Say What - 'I’m Excited For Next Year'

Rasmus Andersson on the season:

"I think it was a lot of ups and downs. If you start off with a four-game suspension right away, missed the outdoor game which was a tough blow, to be honest. It’s one of those games you look forward to a lot, (I) missed that. Then I finally started to get into the rhythm about a month before the All-Star break, thought I played some really good hockey, then after the All-Star break I just couldn’t get into the rhythm."

On playing in Calgary:

"I think everybody knows how much I love playing in Calgary, I think we have a really unique fanbase that supports us no matter what. You look at yesterday, we got quite the cheer after the game yesterday and I think that speaks so highly of our fans here, who really want us to win every game and want us to make the playoffs each and every year."

On what the future holds for the Flames:

"I think if you look at the young guys that have come up this year, they’ve all been really good. You look at Zars, throughout the whole year, he’s been really good, you look at Pospy, Matty at the end of the season I thought did a really good job, so it’s an exciting future ahead. But it’s not just them, it’s us ‘old guys,’ we’ve got to take the next step too, in leadership, in everything for everyone to take the next step, for the organization to take the next step to be a playoff team each and every year. I think we’re on a good trajectory to be that, and I think it’s going to be a really exciting summer ahead."

MacKenzie Weegar on Ryan Huska's first season as head coach:

"He did a great job, he’s a great communicator, he has a great game plan. The culture in that room, he established that right off the bat, the expectations were high in the room. We have a lot of great youth in that room, a lot of character guys that are going to take the next step. Husk did a great job this year."

On the powerplay's struggles and late success:

"It obviously didn’t start off the way we wanted it to, there were different holes and there was a lot of movement and changes in the powerplay, and we were just trying to get a feel for it. I think I played the most powerplay I’ve ever played, and I thought as the year went on, we did a lot better. When Kuzy was brought in, he turned that powerplay around, did a phenomenal job, gave us that spark that we needed. Hopefully we can go into next season with that same powerplay that we ended off with."

On his desire to lead in Calgary long-term:

"I think it’s just an easy way out to leave here, it’d be a lot more rewarding to stick this through and come out of this and see it on the other side. When you go through tough times and you sacrifice yourself through the tough times, you’ll get rewarded for it. I truly believe that. This team has a lot of potential, the ownership and the organization has the best interests for this group. It’s just a great group of guys in that room that care for each other, we’re a tight group, we have a lot of fun on the road, at home, and that’s why I want to stay here, is to win with this group of guys. For this city, the fans, they’ve treated me well since I got here last year, I want to reciprocate that and stay here and win here."

Blake Coleman on proving doubters wrong next season:

"We’ve been underdogs pretty much our entire life. For me, it’s a role I’ve always relished and enjoyed, it’d be that much sweeter to prove people wrong. We have guys that really care, and want to win, and want to be here; even though it was tough down the stretch, everybody bough in and played for each other. That’s really all you can ask for in that last month, it’s going to give us a really solid foundation going into next season. I expect the young guys to take that next step and be impact players for us, I expect to take my game to another level. I just feel really good about the character that we have, guys are going to have good summers and make themselves better. That’s the beauty about next season, everyone is going to look at us and have zero expectations or belief in our team, you can use that as fuel and rally around that the right way. For me, it would be even more rewarding to make the playoffs and go on a run with a team like that."

On being a competitive group in 2024-25:

"I think we have a lot of proud guys in the room, it’s going to be on us. I always have belief in myself and I think we have a lot of guys that believe in themselves and our team. We’ll see how the off-season goes, we don’t know what the team’s going to look like in the fall. I expect they’re going to try to improve our team and give us the best chance to be competitive next year. For whatever reason, I just really enjoy that role, and it’s going to be preached a lot when we get back in the fall, and I expect our guys to rally around that. I don’t have any expectations of missing the playoffs again."

Mikael Backlund on the year:

"Slow start is always tough, it’s always tough in this league to climb your way back. The years we had some success here, in the regular season we had good starts, and the years when we’ve not been as good, we’ve had slower starts. It’s always hard to come back and chase all year, by having a slower start, management started to look at the direction of trading guys, and that didn’t help our team either. I totally understand that part of it, it was necessary to do, but at the same time it didn’t help our success this year, for sure."

On his first season as captain:

"It was an honour, a privilege to be captain of an NHL team, something I could never dream of. Very special feeling and I really enjoyed being a captain. I’m excited to go into next year having the first year in my back. It was a roller-coaster year for sure, a lot of things going on off the ice, a lot of changes in the dressing room, a lot of new guys coming in, a lot of guys leaving. A lot of things happening and a lot of things to deal with, but I enjoyed it, it was a great challenge. Trying to learn from it every day, too, everything that came at me, or us as a group, but I had great support starting with the ownership group, believing and trusting me to give me another two-year deal and wanting me to stay; Conny, the management same thing, believing in me and giving me the captaincy. Coaching staff did a great job communicating with me all year, giving me and the leadership group all the support that we needed. The leaders on this team, a lot of guys stepped up this year and had some career years, personally. I had a lot of support all around me this year."

On missing the playoffs:

"It was an empty feeling last year, empty feeling yesterday again, being done, missing playoffs. I still need some time to reflect on things from this year, yesterday was a really empty, sad feeling last night, that our season’s over. But I knew going into the season, when I decided to stay and sign, that things were going to change here, that we had to go through probably a transitional year with a lot of things happening. I was prepared for that. When I made my final decision to stay here, it was because I wanted to play for this team, and give this team and organization another chance. This is our home, this is a team I love playing for, it’s so special to be here in Calgary and play here. I believe in Conny and Husk, and the process we’re going through here with the re-tooling. I know the expectation from the outside is going to be low but for us, I know Conny is going to have a good summer for us, and do the right things and next year, we’ll come in and we’re going to push for a playoff spot again."

On his desire to win as a Flame:

"My dream is to win, but my biggest dream is to win here in Calgary. I think this re-tool is necessary for this organization, I knew that going into this year. I’m excited for next year, I think good things are ahead of us."

A.J. Greer on his desire to re-sign with the Flames:

"Going into the summer, hopefully there are some conversations to be started. That mindset hasn’t changed, I want to stay here. I think I can bring an element both on the ice and off the ice with the leadership and the standard I carry myself with every day. I’m looking forward to those conversations, it’s looking the positive, that’s the feeling that I have. Hopefully we can get something done."

On his potential:

"I see myself as a 20 to 30-point guy, honestly. Bounces could go your way, could not go your way. Ultimately, I play 82 games, I play the way I do, I feel more comfortable and they’re going to go in. I’ve been pretty steady, these last two years, with how many games I’ve played, with the production that I’ve made. Honestly, there’s definitely room for more growth on the offensive side."

On the heartache of missing the playoffs:

"Not making the playoffs sucks, it’s like you get stabbed in the heart, every time. You’re at home watching hockey, you don’t necessarily want to watch but you still do. It’s rewarding to make playoffs, it’s definitely a shot to the heart not making the playoffs, you have a long summer to think about it. But the good thing is, next year it’s a clean slate, and that motivation to make the playoffs has to come from Day 1."

Connor Zary on what he learned as a first-year NHLer:

"I think especially on the ice, just to try to bring it every night. Want the puck out there, want to make plays, want to be a difference-maker, I think those little things are something, right from the get-go, that I think I learned from him, and how to be consistent every day. I think that’s what separates the good players in the NHL from the great players, is the guys who are able to bring it every day even when they’re tired, or it’s a back-to-back, guys who are still able to go out there and be a difference-maker."

On making the jump to the NHL with Pospisil:

"It's been awesome. We both started on the Wranglers, we both came to camp, I’m sure Marty had the same attitude as me, probably a little upset that he wasn’t able to take it a little farther and make the team right out of camp. I think to be able go down there and prove myself, and earn the opportunity to come up here and show what I can do, and really want to come up here and prove myself every day and know the type of player that I am, and the type of things that I can do, that wasn’t going to stop at the American League level and that I could come up here and be an effective player and a good NHL player, that’s something I pride myself on, something I knew I had in me."

On taking advantage of the off-season:

"You don’t want a long summer, but you’ve got to take advantage of it when you do have one. That second year is always the hardest, you have more expectations on yourself and from a team standpoint, and you’re going to be harder on yourself to come in here and be better. I think that all starts with the preparation, and the work you put in in the summer. He kind of said to me, the easiest way to put it, is ‘go home and be a beast.’ I think it’s getting in the gym, there’s gonna be days where you’re tired or you don’t want to, but you’ve got to push yourself to bring yourself to that next level, and do those little things that are going to make a difference when you come in here in September."

Martin Pospisil on being shown the NHL ropes by Nazem Kadri:

"To play with that kind of player, it’s a privilege. Watching him every day, even in practice, it was something special for me and I learned a lot. At the end of the day, I enjoyed every day, being on a line with him. He was always trying to help me, with just the small details on the ice that makes it much more easy to play, in the D-zone or the O-zone. I appreciate him for that, I was privileged to play with him."

On being disliked around the league:

"Actually, I don’t really care. I just want to help the team to win, it doesn’t matter what it’s going to take. Not everyone is going to like you. I don’t really watch the media, or whatever is going on around me, I’m just focusing on my game, every day, to be better and help the team to win."

On his style of play:

"I’m still learning, this is my first year. Hopefully it’s going to be better, I’m still working on it. But the game that I play, I’m not going to change it, just be smarter and don’t go over that line."

Jacob Markstrom on the season:

"Obviously, there was a lot of talk, a lot of rumours, rumblings, and a lot of stuff did happen with the exit of a few big pieces of the team. End of the day, it’s a business. I’m really proud of everyone in the locker room, all the guys and the coaches. Ryan Huska’s a first-year head coach coming in, I think he picked up a lot of experience from one season that some coaches don’t have to go through for a long time, and I thought he handled it really good. The support of the fans too, was amazing throughout the whole season, so I really appreciate that."

Yegor Sharangovich on his first season in Calgary:

"It’s so much better than last (season). I never want to stop, we need to have a good summer, and keep going."

On what changed this season compared to last:

"The biggest thing is that I have different opportunity here, I played a lot on the powerplay, a lot of ice-time, a lot of time 5-on-5. When the coaches from Calgary trust your game and give you an opportunity to play, you just show your game."

Daniil Miromanov on adjusting to life as a Flame:

"I think I adapted pretty well. The team, the organization welcomed me so much, it’s an elite organization. For me, having the chance to play in Canada, the birthplace of hockey, it’s just an honour. It’s just been a real pleasure being here, adapting. Everyone around the room, around the arena, has been amazing, I’m just really excited for the future, for having a really good summer, being healthy finally in the off-season. I’m just excited."

On his potential:

"I can only say that I’m only going to get better, 100 per cent. The sky’s the limit. It’s tough to say: I think my knee was at 90, 95 per cent. At some point in time, you think your knee is really good, I thought my knee was great, then I kept improving and thought ‘ohh, this is better than I thought.’ That’s why I can say with confidence that next year is going to be even better."

Mangiapane on his season:

"It was an up and down season for me, some games I felt I was playing my game, tenacious, hard-working, in the dirty areas, around the net, creating, things like that, then other games it just wasn’t there for me. For me, personally, I just have to find more consistency in my game, and just learn from it and be ready to play every game. That’s, I’d say, my biggest takeaway from the season."

On playing in Calgary:

"Calgary’s honestly a great place to play, I love it here. It’s been home for me, my second home. We’ll see what happens here in the future, but I definitely like Calgary."

Jonathan Huberdeau on his season:

"It was a tough start for me, again. We talked about it, but after the new year, I feel like my game got better. Throughout these years, I feel like I learned a lot of stuff, I think my defensive game got better. Obviously, that’s not what I’m paid for, but I think it got better. I gotta put up more points, at the end I had a tough start point-wise, but overall I want to get back to 70, 80 points. I learned a lot of stuff, and come back next year and be better."

On finding his groove in the second half:

"I would say I had way more spark this year, with confidence with the puck, I had some really good games. I think it’s just to find that consistency, overall, cause I had some really good games where I was like ‘here you go, that’s the old Jonny.’ It’s just to find that throughout the season, and be like that game after game."

Dan Vladar on his rehabilitation after surgery:

"I think I’m already a couple weeks ahead, so I think it was a smart decision to do it a little bit earlier just to be ready for next year. I’m happy with how it’s going, I know the worst is already behind me, so I’m just looking forward right now. Should be no problem for me to skate the middle of July."

Oliver Kylington on being back with the Flames:

"It’s been a lot that’s happened over the course of the year. It’s been very fun overall, I’m just happy to be back in an environment that I missed. Positives, overall."

On his pending free agency:

"I want to stay. I like it here and I have my interest to be here. I think I’ve been clear with how I like Calgary and how I want to try and get back with my play."

Nazem Kadri on being committed to Calgary:

"I chose to be here. There were other options for me, I chose to be in Calgary and you know, I still feel that way. It was a frustrating season, a disappointing one, but hopefully over the summertime we can look to upgrade certain positions, and have another crack at it."\

On embracing a role as a mentor:

"I think I’ve done that this year, and who woulda thought, I guess I’m pretty good at it. I enjoy the young guys, the youth being around, and the energy they bring to the rink. I look forward to coming to the rink every single day. The kids we’ve got on this roster, they’re great people, they’re great kids, and they’re pretty good players too."