Weegar thinks Flames felt 'handcuffed' last year, wants team to have more fun

MacKenzie Weegar is hoping a focus on fun will get the Calgary Flames back on track after a disappointing 2022-23 season.

Calgary made waves leading up to last season when it traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau. But the team never managed to find its footing, stumbling to a fifth-place finish in the Pacific Division and missing the playoffs by two points.

The Flames made major changes after their season ended, parting ways with general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Darryl Sutter. The club also traded leading scorer Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils on the eve of the draft.

Assistant general manager Craig Conroy was handed the GM keys, while assistant coach Ryan Huska was promoted to bench boss. Weegar is hoping all the changes will ignite a group looking to return to the postseason in 2023-24.

"I don't really know how it's going to be," Weegar said in a recent interview with NHL.com's Aaron Vickers. "I know [Craig and Huska] personally and they're great guys. We all know Darryl and Husk, they're both different guys and different personalities.

"I think just the focus point might be this year where it's a little more fun coming to the rink and I think that's going to be big for a lot of guys. You just want to come in and enjoy it. We're going to have our ups and downs … but just have fun with the guys. I think if we have fun, we'll be winning more."

It's difficult not to read the defenseman's comments as a veiled shot at Sutter, who came under fire multiple times last season. Huberdeau's agent tagged the Flames in a tweet in February, saying "negativity sucks the joy right out of players." After Sutter's firing, Huberdeau himself said he "never really clicked" with the coach.

Furthermore, it was reported after Sutter's dismissal that multiple Flames players rescinded trade requests they had previously made.

Weegar believes a lighter atmosphere under Huska will help get the most out of the Flames.

"I think [Huska] just wants to let guys showcase their skills and I think there are a lot of guys in the room [who] maybe felt handcuffed or maybe on a shorter leash or whatnot, and he wants to open it up a bit more and play a little looser," Weegar said.

Whether the new style leads to success remains to be seen, but Weegar thinks Calgary has the pieces to do some real damage.

"It was disappointing not to be a part of the playoffs last year. It's almost inexcusable because of the players that we have," Weegar said. "I think everybody just wants to get back and to prove to people that we're a Cup contender...not that we're just a non-playoff team...we're a Cup contender and we want to win."