Posted on October 28, 2020 (Season 8)

It’s late October and we should be talking about the Flames poor start to a season about now, but instead this episode is all about the NHL Entry Draft and free agency. What a weird year!

We recap what the Flames did at the draft table and if we think trading down twice to get Connor Zary was a good move or not. Then we discuss all the Flames who have come and gone in free agency and our thoughts on each move and where the players fit into the depth chart as well as an overall assessment of how the team looks for next season – whenever it starts.

Posted on September 30, 2020 (Season 8)

The Stanley Cup has been awarded, which means the off-season is upon us. With the 2020 NHL Entry Draft a little less than a week away, we discuss the type of player we think the Flames need to focus on this year if they need more forwards or defencemen and profile some players that are expected to be available with our first few picks. Of course, we also discuss what it would take for the Flames to move pick #19 to go up, down, or trade the pick away entirely.

Posted on August 25, 2020 (Season 8)

The Calgary Flames were leading their series 3-1 against the Stars, but ended up losing the series and once again exiting in the first round. Now what? What do the Flames have to do to ensure a better result next season? Was the Flames disappointing series loss a coaching issue? A player issue? Both? We break down what happened, and what the Flames need to do in the offseason. A handful of fans wrote in their thoughts and questions about the team which the guys try to answer.

Posted on August 17, 2020 (Season 8)

The Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars are tied in their quarterfinal series, and the Flames seem to be slipping back into old habits and letting the series get away from them. Dan and Matt look at the first four games of the series and talk about what the Flames need to do to win this one, if they have a chance against Las Vegas next round and what the best, and most realistic outcomes for the Flames are this year.

Posted on August 10, 2020 (Season 8)

For the first time since 2008 & 2009, the Calgary Flames have made the playoffs for two years in a row. This week we break down all four games in the Winnipeg Jets series and our thoughts on how the team played, and we’re previewing the quarterfinal matchup against the Dallas Stars and what the Flames will have to do to win the round.

Posted on July 22, 2020 (Season 8)

It’s late July and we’re getting ready for the start of the NHL Playoffs. Actually, before we get there we have to have a qualifying round where the Flames will play the Jets, and the winners make the playoffs. On this episode we catch up on what’s happened since we talked last, the ongoing Flames training camp and looking ahead to if the Flames can beat the Jets…and how far they could go in this year’s playoffs.

Posted on March 17, 2020 (Season 8)

COVID-19 has caused the NHL to “pause” their season.  Dan and Matt discuss our prediction of if/when the NHL will resume playing this year, and if the league will go right to the playoffs or not.  We also discuss the passing of Ken King, and the Flames decision not to pay hourly workers (which has since been reversed). On the hockey front, the guys discuss if Geoff Ward should be back as head coach next season, and look at some of the Flames prospects and how their season is looking.

Posted on March 10, 2020 (Season 8)

The Flames had an important week of games, and once again showed that they can’t start on time and it again cost them much needed points. The guys recap the week of games and talk about if the Flames are still guaranteed a playoff spot or not.

Plus, we look ahead to the summer and play armchair GM as we decide which Unrestricted Free Agents the Flames should bring back, at what costs, and how that will impact the roster and the salary cap.

Posted on March 3, 2020 (Season 8)

The guys recap the 3-1-1 road trip and their thoughts about where the Flames sit in the standings and what they need to do in the last 15 games of the season to stay in the playoff race.  Dan and Matt predict how they think the Pacific Division will look at the end of the season and where the Flames will finish and if there is a chance they’ll fall out of playoff contention.

Posted on February 25, 2020 (Season 8)

The 2020 trade deadline is in the books and the Flames bring in Erik Gustafsson and Derek Forbort. Dan and Matt break down these deals and their thoughts about the Trade Deadline as a whole, and what the D pairings likely look like now.

The guys also look at the Flames record since the All-Star Break last year, and what the Flames record tells us – are they a good team that is having a bad season this year, or are they a mediocre team that had a good season last year?

Posted on February 18, 2020 (Season 8)

The Flames scored 25 goals in 5 games this week, but at the same time let in 19 goals against. What does a week like that say about the Flames?  The guys also discuss if Andrew Mangiapane is a legit top 6 forward on a playoff team and if David Rittich or Cam Talbot should be the Flames starter going forward.

With the Trade Deadline a week away, what do the guys think the Flames should or shouldn’t do? What would be the wrong thing to do? The guys answer these questions ahead of what could be the most interesting Trade Deadline for the Flames in a long time.

Posted on February 11, 2020 (Season 8)

The guys look at the season so far broken into seven-game series, and the Flames have faired so far while wondering if the Flames can ride their big win over the Canucks into the California road trip.  With Hamonic and Giordano out, how does the Flames strategy change coming up to the Trade Deadline, and do they need to make a big move to bring in a blueliner?

Posted on February 4, 2020 (Season 8)

The Flames are back in action after their bye week and had two big games over the Oilers, and discuss how the Flames went from good to terrible against the Oilers in a 72-hour stretch. Why the inconsistency this season, and can it be remedied, or is the issues the players in the room?

The guys discuss if it’s time to look at Tkachuk and Lindholm as their top two instead of Monahan and Gaudreau – and if so, does it make it easier to trade Monahan or Gaudreau?  Of course we need to talk trades prior to the Trade Deadline, and is it time to move on from TJ Brodie to fill the gaps on the forward ranks? How about Mikael Backlund?

Posted on January 28, 2020 (Season 8)

With the Flames on a bye week this week, we have no new content to chat about. We’ll be back on February 4 with a new episode.  This week we’re presenting a recap of our New Years episode, a recap of the Stockton Heat with “Stockton’s Finest” Jeff Gregory.

Jeff Gregory will be in Calgary on February 6. He’ll be at Bottlescrew Bill’s before and after the game (starting at 5pm) and would love to meet all our passionate Fireside Chat fans.

Posted on January 21, 2020 (Season 8)

With the Flames still locked in a bitter battle for a playoff spot in the Pacific Division, should the team stand pat at the Trade Deadline, or move all of their expiring contracts, and hope for the best in the post-season? The guys answer this question and discuss if keeping Brodie, Hamonic and Cam Talbot for a (likely) protracted playoff run is really worth missing out on the trade value.

Posted on January 14, 2020 (Season 8)

The Flames suffer their first loss of 2020 this week to end off an otherwise very good week, which propelled them to the #1 spot in the Pacific Division.  Can the Flames keep this momentum up going into their week-long break? How about after the break?

Posted on January 7, 2020 (Season 8)

If the Flames don’t make the playoffs, is it finally time to trade Johnny Gaudreau? We discuss what the Flames might get back to make the deal attractive and if the Flames can upgrade the holes in their lineup through other means. 

Posted on January 1, 2020 (Season 8)

Happy New Year! This week we have a “bonus episode” of the show, where Dan chats with Jeff Gregory – also known as Stockton’s Finest. We do a 2019 end-of-year recap of the Stockton Heat. We talk about the Stockton Heat arena lease extension deal, this year’s Stockton Heat being the best looking version of the team we’ve seen, and what players might get called up this season.

Posted on December 26, 2019 (Season 8)

As 2019 comes to a close, we look at the first half of the Calgary Flames season and why things haven’t gone to plan thus far.  Dan and Matt made predictions at the beginning of the season, and the guys check-in to see how their predictions look so far. What’s the best that the Flames can realistically expect to do this season, keeping the first half in mind? We answer this and look ahead to 2020.

Posted on December 17, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames 7 game win streak came to an end against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, and we discuss Flames position in the Pacific Division and how the win streak impacts our standings. The Flames lineup has been working well lately, but how will it be affected by Austin Czarnik and Sam Bennett set to return soon? Who will have to be taken out of the lineup?

We look back at the James Neal/Milan Lucic trade to see which team is winning the trade so far, and what impact the Taylor Hall deal will have on the Flames and the Pacific Division.

Posted on December 10, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames are on a 5 game win streak after beating the Avalanche, and everything is looking up for the team. Lucic and even Zac Rinaldo are scoring to give the team depth scoring.  We discuss what the Flames need to keep doing to stay successful and get closer to the top of the Pacific Division, answer a fan question and try to predict what happens to the lineup as our injuries clear up.

Posted on December 3, 2019 (Season 8)

And we thought this would be a slow news week for the Flames!  Despite the poor month for the Calgary Flames, the team still ended the month with a .500 record – and only 7 points out of first place in the Pacific Division. Of course we discuss the Bill Peters incident, and the new Head Coach Geoff Ward.  What does the December schedule hold for the Flames, and is it still possible to turn this season around?

Posted on November 27, 2019 (Season 8)

The Calgary Flames long few months on the road is coming to an end, and the team’s play seems to be improving too. After a player’s only meeting after the blowout loss in St. Louis, a win in Philadelphia and a very good game against Pittsburgh, it looks like the Calgary Flames are starting to turn things around.

We debate if Bill Peters should be fired – and if so who would replace him?  Is David Rittich a legit starting goalie, or just the best we’ve got? And we answer some questions from listeners.

Posted on November 19, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames played three games this week, and only managed to score one goal?  This is the team’s first time being shutout of back-to-back games since January 2014. Are things as bad as they look for the Calgary Flames this season? How long does the team have to turn things around before the playoffs are out of reach?

Matt lays out his case for why it might be time for the Flames to pull the plug on this season, and re-tool the roster instead.

Posted on November 13, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames are second in the Pacific Division, and starting to get their game together.  We look at the changes to the Defence pairings that we saw this week, if Michael Frolik’s time as a Flames is over after two healthy scratches, and if 5 days off this week will help or hurt the Flames.

This week’s episode is longer than usual, as we spend over an hour talking with our new Stockton Heat correspondent to catch up on all the happenings with the AHL affiliate.

Posted on November 5, 2019 (Season 8)

As the Calgary Flames return home from the longest road trip of the season, it looks like the team is starting to turn their game around.  We break down what went well (and what didn’t) on the road trip, and how the team’s game improved, and look ahead to the Flames schedule for November and what we can expect for this month of games.

Posted on October 30, 2019 (Season 8)

After a really good week for the Flames last week, we saw the exact opposite this week. Dan and Matt discuss the Flames shaking up their forward lines and what impact that may have on the slumping group, if the Tobias Rieder waiver move and Alan Quine being recalled will have any effect on the team, and what (if any) kind of the trade the Flames could make to shake things up this early in the season.

Posted on October 22, 2019 (Season 8)

What a difference a week can make! Aside from the LA Kings game, the Flames had a much better week this past week than they did the one before. The Flames started on time, and played well structured games for the most part. What does this week hold for the Flames? Which goalies will start which games? How will the Flames do in the Heritage Classic? We try to answer all these questions and more.

Posted on October 15, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames struggled on their road trip this week, and their play hasn’t looked anywhere near what it needs to be if they want to be the #1 team in the Western Conference again. Is it time to start worrying about the Calgary Flames, or is this just a slow start that they’ll bounce back from?  Should the coaching staff start to shuffle the forward lines to get something going?

Dan and Matt debate these questions and more, as well as look ahead to the four games for the Flames this week, and if we think the team can rebound.

Posted on October 9, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames lost their 10th season opener in a row – losing to the Avalanche in Denver to open the season, and then came home and beat the Vancouver Canucks in the home opener. We break down these games, talk about what we’ve seen (or not seen) from the team so far, answer a fan question about David Rittich’s workload, and make predictions for this week’s important road trip.

Posted on October 2, 2019 (Season 8)

We recap the last three games of the pre-season, discuss the three contracts signed this week, and we look ahead to the regular season including what our lineup might look like, how the Flames October schedule looks, and make our predictions for this season.

The 2019-2020 season starts now. Go Flames Go!

Posted on September 24, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames training camp is almost over, and Matthew Tkachuk still isn’t signed. We look at some recent RFA signings and discuss how those contracts might impact Tkachuk’s contract, if the Dustin Byfuglien in Winnipeg means the Flames may have a trade partner for TJ Brodie, and recapping the last week of news and happenings from the team’s training camp – including 15 players being reassigned to the AHL or junior leagues and 5 players being placed on waivers.

Posted on September 17, 2019 (Season 8)

As the Flames open their 2019 training camp, we’re back to recap the busy summer for the Flames – and look ahead to training camp. We’ll discuss the Lucic trade, RFA signings, the odd summer for Michael Stone getting bought out, and then resigned, Andrew Mangiapane’s decision to hold out on a contract, and if we’ll get Matthew Tkachuk signed before the season starts. Plus we look ahead to the Flames training camp.