Canucks forward Tanner Pearson on Feb. 17.)
Jacob Markstrom sent Tanner Pearson flying. #NHLonSN #ItsOn pic.twitter.com/7OqauSV4i1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 18, 2021
Josh Leivo broke his finger in one of the two recent games in Vancouver.
Sean Monahan (hip) and Noah Hanifin (shoulder) both had their surgeries.
Dillon Dube suffered a concussion against Vancouver in the season-closing game and won’t be headed to the World Championship after all.
Chris Tanev played through several broken ribs and a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered in the Mar. 29 game with Winnipeg.
Hit from Dubois on Chris Tanev.
Tanev went right to the room, and is still not on the #Flames bench. Hanifin got 2 for roughing. No call on Dubois. pic.twitter.com/QzfRTYAa50
— Hailey Salvian (@hailey_salvian) March 30, 2021
Head coach Darryl Sutter said he hasn’t sat down with Treliving yet to hash things out – that’ll likely happen next week – so it’s unclear right now if he’ll make any tweaks to the coaching staff. He inherited Geoff Ward’s staff after joining the team mid-season.
Treliving says he has not talked yet with Calgary Flames ownership about his future.
— Salim Nadim Valji (@salimvalji) May 20, 2021
Milan Lucic, continued:
“When you play for individual achievements instead of team achievements, this is what happens. You don’t play in the playoffs.”
Emphasizes the need to have the right mindset to get into the postseason.
— Salim Nadim Valji (@salimvalji) May 20, 2021
Matthew Tkachuk, eligible to re-sign this summer, says he hasn’t spoken to the team about an extension as of yet. #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) May 20, 2021
On locker clean-out day, captain Mark Giordano was asked about this summer’s expansion draft. Says he has talked to GM Brad Treliving about it and will circle back.
“it’s pretty obvious there are going to be certain situations we’re going to have to talk about.” #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) May 20, 2021
Milan Lucic on what this team is missing to be successful: “What’s missing is between the ears more than anything.”
— Hailey Salvian (@hailey_salvian) May 20, 2021