Elliotte Friedman makes thoughts clear about Calgary Flames after Kevin Bieksa’s hot take on $28,750,000 forward

The Calgary Flames have lost five back to back games after an initial shootout win over Edmonton Oilers. On Saturday, they lost 6-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights in a rematch following a 4-2 loss earlier the same week. After the loss, Sportsnet analyst Kevin Bieksa criticized Yegor Sharangovich for a poor effort in the third period. He said Sharangovich showed little intensity when chasing the puck.

"If you're gonna get an effort like that from a guy, get rid of him. And you're disgracing the NHL with an effort like that," Bieska said on Hockey in Canada Nights. "Down 6-1, be a little mad."

Sharangovich, who is signed on a five-year, $28.75 million contract, has only one point in six games this season. He has been underperforming but the problem is not just limited to Shrangovich only. Out of those five losses, the Flames (1-5-0) have been limited to just 1 goal in three games, and in the other two losses they scored two goals each.

Speaking on Monday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed the Flames’ situation. He said this is a careful time for the team, because they must avoid short-term fixes and focus on long-term plans.

"This, to me, is a really careful time for Calgary, and I think it's going to take some strength to go against the grain of what they normally like to do," Friedman said. [18:00 onwards] "The flames do not like to throw in the towel. "You know, I think they're trying to time it here with their new building coming in a couple of years. You know, keep some veterans, don't go full tank. Have the kids be ready. And they have some really good young players like that."

Friedman said the team may need to accept some struggles to build properly. Staying patient and developing talent will help the team’s future. He suggest the team should tank to take their chances in 2026 NHL draft, in which Gavin McKenna is the projected No. 1 pick.

"I think the Calgary Flames, the best thing they can do is, if this is the year where they say, 'All right, do we have to feel some pain?' This is a really good draft," Friedman said. "It's going to take somebody inside the organization standing up and saying, 'People aren't going to like this, but this is what we need to do. And if it doesn't get better with the group of guys we have, if they can't dig their way out of it, we cannot do a short-term fix.'"

Critics like Bieksa see his Flames' lack of urgency as a major issue. So, the team now faces decisions about effort, culture, and long-term direction.

Elliotte Friedman praised Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau

After the loss on Saturday, forward Jonathan Huberdeau talked about the lack of effort. In plain words, he pointed out that players are focued on playing individually.

"We're a way better team than we're playing right now," Huberdeau said. "We're just not playing for each other. We’re kind of trying to do things maybe individually."

However, Friedamn praised Huberdeau's effort saying, the Flames don't have a player like him.

"Huberdeau, talks about his contract and stuff," Friedman said. "The bottom line is, they have nobody like him. He, he created some things for them before that game got out of hand."

The Flames will play their next game on Monday against Winnipeg Jets, where they can end their losing streak. Each player will have a chance to and show their effort.

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Edited by Ankit Kumar