Kadri, Flames embrace 'clean slate' after offseason changes

TORONTO -- Nazem Kadri is predicting a bounce-back season, both for himself and the Calgary Flames.

The forward signed a seven-year contract with the Flames on Aug. 18, 2022, looking to build upon the NHL career-high 87-point season (28 goals, 59 assists) he had in 71 games with the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22.

Instead, his play trended in the wrong direction. So did that of his new team.

Kadri's first season with Calgary resulted in a 31-point drop to 56 (24 goals, 32 assists), and he was a team-worst minus-19 over 82 games. The Flames finished fifth in the Pacific Division (38-27-17), two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

Yes, Calgary came close to reaching the postseason. But for Kadri, that simply isn't good enough.

"I think a lot of guys on the team are ready to kind of play to their potential," the 32-year-old said this week after competing in a celebrity ball hockey game at the National Bank Open tennis tournament. "For whatever reason, we got a little restricted last year, so I'm just looking forward to a clean slate and starting the year off strong."

Kadri would not elaborate if the "restricted" feeling the team had last season was a product of former coach Darryl Sutter, who's known for disciplinary ways and tight-checking systems. But this much is certain: He's definitely right about the team having a clean slate, with the firing of Sutter on May 1 and the departure of general manager Brad Treliving, who now holds the same position with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Craig Conroy, Treliving's longtime assistant, is now the GM. One of his first moves in his new post was to promote longtime assistant Ryan Huska to coach, taking over for Sutter and ushering in what Kadri hopes is a more imaginative style.

"Any time you get fresh faces, it's just a new energy and a new enthusiasm," Kadri said. "So, of course, with the type of personnel we have, we can play creative. We have a lot of skill."

Now it's up to the incoming GM and coach to take advantage of that.

"I think it's important we have two guys in new positions who are familiar with the team," Kadri said. "When you have management that treat personalities and are good guys and care about the team and their players, those are guys you want to play for.

"I've had many chats with 'Conny.' I love where his head's at. I love his ideas, and I'm really looking forward to working with him."

If the reenergized Flames are to reach the postseason, they'll need more players than Kadri to rebound from off seasons. Forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Andrew Mangiapane, and goalie Jacob Markstrom, are prime examples of that.

Huberdeau, who was acquired with defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, forward prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Florida Panthers on July 22, 2022, for forward Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025, is coming off a disappointing first season in Calgary. He finished with 55 points (15 goals, 40 assists) in 79 games, a steep decline from the 115 points (30 goals, 85 assists) he had in 80 games with the Panthers in 2021-2022. The 60-point dip is the largest from one season to the next in NHL history.

Mangiapane's production dropped from an NHL career-high 35 goals in 2021-22 to 17 last season, and Markstrom won 23 games after winning 37 in 2021-22. His save percentage went from .922 in 2021-22 to .892 last season.

For the Flames to get back to the playoffs, Kadri said it will take total team improvement and effort, not just from a select handful of players.

"We're always looking to step it up," he said. "It's all about wanting to do better than the year before. So, that's kind of the goal, obviously, when it comes to specific numbers, which I won't get into.

"The bottom line: I just want to win. That's all that really matters."