THE Calgary Flames have completed their first 10 games of the 2024-25 season, and it’s been a real roller coaster ride so far. Even though they had no expectations of being a competitor, they came fly out of doors with a 4-0-0 start. They had to wait until their seventh game to lose in regulation time. However, it’s gotten pretty ugly since then.

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The Flames’ good start after six games is quickly evaporating, as they have now lost four in a row. They have allowed 19 goals in that span and have just six. That said, this article is intended to give takeaways that summarize all 10 games. It’s undeniably difficult to do given the crazy ups and downs, but here are the five most important things to highlight for this team so far.

Andersson in line for a career year

While many members of this Flames team will now need to step up if they hope to challenge for a playoff spot, Rasmus Andersson is not one of them. It was well known that he and MacKenzie Weegar we were really going to have to step up what is otherwise a very inexperienced blue lineand he’s more than fulfilled his end of the bargain so far.

Andersson’s 10 points lead all Flames, while his four goals are tied with Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri for the team lead. It’s been a phenomenal start after a somewhat disappointing 2023-24 season and, if he continues this momentum, he could very well surpass his career high of 50 points set in 2021-22.

Kirkland, a phenomenal story

Most Flames fans wouldn’t have known who Justin Kirkland was at the start of training camp. The 28-year-old agreed to come to Calgary for a few days as a free agent on a one-year, two-way deal, even though virtually everyone, perhaps even himself, expected what he spent in the American Hockey League. (AHL) with the Calgary Wranglers.

Kirkland started the season with the Wranglers, but was called up before even playing a single game, and it doesn’t look like he will be. I’m going down soon. It’s obvious how much fun he has every day, and that positive attitude has resonated well with fans. Having five points in the nine games he played didn’t hurt either.

The goalkeeper holds up

Giving up 19 goals in four games suggests some pretty terrible goaltending, but that’s not exactly the case. In fact, Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar have both been excellent to start the season, and while their numbers have taken a hit lately, the goals scored are much more reflective of the team in front of them.

Aside from a rough start from Wolf on Wednesday night against the Utah Hockey Club, the two gave their team a chance to win every night and kept some of these more recent games from being even uglier. Over the first 10 games, they showed that with adequate defense, they were a competent tandem.

The Pospisil experiment works

Coming into the season, the Flames didn’t have many options in the middle of the ice and opted to take a look at Martin Pospisil. Loss of speed on the forecheck has led head coach Ryan Huska to move him back to the wing of late, but the 25-year-old has shown himself capable of playing center.

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This is big news for the Flames, as they don’t have much depth in the middle. Having a young player in Pospisil, who they now know can fill the role if needed, will serve general manager Craig Conroy well as he attempts to build his team in the years to come.

The flames go as Huberdeau goes

As mentioned, the Flames have slumped as of late, and so has Huberdeau. The 31-year-old had a fantastic start to the season with six points in his first four games, but has calmed down massively with just one point in his last six games.

The Flames are 3-1-0 this season in games where Huberdeau has recorded a point. In the six where he has been kept off the scoresheet, they are 1-3-1. Although many in Calgary have complained about him due to his poor play for over two seasons since his arrival, it reminds us how important he is to this team.

A big stretch to come

Thanks to the Flames’ excellent start to the season, they are still in a good position even with the current crisis. It’s up to them to get things back on track over the next 10 games, and they’ll have the opportunity to do that starting tonight in a game at the Saddledome against Jacob Markstrom and the New Jersey Devils.