Flames management gambled and won (mostly) in 2021-22

Heading into the 2021 off-season, the Calgary Flames were in a precarious situation. The Seattle expansion draft was approaching and the club had decided to use their three defensive protection spots on Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, leaving captain Mark Giordano exposed.

The Kraken reportedly wanted a king’s ransom to avoid Giordano, which the Flames opted not to pay. It turned out to be a prudent choice and Flames management managed to generally win with their moves in 2021-22.

The Flames weren’t all that good in 2020-21, missing the playoffs and generally being inconsistent and disjointed. Management brought in Darryl Sutter mid-season and he spent the rest of the season…