Flames 1⁄3 Report Card Grades and Survey Results

The Calgary Flames finished the first third of the season with a record of 13-11-3 and have since added three consecutive loser points to that total. Overall it has been a fairly mediocre opening third of the season which of course started with a 5-1 stretch followed in short order by an eight game losing streak.

This team appears to be middle of the pack at best, and the grades and fan surveys reflected that. Here are the results:

Q1: Are you confident in Darryl Sutter as Head Coach?

Yes = 63.1%, Maybe = 23.8%, No = 13.1%

Honestly this yes number was higher than I expected it to be as Sutter continues to hold the confidence of the majority of the fanbase, however it has fallen a lot from the mid to high 90s we saw him hold for most of last season. This will be an interesting number to monitor as the season goes on, a lot of it may end up being on how he chooses to use his lineup.

Q2: Are you confident in Brad Treliving as General Manager?

Yes = 62.8%, Maybe = 22.7%, No = 14.5%

Brad Treliving makes his way through the first third with nearly identical sentiments and numbers to that of Sutter. Obviously Treliving deserves credit for managing his way through last offseason like he did, but also with the team underwhelming out of the gate, a lot of this falls at his feet. The question really seems to be, how much time did he buy himself with the big moves from July/August?

Q3: Should the Flames name a Captain this season?

Yes = 54.4%, No = 45.6%

I didn’t have any particular reason behind adding this question in other than curiosity about the fanbase and how they feel. Calgary is entering their second full season since Mark Giordano left and there hasn’t been any particular clarity about if they are close to naming a C. Darryl Sutter did mention in a press conference recently that Sean Monahan was a guy that may have gotten the C if he was still with the team. For now though, a mediocre team has resulted in not too many candidates standing out. It may be vacant for a while.

Q4: Who has been the most impressive new Flames player?

Kadri = 77.7%, Weegar = 12.6%, Huberdeau = 5.8%

No surprises here as Kadri has had the best start to the season so far. Flames fans are still waiting for the emergence of Florida Huberdeau.

Q5: Which player has taken the most impressive step forward?

Ruzicka = 45.4%, Vladar = 34.4%, Andersson = 15.2%, Other = 5.0%

Ruzicka’s season has been very impressive to watch as he has been nearly at a point per game while in the lineup, which makes you question why he was scratched for the first 10 games or so. Vladar has also been steady as has Andersson who looks like a real top offensive d man.

Q6: Who has been the Flames MVP so far?

Vladar = 24.4%, Andersson = 17.9%, Kadri = 15.4%, Tanev/Lindholm = 8.1%, Other = 34.2%

There have been no clear cut favourites for MVP which isn’t particularly surprising given this roster. The Flames will need more out of their top guys going forward to make the playoffs and have a shot at doing anything in them.

Q7: Are you confident in the direction of the Flames?

No = 43.6%, Maybe = 36.4%, Yes = 20%

Not particularly shocking that a team that lost their franchise players and has stumbled out of the gate has the confidence of just 1/5 of the fanbase. I think that number will only continue to go down as they keep being mediocre. At some point they need to decide what direction they are going to take with the players, management, and coaching.

Report Card Grades (Top to Bottom)

by Michael MacGillivray