The 2016–17 Calgary Flames season was their 37th season in Calgary, and the 45th season for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

franchise that was established on June 6, 1972.

Off-season

After a season of high expectations from the 2014–15 season for the Flames, those results did not carry over into the 2015–16 season. The team finished with only 77 points and failed to qualify for the 2016 NHL Playoffs. To start with,

Bob Hartley Robert "Bob" Hartley (born September 7, 1960) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. He most recently served as the head coach of Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has additionally coached the Latvia men's nation ...

was let go, and

Glen Gulutzan Glen Gulutzan (born August 12, 1971) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers. Playing career Gulutzan played junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and ...

was brought in as the new coach. The biggest question the Flames faced in the off-season was acquiring a proven number one goalie.

Jonas Hiller Jonas Hiller (born 12 February 1982) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey goaltender. Hiller played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks and the Calgary Flames. He began his NHL career with the Ducks in 2007 after going ...

Karri Ramo ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cream-coloured, often mottled bar ...

, and

Joni Ortio Joni Ortio (born April 16, 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who plays for HC Ässät Pori of the Liiga, Finnish Elite League. He has previously played for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a sixt ...

all combined for a save percentage of .892 and goals against of 3.13, an NHL-worst in the 2015–16 season. General manager Brad Treliving addressed this need by acquiring veteran

Brian Elliott Brian Elliott (born April 9, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played parts of 16 seasons in the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round, 291st overall, of the 2003 NHL E ...

on June 24, 2016, in a deal on the sidelines of the 2016 NHL entry draft. On the draft's opening day the Flames got top prospect

Matthew Tkachuk Matthew Brendan Tkachuk ( ; born December 11, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames. The Fl ...

as the 6th overall pick of the Draft. On July 1, 2016, the Flames made significant acquisitions by signing power forward

Troy Brouwer Troy Brouwer (born August 17, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). ...

and journeyman goaltender

Chad Johnson Chad Ochocinco Johnson (born Chad Javon Johnson, January 9, 1978), known from 2008 to 2012 as Chad Ochocinco, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He ...

. Several other players such as

Alex Chiasson Alex Chiasson ( , , born October 1, 1990) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Edmonton O ...

and

Linden Vey Linden Vey (born July 17, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Vey previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Vanco ...

were also brought in. The next biggest task Treliving faced was signing rising stars

Johnny Gaudreau John Michael Gaudreau (August 13, 1993 – August 29, 2024) was an American professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played NCAA Division I, Division I college ice hockey ...

and

Sean Monahan Sean Monahan (born October 12, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). After playing junior ice hockey with the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) an ...

to contracts. On August 19, 2016, Monahan and the Flames agreed to a 7-year deal worth $44.625 million. On October 10, 2016, two days before the start of the regular season, Gaudreau and the Flames agreed to a 6-year deal worth $40.5 million. Gaudreau was tied with defenceman and captain

Mark Giordano Mark Giordano (; born October 3, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently retired. He most recently played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played with the Calgary Fl ...

as the highest-paid Flames player.

Regular season

October – December

The Flames open their season with their first two losses 7-4 and 5–3 to their provincial rival Edmonton Oilers. The team was expected to have an improved save percentage with Brian Eliott. However, they had a rough time with their No. 1 goaltender Brian Elliott which led them being placed outside of playoff picture promoting them to switch to their backup goaltender Chad Johnson. Chad Johnson was proved to be a better goaltender than Brian Eliott for about a month. They had a six-game winning streak from November 30 to December 14 which elevated them back into playoff position. After their six-game winning streak ended with a 6–3 loss to Tampa Bay Lightning 6–3, the starting goaltender position slowly shifted back to Brian Elliott.

January – April

The Flames continued to maintain their position in the playoff spot. They struggled the rest of the month, but they continued to keep pace in the conference standings. Even on February 25, 2017, the Flames still held the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference. With their win over the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

on March 5, the Flames surpassed their total number of wins – 35 – of the 2015–16 season. With their win over the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

on March 11, the Flames surpassed their franchise-long winning streak while based in the city of Calgary, at 9 consecutive games. Goalie

also recorded his second

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

in a row. The Flames tied their all-time franchise winning streak of 10 games with a

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight, gunfight, or gun battle, is a confrontation in which parties armed with firearms exchange gunfire. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used in a non-military context or to ...

win over the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

on March 13. The Atlanta Flames won 10 straight from October 14 to November 3, 1978. The streak would end with their next game on March 15, being outscored by the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

5–2. Though

started in net due to Brian Elliott waking up that morning with the flu, coach

told reporters that no individual player was responsible for the loss to the Bruins and the end of the streak. On March 20, Brian Elliott was named the NHL's 3rd Star of the Week for the week of March 20 to the 26th. From February 20 – March 20, Elliott recorded a career-best winning streak of 11 games, featuring back-to-back

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...

on March 9 and 11. In addition during the streak, Elliott also tied the longest winning streak for a Flames game-starting goalie, an 11-game record set by the legendary Mike Vernon from January 17 to February 27, 1989. Forward

was suspended by the NHL for two games (on March 21 and March 23) due to Tkachuk's elbow purposely hitting the head of the

L.A. Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. The team was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack ...

Drew Doughty Drew Doughty (born December 8, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains, alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected second overall by ...

in the Flames' win on March 19. In the Flames' 3–2 win over the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

on March 25, centreman and

alternate captain In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...

broke

Jarome Iginla Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (; born July 1, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger. He played over 1,500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Pittsbu ...

's franchise regular-season overtime winning goal record with Monahan's seventh career regular-season 5-minute overtime period goal. With a win against the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

on March 31, the Flames clinched a playoff berth, their first postseason appearance since the 2014–15 season and only their second playoff appearance in the last eight seasons.

Standings

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

^†Denotes player spent time with another organization before joining Flames. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.

Awards and honours

Awards

Milestones

Records

Transactions

Trades

Free agents acquired

Free agents lost

Claimed via waivers

Lost via waivers

Player signings

Draft picks

Below are the Calgary Flames' selections at the 2016 NHL entry draft, held on June 24–25, 2016, at the

First Niagara Center KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the Nation ...

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

. * The

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

' second-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016, that sent

to Calgary in exchange for a conditional third-round pick in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and this pick. * The

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

' second-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on February 27, 2016, that sent Jiri Hudler to Florida in exchange for a fourth-round pick in

and this pick. * The

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

' second-round pick went the

as the result of a trade on February 29, 2016, that sent

Kris Russell Kris Russell (born May 2, 1987) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played in the , for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was original ...

to Dallas in exchange for Jyrki Jokipakka,

Brett Pollock Howard Brett Pollock (27 November 1942 – 22 July 1982) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy Football Club, Fitzroy in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). Notes External links

* * ...

and this pick (being conditional at time of the trade). The condition – Calgary will receive a second-round pick in 2016 if Dallas fails to qualify for the 2016 Western Conference Final – was converted on May 11, 2016. * The

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

's sixth-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on February 29, 2016, that sent David Jones to Minnesota in exchange for Niklas Backstrom and this pick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2016-17 Calgary Flames Season Calgary Flames seasons

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

2016 in Calgary 2017 in Calgary