Insider Drops 3 Main Reasons For Calgary Flames' Current Turmoil

The Calgary Flames don't find themselves in the most enviable of positions right now. The future of a number of players is up in the air as new GM Craig Conroy tries to navigate the bomb-littered landscape he inherited. 

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman has dropped some intel as to what's landed the team in its current turmoil. He points to three factors:

1) It all started during a tumultuous season under since-deposed head coach Darryl Sutter. "One of the reasons this year went off the rails is because there was no specific captain who felt the responsibility to deal with Darryl Sutter. A number of players felt it should have been Backlund."

2) Since the season ended, the Flames prioritized two players over the others. 

"I believe that Calgary wanted to know about (Elias) Lindholm and (Noah) Hanifin first. They identified them as the priorities... I had someone who said to me today... the other players said, 'okay, I'm not the priority... I'm not in control here. My fate is being decided by someone else.'"

3) The team is trying to run a tight ship in contract talks, keeping an eye on cap space for the future. "From what I'm hearing," said Friedman, "the Flames are being very tight on term. And I think if you're (Tyler) Toffoli, you want bigger term; if you're (Nikita) Zadorov, you probably want bigger term. And Backlund, too."

As they continue to sort through the wreckage, the Flames will be a fascinating team to watch as we approach the Draft and free agency. 

Photo: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports