Kadri Latest Flame to Become Frustrated with Sutter
To call the Calgary Flames’ 2022-23 season a disappointment would be a serious understatement. After bringing in the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri to fill the void left by Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, fans were quick to herald “the summer of Brad,” believing that this team was on track for one Stanley Cup Championship. (from ‘Ken Campell: Brad Treliving’s Summer is Something to Watch’ Ice Hockey Unfiltered with Ken Campbell, 08/18/22).
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That never materialized, however, as disagreements and a lack of goals have seen them post a mediocre 31-24-15 record in 70 games this season. Their playoff shot isn’t out of reach as they sit just four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for a wildcard position, but it’s clear they’re an extremely frustrated bunch.
Those frustrations have been evident throughout the season as there have been several reported disagreements between Huberdeau and head coach Darryl Sutter, which recently gained momentum after Huberdeau’s agent Allan Walsh decided to call out the veteran bench boss on Twitter. There have been many rumors that several other players are fed up with Sutter’s antics and according to a new report, Kadri could be another name to add to this list.
Kadri frustrated after losing to Stars
The Flames’ recent loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night only added to this year’s frustration as a whole. They went down 2-0 in less than two minutes and were down 3-1 at the end of the first. However, they fought back in the second frame and quickly took a 4-3 lead before Jason Robertson tied things up and went 4-4 into the third.
They took the lead again thanks to a Rasmus Andersson goal in game three but were unable to hold their own and found themselves heading into extra time, an area where they have struggled immensely this season. Those struggles continued as Robertson defeated Markstrom for his second of the night in the extra frame, sending the Flames home by just a single point.
While the loss was frustrating overall, one particularly odd thing that caught the eye of several fans was Kadri’s bench press. The 31-year-old hasn’t been at his best lately, but it’s hard to justify benching one of your team’s best players in the middle of a playoff race. In his most recent 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman explained that Kadri hasn’t been shy about offering his opinions on how things are going for his team this season and believes they may really have reached a boiling point after their recent loss.
“I heard that Kadri has been very vocal about what he’s going on in Calgary and why they aren’t firing on all cylinders,” Friedman said. “He was very blunt about the communication between the players and the coach there. So I bet some of that frustration boiled over in that Saturday night game. I’m excited to see where this will all lead.”
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If there’s one insider you can trust who has great information on things like this, it’s Friedman. For him to suggest something like that tells you there’s a rift between Kadri and Sutter, and based on what we’ve heard, several other players are unhappy with their coach as well. While it may come as a surprise to some that Sutter only won the Jack Adams Award last season, he has been noted in the past as having short shelf life with teams due to his demanding personality.
Sutter’s future in question
Despite signing a two-year extension ahead of the season that doesn’t start until 2023-24, Sutter’s future with the team is in serious question. While the owners certainly don’t want to part with a manager they owe that money to, the fact is that we’ve now heard that both Huberdeau and Kadri aren’t fans of his. Considering these two just signed renewals totaling $133 million, it’s important to remember that the loyalty in this situation is to the players. Maybe things can be fixed in the off-season, but at this point there seems to be a real possibility that the Flames will have a new head coach in the 2023-24 season.