Calgary Flames: 3 Questions Heading Into 2022-23 Season

The Calgary Flames were front and center this offseason for all the wrong reasons. While they are in store for an interesting season with the additions of Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, it was the loss of Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau that everyone was talking about. The spotlight will be on the Flames this season, let's examine a few questions surrounding the hockey club heading into 2022-23 season:

Can The Flames Create Enough Offense?

The line of Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm was one of, if not the best line in all of hockey last season. Lindholm had a rough summer watching both players depart, and now he turns his attention to building chemistry with Jonathan Huberdeau and Tyler Toffoli. If they click, Calgary will be in good shape, if they don't, Huberdeau won't want to stay and Calgary could become a bottom feeder in no time.

How Far Can Jacob Markstrom Carry the Team?

After one of the best regular seasons in recent memory for any goaltender, Jacob Markstrom ran out of gas in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the type of system the Darryl Sutter led group plays and their stacked blue line, we'll be curious to see if Markstrom gets a little bit less of a workload during the regular season to save some energy for the games that matter most. 63 appearances in the regular season and a .922 SV.% turned into a .901 Sv.% in the postseason. Flames fans are hoping Markstrom can stay on track longer next season.

Extensions On The Way?

The biggest storyline in Calgary this upcoming season will be the futures of Huberdeau and Weegar and just how exactly general manager Brad Treliving rides this out. Should no extensions be signed close to the trade deadline and the team is not in a playoff position, you'd have to think trading them would be priority #1. Both players have been saying all the right things so far, and Treliving travelled to Montreal to get to know Huberdeau and show some good faith, so this will be something to follow once the 2022-23 season kicks off.