Weegar says Flames moving in 'right direction' to contend for playoffs

CALGARY -- MacKenzie Weegar cites a big reason he's optimistic the Calgary Flames are heading in the right direction.

Familiar faces in new places.

The Flames named assistant general manager Craig Conroy as GM to replace Brad Treliving on May 23, and Conroy's first piece of business was to promote assistant Ryan Huska to coach on June 12 to fill the vacancy left after the firing of Darryl Sutter.

Each, according to Weegar, should have the Flames feeling better about their future.

"I think with the two new hirings with Craig and 'Husk', I think that was already moving in the right direction," the defenseman told NHL.com before participating in the Rogers Legends of Hockey Charity Skins Game on Saturday. "There's lots of rumors of guys not wanting to be here or guys staying. To be honest, I kind of keep my head out of it and my nose out of it. I just want guys that want to be here. And I think Craig and Husk are on the same page.

"For me the turnover, it doesn't really affect me. All that matters is the guys that want to be here and guys that want to win here in Calgary and if you don't want to be a part of it, unfortunately you have to move on even if they're great friends and great guys. For me, you want to win and I think we want to win now. It starts with Craig and Husk at the helm."

Calgary (38-27-17) finished fifth in the Pacific Division last season, two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card from the Western Conference. It was the second time in three seasons they missed the playoffs and was one season removed from a first-place finish in the Pacific Division in 2021-22.

Treliving and the Flames agreed to mutually part ways on April 17, and Sutter was fired two weeks later on May 1.

"I don't really know how it's going to be," Weegar said. "I know [Craig and Huska] personally and they're great guys. We all know Darryl and Husk, they're both different guys and different personalities. I think just the focus point might be this year where it's a little more fun coming to the rink and I think that's going to be big for a lot of guys. You just want to come in and enjoy it. We're going to have our ups and downs … but just have fun with the guys. I think if we have fun, we'll be winning more."

Weegar has had a few conversations with Huska since the hiring earlier in the summer.

He anticipates that fun factor and a more upbeat, up-tempo style for the Flames this fall after Calgary finished 19th in the League in goals for (258) and tied for 19th in power-play percentage (19.8 percent) last season.

That new style could help Weegar, who had 31 points (four goals, 27 assists) and was plus-15 in 81 games in his first season with Calgary after being acquired in the trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers last offseason. This came after he had NHL career-highs in goals (eight), assists (36), points (44) and plus-minus (plus-40) in 80 games in 2021-22.

"I think [Huska] just wants to let guys showcase their skills and I think there are a lot of guys in the room maybe felt handcuffed or maybe on a shorter leash or whatnot, and he wants to open it up a bit more and play a little looser," Weegar said. "At the same time, you have to take care of your own end. I think our defensive game is there. Our whole team has played that defensive game for the last few seasons now, so we know how to play hard 'D' but at the same time, I think they're going to want to open it up a little bit and play some good offense, make some plays and score a few more goals."

The Flames aren't without uncertainty heading into the season, however.

Calgary traded Tyler Toffoli, last season's leading scorer (34 goals, 73 points), to the New Jersey Devils on June 27 for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (forward Aydar Suniev), and the immediate futures of forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin remain unclear.

Each is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the season as are forward Mikael Backlund, and defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev.

Still, Weegar has plenty of optimism for the Flames future given the personnel they currently possesses.

"We've got all the pieces," Weegar said. "It comes from the GM, to the coach, to all the players. You look at our goaltending and then you look at all seven 'D'...we've got a great 'D'-core, and our top-six, even our top-12 (forwards)...we have so much talent and so many good players.

"It was disappointing not to be a part of the playoffs last year. It's almost inexcusable because of the players that we have. I think everybody just wants to get back and to prove to people that we're a Cup contender...not that we're just a non-playoff team...we're a Cup contender and we want to win."