Calgary Flames eliminated: Three things they should do in the offseason

The Calgary Flames have been eliminated from the playoffs after threatening to strike for a playoff spot down the stretch. In the end, it was the Nashville Predators who ended the Flames’ Stanley Cup hopes in a crucial game at home. There will be plenty of questions for the Flames entering the offseason.

The Calgary Flames have been eliminated from the playoffs, here are three things they should do in the off-season:

#1 Get help on offense

The Calgary Flames massively overestimated how valuable the losses of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk would be to the team's overall offensive output. Despite signing a talented player like Nazem Kadri, the Calgary Flames still struggled to put the puck in the net and score at a consistent pace this season.

The Flames need to find more key depth scorers. The Flames were one of the most top-heavy teams when it came to scoring goals this season and they’ll have to find third and fourth-liners that can consistently put the puck in the net. If the Flames do that, they could threaten for a playoff spot again real soon.

#2 Consider parting ways with Jacob Markstrom

Jacob Markstrom had one of the best playoff runs in the net last season against the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers. This season the veteran goaltender just wasn’t the same, with some of the lowest numbers in net going back to his days with the Florida Panthers.

Going into this offseason, the Calgary Flames will need to decide whether they want to ride it out with Jacob Markstrom in net, or possibly make a change in the near future. There’s not much coming down the prospect pipeline, so the Flames may need to make a future type trade.

#3 Make a big splash

The Flames weren’t on the right side of two huge moves this offseason with Gadreau and Tkachuk. The Flames need to go out and make a big splash, either in free agency or in a trade, to regain confidence and interest in the team going forward.

The Flames need to re-energize their roster by going all out in the market and paying big bucks for a top-tier player. The biggest issue in doing that could be cap space, as the Calgary Flames are right up against the ceiling. Making room for a big piece could be huge for a team that is looking to be entering a mediocre period in the future.