Flames Coach Has No Faith In Top Guys To Get Wins
The Calgary Flames start to the 2023-24 season has been awful, after going into the season full of optimism after the departure of former head coach Darryl Sutter. The team is in the midst of a four game losing streak after laying an egg on home ice against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night losing 3-0. During the losing skid the Flames have been outscored 18-4.
Calgary's top paid players Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau started on a line tonight centered by Elias Lindholm. While on the powerplay Kadri's careless backhand pass was picked off by the speedy Kasperi Kapanen who took off to score a short handed goal.
By the end of the night, Kadri and Huberdeau were both minus-2 to bolster their league lead at minus-10 and minus-9 respectively.
Defenceman Nikita Zadorov summed up how things were going in Calgary apologizing to the fans in his post-game scrum.
«We're playing like s*** right now, so it's tough to watch.
«Just embarrassing in front of our fans tonight, for sure.»
Head coach Ryan Huska was asked post-game if he wants more from his two top paid players Kadri and Huberdeau. His response was less than glowing on the pair.
33 year old Kadri is signed until the end of the 2028-29 season with a cap hit of $7M. He has produced one assist so far this season while averaging 17:47 in ice time.
30 year old Huberdeau is signed until the end of the 2030-31 season with a cap hit of $10.5M. Huberdeau has produced 2 goals and 4 points, while averaging 17:09 in ice time through eight games this season.
The Flames will face the Edmonton Oilers next on Sunday under the bright lights of the Heritage Classic outdoor game at Commonwealth Stadium. Edmonton only has one win on the season but could be getting a boost to their lineup with the potential return of Connor McDavid.
| POLL | ||
What is the biggest reason for the Flames struggles? | ||
| The make up of the team is off | 54 | 60.7 % |
| Not scoring enough goals | 22 | 24.7 % |
| The goaltending | 3 | 3.4 % |
| Defensive mistakes are costing them | 10 | 11.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
