Calgary Flames 2021 Predictions, Team Odds and Season Preview
The Flames made a couple of big investments in the off-season by signing goalie Jacob Markstrom to a six-year deal and defenceman Chris Tanev to a four-year deal. After a shaky season of David Rittich and Cam Talbot splitting the net, Calgary is betting heavily on 31-year-old Markstrom to take the reins and be the undisputed No. 1 goalie for the next several years. Oddsmakers and bettors both seem to be unsure where the Flames will rank in terms of Canadian teams. They’re +496 on the NHL futures board to win the North Division, just behind Montreal, and they’re -233 to make the playoffs.
Calgary Flames 2021 NHL Odds
In what should be a very tight North Division, bettors don’t seem to be leaning one way or the other on Calgary’s playoff chances. On the NHL futures board the Flames are -233 to make the playoffs and +496 to win the North Division. Calgary is tied with Montreal at +450 to be the next Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup, while league wide the Flames are +2,400 to win the Cup. As far as player props go, bettors are expecting a big year from new goalie Jacob Markstrom, who is +1,400 to win the Vezina Trophy.
Calgary Flames 2019-20 Season
Record: 36-27-7 (79 points); Fourth in Pacific; Lost in First Round, 2-4 (Stars)
Leading Scorers: Matthew Tkachuk (61 points); Elias Lindholm (29 goals)
It was a pretty tumultuous season for Calgary last year. The Flames came into the year fresh off a first round exit from the 2018-19 playoffs, despite finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Last year didn’t start any better, as head coach Bill Peters resigned early in the year after abuse allegations surfaced and Calgary dropped to finish at eighth place in the Western Conference. In the NHL bubble the Flames had little trouble beating an injury-riddled Winnipeg Jets team in the Qualifying Round, but they dropped another first round playoff series, this time to the Dallas Stars in six games. It was a big step back for a team that was one of the best in the West just a year before.
Flames Trades / Acquisitions
It was more quality over quantity for the Flames’ off-season additions. Calgary has been trying to find a true No. 1 netminder for years and they clearly believe Jacob Markstrom will fill that void, after committing to him with a six-year contract. The Flames continued to poach Vancouver’s roster, and stabilized their backend in the process, by signing Chris Tanev to a four-year deal, while Geoff Ward will start his first full season as Calgary’s bench boss.
Players to Watch
Johnny Gaudreau: Despite having a down year, Gaudreau still finished second in team scoring with 58 points. Much like the team as a whole, Gaudreau had stretches of great play and stretches of awful play, including a 24 game stretch with just two goals. Had the full season been played, Gaudreau was on pace to hit 20 goals and 70 points, well below his career high of 36 goals and 99 points from the season before. Bettors on the NHL futures board are banking on Johnny Hockey having a bounce back year, as he is at +115 to lead Calgary in scoring this season. His season point total over/under is set at 52.5, something that should be very attainable for the two-time 30-goal scorer.
Matthew Tkachuk: Love him or hate him, Tkachuk is a big part of this team. He led the Flames with 61 points last year and at just 23-years-old he already has a 30-goal season under his belt. At +225 he’s the favourite on the NHL futures board to lead Calgary in goals this season, and barring some sort of injury, it would be surprising not to see him hit the over on his season point total of 49.5. He’s a pest to play against and just entering his peak years, he should only get better.
Jacob Markstrom: Entering the first year of a six-year contract, Markstrom has some big expectations to live up to. Calgary invested heavily in him and bettors on the NHL futures board seem to agree with the decision. Markstrom is at +1,400 to win the Vezina Trophy, on par with the odds of goalies like Tuukka Rask, Robin Lehner and Jordan Binnington. A solid and dependable goalie over the past five seasons, Markstrom may not be able to carry a team on his back, but he will always give his team a chance to win.
Best Bets
Calgary fell far in the standings between the 2018-19 season and last year, and it showed on the puckline spread. The Flames were 30-40 on the puckline spread last year, underperforming with an 11-29 record as the favourite. The over/under was fairly even for Calgary last year, likely because they hovered right around the league average in goals for and goals against. The Flames averaged 3.04 goals per game (league average was 2.99) and 3.03 goals against.
Calgary Flames 2021 Season Predictions
Outside of Ottawa, it is essentially a six-team fight for four playoff spots in the North Division. On paper there isn’t much separating Calgary from teams like Vancouver, Montreal and Winnipeg, but it’s tough to see this team taking another step back. Last year was a statistical anomaly for Gaudreau and if his shooting percentage gets back to his career average he could have a big year. Markstrom isn’t going to steal every game for Calgary, but he’ll always give them a chance to win and Tanev should be a solid replacement for T.J. Brodie. At -233 to make the playoffs the Flames are a good pick on the NHL futures board, but it would be a lot tougher to see Calgary make a deep playoff run. It looks a lot like we could see the Flames lose a first round playoff series for the third straight year.