Western Conference team shuts down all contract negotiations with players, preparing to make radical change
its amazing the difference a week can make. Last week the City of Calgary was filled with hope as news began to break that the team is as nearing new contracts with multiple players. Fast forward 7 days and the mode in the city has completely changed.
The Flames currently sit 15th in the Western Conference standings, just 4 points up on the last place San Jose Sharks. After entering the season with such promise, the Flames currently sit with a record of 2-6-1. The team has scored just 19 goals while giving up 34.
It's clear things aren't going as planned.
However, last week news broke that both Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm appeared to be nearing new deals. Today, those deals appear to be completely off the table. Eric Francis, an insider who covers the Flames dropped the following bombshell today.
Ditto for Elias Lindholm.
Sportsnet has learned all contract talks are now on hold for an organization that may be on the precipice of having to take a radical new approach.
Not a tear-it-down rebuild as most are clamouring for, but a significant re-tooling that would almost certainly involve trading the aforementioned Flames pillars.
This comes just months after Flames players demanded that the team fire Darryl Sutter. It has become clear, very quickly, the problem runs much deeper than coaching and management.
It's time for the team to be held accountable.
| POLL | ||
What direction should the Flames take? | ||
| Full rebuild | 109 | 76.8 % |
| Retool | 18 | 12.7 % |
| Stay the course | 15 | 10.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
