HALL IN THE FAMILY?
THE FLAMES MADE a pitch to New Jersey for Taylor Hall this season before Arizona won the bidding war. But the hound is still on the scent, and it’s been reported that Hall would be open to the possibility of playing for hometown Calgary. It will take a big ticket to sign him as a UFA. Calgary would love to see his speed flying down the wing and becoming the centerpiece of the team’s attack, which sagged greatly in 2019-20 after a breakthrough 2018-19. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: The Flames lack a No. 1 center to go up against the powerhouse teams. But hasn’t Sean Monahan averaged almost 30 goals a season since entering the league seven years ago, you ask? True, but he doesn’t drive play, he’s weak in the other two zones and his chemistry with Johnny Gaudreau evaporated. The answer may be moving right winger Elias Lindholm to center full-time. LONG-TERM NEEDS: The Flames look deep on the blueline, but five of their nine D-men are pending UFAs, Mark Giordano will be 37 when next season starts and Noah Hanifin has greatly underwhelmed. It’s unlikely Calgary will retain more than two of their UFAs, and there’s not much in the system aside from injury-prone prospect Juuso Valimaki. CAP SITUATION: Calgary gave up three high picks to get Travis Hamonic two years ago and won’t recoup anything if he walks as a UFA. But there’s only enough room to keep two of T.J. Brodie, Erik Gustafsson, Derek Forbort and Hamonic – especially if the Flames make an effort to sign Hall.
IN THE SYSTEM 2020-21: Valimaki missed all of 201920 with an injury. The good news is the smooth, two-way blueliner will be fully healed for next season. The bad news is the concern he’s made of glass.
DID YOU KNOW: In the 40-year history of the Flames, they’ve used a first- or secondround pick on goalies eight times. Those eight netminders have combined for 75 NHL wins with the Flames (72 for Trevor Kidd and three for Leland Irving).