Calgary Flames

Johnny Hockey is back.

The Calgary Flames winger had back-to-back disappointing seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21, dropping a then-career-low 58 points in 70 games in the former and somewhat recovering the next season with 49 points in 56 games. Those would be good numbers for most players.

But most players aren't Johnny Gaudreau, who entered the NHL with five straight All-Star Game appearances and finished fourth overall in Hart Trophy voting in 2019. Much more was expected from him. Entering this season in the final year of his contract, his apparent decline left a lot of questions about his future in Calgary.

Gaudreau has rediscovered his game. And then some. The American is putting the finishing touches on a career year, scoring 39 goals along with 72 assists (both career highs) for a total of 111 points. He's third in the league by points—only Connor McDavid and Jonathan Huberdeau have more. And per Evolving-Hockey, he ranks second among all skaters by goals above replacement. Naturally, he is in the Hart Trophy conversation.

It's no surprise that the 28-year-old did not lose his elite hockey abilities, but that's a dramatic resurgence. What changed this season? Some of it is tweaks in Gaudreau's game, but a lot of responsibility belongs to the structure around him.

                      

An Effective Line Change

Darryl Sutter, hired as head coach midseason in 2021, headed into this campaign with a full training camp to change the way the previously dull, toothless Calgary Flames played hockey. The Flames ranked 20th out of 31 NHL teams by goals scored over the prior two seasons.

One of the first, most crucial changes that Sutter made was to Calgary's line combinations. Center Sean Monahan had been practically glued to Gaudreau in previous seasons, and for some time that was justified. The former sixth overall pick had put up back-to-back 30-goal seasons before his 25th birthday.

That magic was lost in 2020, when Monahan struggled heavily. His production declined steeply, but more concerning was his 200-foot game. He was no longer driving possession for his line and, in fact, became something of an offensive black hole.

Sutter has instead grouped Gaudreau with center Elias Lindholm and winger Matthew Tkachuk, and the trio have been one of the top lines in hockey. Lindholm's goal-scoring ability is a perfect complement to Gaudreau's playmaking expertise, while Tkachuk is a complete player who has not only offensive instincts but also a major work ethic and physical edge that shows on the forecheck and in defensive-zone battles.

Monahan, meanwhile, struggled more than ever, registering just 23 points in 65 games before electing to undergo season-ending hip surgery. So much of Gaudreau's success this season is connected to the removal of a center who was holding him back and his linking up with linemates who fit his strengths and needs perfectly.

                   

Counterintuitive Tactical Fixes

While leading the Los Angeles Kings to two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, Sutter developed a reputation for making his teams heavy and physical. The belief, or hope, was that he could bring that style to Alberta. He has, and the Flames are indeed a forecheck-heavy team. And the effectiveness of Calgary's cycle offense has certainly contributed to Gaudreau's career year.

The irony is that this has allowed Gaudreau to lean into a run-and-gun style. The Flames, previously incapable of exiting the puck out of their zone, have relied on an improved Noah Hanifin and two emerging puck-movers in Oliver Kylington and Rasmus Andersson.

Because the Flames are so aggressive in pressuring the puck in the defensive zone, they create a lot of turnovers that leave the opposition vulnerable and allow for Gaudreau, an extremely fast skater, to fly the zone and look for transition rush opportunities.

Indeed, Gaudreau is among the top handful of players in the league when it comes to rush opportunities.

         

Shooting the Puck

The big change in Gaudreau's game individually is that he's shooting the puck more than he ever has. He will always be a playmaker primarily, as indicated by his assist total this season, but he has supplemented that with more eagerness to play selfishly. Per Evolving-Hockey, over the previous two seasons combined, Gaudreau ranked 106th among all NHL skaters by shots per 60 minutes. This season, he ranks 43rd. 

More specifically, it's the kinds of shots he's generating. Although he is still the line's primary puck-holder, the abilities of Lindholm and Tkachuk allow him to defer rather than always having to carry from the perimeter. He's getting into the slot areas, shooting from closer range on controlled possessions and also getting his stick on more rebounds. 

                      

Will He Re-Sign?

Both Gaudreau and Flames management seem comfortable making his expiring contract a problem for later. Calgary is the clear-cut second-best team in the West and is focused on making a serious run for the Stanley Cup.

Whenever their season ends, he will be weeks away from unrestricted free agency, and his future will become among the biggest storylines in hockey. The Flames will have roughly $27.2 million of cap space for 2022-23, but they will be losing a number of depth players and have a number of important players to re-sign, including wingers Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane, who will both command big raises. With Tyler Toffoli ($4.25 million cap hit), Blake Coleman ($4.9 million), and Milan Lucic ($5.25 million) already on the books for multiple seasons, the Flames are overly invested in the wings.

Gaudreau is probably going to demand a contract above $10 million, and he deserves it. The Flames will likely do anything within reason to retain their best player. Yet if it were as simple as that, wouldn't this be sorted out already?

If it came down to the Flames having only enough cap space for Gaudreau or Tkachuk, who is four years younger and has 101 points this season, it would be awfully hard to make the latter the sacrifice.

Gaudreau has spent his entire career in Calgary and is thriving on a contending team that gives him all the tools he needs to be at his best. He should have plenty of reasons to want to stick around, and that feeling will be mutual in general manager Brad Treliving's office.

At the end of the day, though, a contract still needs to be figured out. If Gaudreau opts to test the market, he will be the best player to hit free agency since Artemi Panarin in 2019.

Welcome to another edition of Dear Abbey. I don't give life advice like the real Dear Abby, but I do talk about hockey.

The trade deadline has passed, and we’re in the home stretch of the regular season with a month left to play. Things are getting interesting as the Western Conference teams battle for those two wild-card playoff spots and the Eastern Conference teams jockey for positioning. The teams on the outside of the playoff pictures can play spoilsport, which can be beneficial for the developing prospects to get some NHL experience. 

But this edition is about the playoffs. 

The way the Stanley Cup Playoffs are currently structured, regional and divisional rivalries are typically played in the first few rounds. This isn’t always ideal since it often leads to some of the best teams being knocked out early on, but it does make for some interesting storylines in the first and second rounds. 

This format has been around since 2014, and in that time the San Jose Sharks have faced the Los Angeles Kings twice in the first round and the Vegas Golden Knights once in the first round and once in the second. We’ve seen quite a few iterations of Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins and the memes on Twitter with pens next to pen caps that come along with it. 

So this week, we asked members of the B/R community what matchups they would most like to see in the postseason this year. The fans have spoken, and they want some new rivalry action, some tough-guy action and they really want to see the two Florida teams go at it. 

Here are five matchups readers would like to see. 

Boxing on Broadway

@jeff73883: Rangers-Caps. Let Reaves beat Wilson up. 

This was one of the more popular answers. To give some background, last year there was a debacle between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers that resulted in a three-day news story and a statement from the Rangers calling for the removal of George Parros, the head of the NHL’s department of player safety. 

Former New York general manager Jeff Gorton and team president John Davidson were also dismissed from their posts, and though the timing was suspect, it was never clear whether or not the two incidents were related. Either way, it was…a lot. 

During a post-whistle scrum in a late-season game, Wilson threw a helmetless Artemi Panarin to the ice and was only fined $500,000, which was an incredibly small amount for a repeat offender.

But the Rangers went out over the summer and got tougher. They're now better able to counter Wilson with Ryan Reaves, and it appears as though New Yorkers want to see some revenge. 

Wilson has always been an interesting case study because he doesn’t have to fight or play dirty. He’s a talented top-line winger and he’s extremely well liked in the Washington locker room. So well liked, in fact, that some people around the organization have said he could someday become a captain when Alex Ovechkin retires.

But Wilson seems to enjoy fighting. He’s an investor in a D.C.-area boxing gym called BASH Boxing because he enjoys their boxing/cardio interval workouts. 

Reaves, on the other hand, is very much what you’d expect from an enforcer: He’s a bottom-six grinder and an excellent fighter. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have also been guilty of trying to get tough enough to counter Wilson and it came at the sacrifice of skill in the lineup. But the Rangers have a good balance of skill and toughness, especially since adding Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte, Frank Vatrano and Justin Braun at the trade deadline. 

Regardless of any fights, this would be an entertaining matchup between two Metropolitan Division teams in very different places: The Rangers are trying to end their rebuild, while the Capitals are trying to keep their window of contention open a little longer. 

For what it’s worth, Reaves also has an equally cool off-ice investment in a beer company, 7Five Brewing Co. Maybe they can all grab a stout after the playoffs. 

A Wild one in the Rockies

@jimjamflimflam: Wild-Avs. They legit hate each other. 

Hate is a very strong word for a matchup that has only been played in the postseason three times, especially since the two teams just did business with one another at the trade deadline, with Colorado sending Tyson Jost to Minnesota in exchange for Nico Sturm. 

Most professional athletes across all sports will tell you that rivalries are created in the postseason. Defenseman Drew Doughty once told me that the rivalry between the Kings and their Southern California rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, was entirely created by fans. 

However, the fans make a difference. The Kings and Ducks played one another for the first and only time in playoff history in 2014. It was an exciting seven-game series that featured an electric atmosphere. There was a solid mix of fans from both sides in both arenas, and Teemu Selanne ended his career to a standing ovation, drawing cheers from fans who had previously always rooted against him. 

The following season, Doughty was asked again how he felt about the rivalry. He said it had become an official rivalry because of that heated postseason series. 

So to make this Central Division rivalry official, we need it this spring. 

Both of these teams have been perennial also-rans in recent years, more or less. Minnesota has made 11 playoff appearances since the club’s first season in 2000-01 but has only advanced past the first round three times. 

Colorado was once a juggernaut and has recently been a favorite to hoist the Cup, but the Avs haven’t had great results in the playoffs. 

Both of these teams are going for it. Both of them are capable of going deep and will be good for the next few years. This could be the start of something contentious and something exciting. 

Getting After it in Alberta

@frankthetank95: BoA

@Zaphgod: Battle for Alberta

This used to be a fantastic postseason rivalry…back in the 1980s. The last time these two teams met after the regular season was in 1991. Connor McDavid, Johnny Gaudreau and, well, most of the two rosters had not yet been born. 

Maybe Mike Smith, Edmonton’s 40-year-old goalie, has some memories of that series. 

The Oilers have the best player in the world in McDavid but have not been able to build much around him. It’s been a roller coaster of a season in Edmonton, which, let’s be honest, is not uncharacteristic for the franchise. The club fired its coach, Dave Tippett, in February, and replaced him with their AHL coach Jay Woodcroft. The results have been positive, as the Oilers have gone 15-7-2 since the change behind the bench. 

The goaltending situation has been better as of late, but Smith and Mikko Koskinen haven’t exactly been the most reliable tandem in hockey, and general manager Ken Holland failed to land a goalie at the trade deadline. But the Anaheim Ducks slid from contention and traded away some top veterans to continue their rebuild and the Vegas Golden Knights are trying to stop their own skid, so the Oilers will (probably) secure a bid.

The Flames are on the upswing. They’re one of the top shot-volume teams at 5-on-5 and they create scoring chances at a high rate at even strength as well, they have a top-10 power play and goalie Jacob Markstrom has the fourth-best save percentage in the league. 

Darryl Sutter hockey is not the most exciting brand of hockey. It’s low-event with a lot of cycling, but it’s clearly still effective. The system is the star, and in this case, Sutter might be too. 

The story writes itself: He’s from Viking, Alberta, and still operates a cattle ranch there. It’s closer to Edmonton than Calgary, but this is his second stint with the Flames, so the fans love him. 

But while the mercurial Sutter can deliver some witty soundbites in the postseason ("Fly at 11" is still often repeated among Los Angeles media members), players can find him grating.

When things are going well, everyone gets on board. But even after the most dominant wins, he can be extremely critical, which is not great for morale and confidence and can cause players to tune him out. 

It’s the rising coaching star with the game’s biggest star against a grizzled, two-time Cup-winning veteran coach and a deep group trying to bring prominence to the prairie. This particular Battle of Alberta would not disappoint.

Sunshine Showdown

@joelguinand: Bolts and Panthers. It was a damn good series and I’m sure this year it would be even better. 

@hialeah1987: Bolts-Cats. It’s time to show Tampa that So Fla rules hockey in Florida now. 

This was the most popular matchup from the B/R community. And I agree with @joelguinand; it was a fantastic series last year. This is the Eastern Conference Final we deserve. 

The Panthers are averaging 4.06 goals per game. The forward group is exceptionally deep, but they’re also creating offense from the blueline. This team is loaded and playing in front of an elite goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky. 

The Lightning are still the champs until they aren’t. They are without some of the key role players who helped them win back-to-back Stanley Cups, but that hasn’t held them back because of the high-end talent on the roster, savvy coaching and strong player development. 

Tampa Bay and Florida haven’t exactly been neck-and-neck all season, but they’re close. The Lightning are eight points back of the Panthers and would almost certainly need to fall into the wild-card spots to play them in the first round. 

The Lightning already have a fervent fanbase in the Tampa Bay area, which happens when you win three Stanley Cups and establish a foothold in the market. But a series like this would help grow the game exponentially throughout the state. New fans, learn-to-play programs and other grassroots outreach are important in non-traditional hockey markets, and the exposure that a playoff series brings would help fuel those efforts on the eastern side of the state and in other parts as well. 

The Panthers have never exactly been a marquee franchise, but knocking off Tampa Bay in a conference final could change that. 

The Heavyweight Title Bout

@Ryst: Avs-Panthers. The ultimate “Did Giroux pick the right team” matchup

Former Flyers captain Claude Giroux used his no-trade clause to engineer a move to the team he felt he would fit with the best. The Panthers were the winners of the sweepstakes, despite interest from the Avs. So in this hypothetical scenario, after the Cats knock off the Lightning (in seven games, just to maximize the drama), they would take on the Avs. 

Things have worked out quite well for Giroux since the trade. He already has five assists in five games with the Panthers, four of them wins (3-1-0). For now, it seems as though he made the right decision. 

Colorado has somehow managed to stay dominant throughout the season despite injuries to several top players like Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. But the good news is that MacKinnon returned to the lineup Thursday and talented young defenseman Bowen Byram is on an AHL conditioning stint, so there is hope that he can return after a series of head injuries. 

One could make the argument that these are the top two teams in the league right now, though you could certainly include the Carolina Hurricanes in the discussion. These are probably the two top contenders for the Cup Final, though, and the rosters are built to withstand several rounds of intense playoff hockey. 

As for Giroux, he’s a pending unrestricted free agent, so he'll have another decision to make following the season. The only decisions he’ll be worried about in a championship series are the ones on the ice, but it’s still a fun storyline.

The Calgary Flames announced Monday they have acquired Tyler Toffoli in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal will receive a 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected), a 2023 fifth-round pick, forward Tyler Pitlick and unsigned drafted player Emil Heineman, who was a second-round pick in 2020.

Toffoli scored nine goals with 17 assists in 37 games for the Canadiens, which are looking to rebuild after producing an NHL-worst 23 points in 48 games.

The 29-year-old has been much more effective in the past, scoring a team-high 28 goals for the Canadiens in 2020-21 as the squad m  ade a surprising run to the Stanley Cup final. He tallied five goals and nine assists in 22 postseason games.

Toffoli also helped the Los Angeles Kings win a championship in 2014 and has scored at least 20 goals in four different seasons.

The experience and production could be huge for Calgary as the team looks to make a deep run in the playoffs.

A six-game winning streak put the Flames at 26-13-6, good for second in the Pacific and one point behind first-place Vegas Golden Knights. The organization has just one postseason series win since 2004, but the tools are there to contend in 2022 with a defense that ranks second in the NHL in goals allowed per game (2.40).

Scoring depth was one of the biggest question marks with few reliable options behind Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane. Strengthening the second and third lines will be key when the playoffs come around.

Montreal adds an experienced center in Pitlick as well as significant draft capital to build toward the future. Heineman, 20, also has plenty of upside after scoring 11 goals in 36 games this year for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League.   

The Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers have been shut down through the NHL's holiday break because of COVID-19 outbreaks within each club, the league announced Friday.

The @NHL has extended the period of game postponements for the @NHLFlames through Dec. 23.

Additionally, @Avalanche and @FlaPanthers games also will be postponed at least through the scheduled completion of the League's Holiday Break on Dec. 26. https://t.co/uwKuHkEhJw pic.twitter.com/d8r558IcCa

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 17, 2021

Calgary has already missed matchups with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs. It will also miss games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken.

Colorado's postponements are for games against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins, while Florida will miss contests against the Minnesota Wild, Blackhawks and Predators. 

The Flames have 19 players and 13 club employees in COVID-19 protocols. Five Avalanche players are in protocols, and the Panthers have seven, per ESPN's Kristen Shilton. 

Other NHL franchises are also experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, including the Boston Bruins, whose matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday was postponed. 

The NHL has mandated enhanced health and safety protocols amid the outbreaks across the league, including increased mask-wearing, virtual meetings and daily testing. 

ESPN's Emily Kaplan noted that the more games are postponed, the less likely NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics. The league may need that time for makeup games.

NHL Players' Association Executive Director Don Fehr said last week that players are uncertain about participating in the Beijing Olympics because they haven't received definitive answers about COVID-19 protocols for the Games, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. 

It's unclear if the NHL is considering a leaguewide shutdown given the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. 

The NHL has further delayed the Calgary Flames' return to play after 17 additional members of the organization entered the league's COVID Protocol, including seven players, and postponed Saturday's scheduled matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  

SCHEDULE UPDATE: @NHL delays @NHLFlames’ return to play; Saturday’s game vs. @BlueJacketsNHL postponed. https://t.co/m1DTKLjRZc pic.twitter.com/cHVumGrnW8

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 15, 2021

The Flames last played on Saturday, losing to the Bruins 4-2. 

The NHL, much like the NFL and NBA at the moment, is seeing a rise in cases. The Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators all have multiple players and/or staffers in the league's COVID-19 protocol.

The NHL postponed Tuesday's scheduled matchup between the Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild after Carolina's spike in positive tests. 

Head coach Darryl Sutter is among those in the protocol for the Flames, the team announced, while the players added on Wednesday include Rasmus Andersson, Byron Froese, Johnny Gaudreau, Erik Gudbranson, Trevor Lewis, Jacob Markstrom and Tyler Pitlick. 

Calgary has now had four games postponed. 

Per ESPN, 130 NHL players have been placed in the COVID protocol this season. 

In the NBA, meanwhile, rising cases led to the league postponing two Chicago Bulls games this week, with 10 of the team's players in the health and safety protocols. And the Brooklyn Nets currently have seven players in the protocols.

"Like the rest of the country, and as was predicted by our infectious disease specialists, we have seen an increase of cases around the league," NBA spokesman Mike Bass told reporters this week. "As we have since the pandemic began in March 2020, we will continue to follow the science and data, and will, in close partnership with the players' association, update our protocols as deemed appropriate by our medical experts."

The Calgary Flames reportedly have a trade offer on the table for Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN, NHL Network and TSN reported the rumor Wednesday.

For all asking, my understanding is the @NHLFlames have Tkachuk ( who is a future potential captain) an upcoming 1 Rd pick, a former 1st Rd pick, and 2 prospects in the Eichel sweepstakes with the @BuffaloSabres . @espn @NHLNetwork #HockeyTwitter .

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) November 3, 2021

The Flames' deal would center around 23-year-old left wing Matthew Tkachuk, who has four goals and two assists in nine games this year.

He has 114 goals and 170 assists in 358 lifetime games over six seasons with the Flames, who selected Tkachuk sixth overall in the 2016 NHL draft.

On Tuesday evening, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that the Flames and Vegas Golden Knights were the two finalists in the Eichel sweepstakes.

Here’s the latest on Jack Eichel.

Multiple sources tell ESPN it’s down to Calgary and Vegas. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is working hard to get it done, but neither team has met his asks yet.

Sources say both teams are OK with Eichel getting his preferred surgery. pic.twitter.com/uiJsGFeDmE

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) November 3, 2021

Kaplan also said that both teams were OK with Eichel going forth with his desire to have artificial disk replacement surgery in his neck, which has been a sticking point between him and the Sabres.

While Vegas and Calgary are reportedly the front-runners in the Eichel sweepstakes, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported the St. Louis Blues are interested as well:

The teams reported to be in on Eichel are Vegas and Calgary.

Tocchet, who is extremely close with Berube, just mentioned the Blues.

I've heard they've been interested.

Tocchet mentioned "younger players" potentially going to the Sabres, but there would have to be more $$$$$.

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) November 4, 2021

John Vogl of The Athletic also reported news that would seem to precipitate a move:

I hear the Sabres are feeling added external pressure (not grievance related) to get a deal done today.

— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) November 3, 2021

The Flames would appear to be in the lead for Eichel given that monster trade offer, although Vegas could come over the top. As Lyle Richardson of the Hockey News wrote, the Golden Knights have a need for a top-line center, and Eichel could be a fit there.

For now, Eichel remains a Sabre, although it doesn't appear that will be the case much longer.

Whichever team lands Eichel will get a player who has amassed 139 goals and 216 assists in 375 NHL games since 2015.

The Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly the finalists in pursuit of a trade for Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported the update Tuesday night and noted the talks are at the "1-yard line":

Here’s the latest on Jack Eichel.

Multiple sources tell ESPN it’s down to Calgary and Vegas. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is working hard to get it done, but neither team has met his asks yet.

Sources say both teams are OK with Eichel getting his preferred surgery. pic.twitter.com/uiJsGFeDmE

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) November 3, 2021

Eichel and the Sabres have been engaged in an extended standoff about what type of surgery he should receive to overcome a neck injury suffered last season.

The 25-year-old former Boston University standout has pushed for an artificial disk replacement his camp believes will give him a better quality of life moving forward, while the organization prefers a traditional disk fusion since the artificial disk surgery hasn't been performed on an active NHL player.

Based on the league's collective bargaining agreement, the team gets the final call on medical procedures, so Eichel has remained sidelined waiting for a possible trade.

Kaplan said both the Flames and Golden Knights are willing to allow Eichel to get the artificial disk replacement, which would come with a "minimum" of three months recovery time before he'd be cleared to play.

The timeline is important because the second overall pick in the 2015 draft would be a lock for Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing if healthy. The Americans' first game is set for Feb. 10 against the host nation of China, and the tournament runs through Feb. 20.

It seems unlikely the team that ultimately acquires Eichel would want his first action to come in the Olympics after being out since March, though.

Even if a trade isn't finalized in the next few days, it's hard to imagine a scenario where the dynamic center plays again for the Sabres given the longstanding dispute about the neck procedure and the team's overall lack of success since it drafted him.

Eichel, who's under contract through 2025-26 as part of his eight-year, $80 million deal, has done his part, scoring 355 points (139 goals and 216 assists) in 375 games for the Sabres. Alas, the franchise hasn't been able to put enough talent around him over the past six years to climb up the standings.

While the sides are almost definitely about to head their separate ways, there's still pressure on Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams to deliver a sizable return package for the three-time All-Star to help jump-start the latest rebuilding effort after several failed attempts over the past decade.

Once healthy, Eichel would immediately take over as the No. 1 center in either Calgary or Vegas, and with more talent around him, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him rank among the scoring leaders next season when he has a chance to play a full schedule.

The Calgary Flames announced head coach Geoff Ward was fired following Thursday night's 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators and replaced by Darryl Sutter, who previously coached the Flames from December 2002 through July 2006.

Ward had compiled a 35-26-5 record since being hired in November 2019. That included an 11-11-2 mark this season, which put the team fifth in the NHL's North division.

The Flames decided to make a change after losing six of their past nine games, including a four-game series with the Senators, who sit at the bottom of the North division, during which Calgary allowed 17 goals.

Frustration started to mount in mid-February, and it was evident in Ward's postgame comments following a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 17.

"It's time to put this thing to bed and take charge and take control of what we can," he told reporters. "We certainly can control the way start, we certainly can control how we pay attention to details, how hard we compete, how much we care. All those things are certainly within our control. It's time for us to start giving a s--t about it."

Ward held his typical postgame media session after Thursday's triumph over the Sens and didn't appear aware the team was about to make a coaching change.

"We've got to get ourselves ready again for another hard hockey game," he said. "We're really not thinking about what's happened in the past; we're thinking about what we need to do to prepare ourselves [for] the next one."

Sutter last served as a head coach for the Los Angeles Kings during the 2016-17 season. He led the Kings to Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014.

He most recently worked as an adviser to the Anaheim Ducks beginning in July 2019 and previously spent time as a head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks in addition to his stints with the Flames and Kings. His career record stands at 634-467-101-83.

In 2018, Sutter mostly ruled out a return to full-time coaching, but the 62-year-old Alberta native left the door open for a possible return to the Flames.

"I would have listened for sure," Sutter said about the Calgary vacancy before the team hired Bill Peters, who resigned in November 2019 after being accused of using a racial slur and was replaced by Ward.

Sutter's return to the Flames' bench will come Saturday night when they visit Rogers Place to face off with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Calgary Flames announced Monday that Geoff Ward, who led the Flames to a 25-15-3 record en route to the Stanley Cup playoffs after being named interim head coach in November, had been appointed as the 20th head coach in franchise history.

Ward was promoted from associate coach when Bill Peters resigned amid accusations of using racist language.

The 58-year-old began his NHL coaching career in 2007 as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins, with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2011. He held the same role with the New Jersey Devils from 2015-18 before joining the Flames in May 2018.

In an interview with Flames staffer Ty Pilson, Ward said he intends to talk with his players to get their feedback as he plans his strategy for his first season as an official head coach in the NHL:

"We want to do everything we can to give them not only the opportunity to become the best they can be, but also become part of a group that is ultimately able to win Stanley Cups. Having them fully invested in what's going is where that starts. The only way to do that is to make sure they know you care and that you have their best interest at heart."

In addition to coaching stints in Germany, where he won the DEL Championship in 2014-15 as the head coach of Adler Mannheim and assisted the national team for three years, Ward was an assistant coach at the University of Waterloo and coached junior hockey in Canada before making the move to the AHL in 2001 to become assistant and then head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Flames ranked fourth in the Western Conference and eighth in the league in points percentage this season, with their power-play percentage of 25.7 ranking second in the league after Ward took over.

He led the team to a 3-1 series victory over the Winnipeg Jets in the qualifying round before they fell to the Dallas Stars in six games in the postseason.

Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving announced Friday that defenseman Travis Hamonic has informed the team he's opting out of the remainder of the 2019-20 NHL season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Travis explained that due to family considerations, he has made the difficult decision not to participate in the Stanley Cup Qualifier and Playoffs," Treliving said. "While we will miss Travis in our lineup, we understand and respect his decision. Our focus remains on preparation for training camp and our upcoming series in the NHL Qualifying Round."

Hamonic, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, is the first NHL player to confirm he won't take part in the league's restart, per ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

The NHL announced Friday it had reached an agreement with the NHL Players' Association on return-to-play plans, which also included a four-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement through the 2025-26 season.

Play, which was halted in March, will resume Aug. 1 in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, the league's "bubble" locations. Twenty-four of the league's 31 teams will take part in playoff seeding and qualifying rounds over 10 days before the postseason is slated to start in earnest Aug. 11.

"While we have all worked very hard to try to address the risks of COVID-19, we know that health and safety are and will continue to be our priorities," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We know that all of our fans are excited about our return to the ice next month, and that has been our goal since we paused our season on March 12."

Hamonic registered three goals and nine assists across 50 appearances for Calgary during the 2019-20 regular season. He's spent the past three years with the organization after seven seasons as a member of the New York Islanders.

The 29-year-old released a statement through his agency, Titan Sports 365, about his decision to opt out because of family health concerns:

https://twitter.com/TitanSports365/status/1281800045952630784

Hamonic's one-year-old daughter was hospitalized last year because of a respiratory illness, per Kaplan.

Michael Stone, Erik Gustafsson and Derek Forbort lead the group of options to fill the void on the Flames blue line when play resumes.

Calgary, which owned a 36-27-7 record before the shutdown, will face off with the Winnipeg Jets in the qualifying round. The bracket will be reseeded once the 16 playoff teams are finalized.