{"id":526671,"date":"2026-03-08T11:40:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T11:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/526671\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T11:40:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T11:40:07","slug":"flames-coleman-remains-as-key-leader-on-roster-decimated-by-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/526671\/","title":{"rendered":"Flames’ Coleman remains as key leader on roster decimated by deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

CALGARY \u2014 Wearing the kind of tired smile that comes only after a storm has passed and you\u2019re still checking to see what\u2019s left standing, Blake Coleman<\/a> found a way to bring much-needed levity to a Calgary Flames<\/a> room decimated by the deadline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think half the city already said goodbye to me,\u201d chuckled the 34-year-old winger, who was the odds-on favourite to be sent to a contender.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the start of the season, the Flames had five alternate captains, leading a team that still believed it could compete.<\/p>\n

Coleman is the only one left.<\/p>\n

Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar<\/a> and Nazem Kadri<\/a> were shipped out in franchise\u2011altering blockbusters. Jonathan Huberdeau\u2019s season ended on an operating table.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not because he demanded it. Not because he refused to go. But because his character prompted him to tell GM Craig Conroy he\u2019d made peace with whatever the club decided was best for the organization.<\/p>\n

In the end, despite endless enticing offers, that same character is what led management to keep him around as one of the most important culture-shapers moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been tough for probably a few months now, but really the last few weeks,\u201d said Coleman in his first interview since the deadline drama ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou read a lot of things, you see a lot of things, it\u2019s a lot of discussions. It\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a man who has won Cups, who has played his best hockey when the stakes are highest. He knows what a contender looks like. He knows what spring hockey feels like. And he knows he still has that level in him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at it as there was a lot of opportunity to maybe go to a contender and play and compete in the playoffs, where I feel like I\u2019ve still got a lot of game left to give in that type of scenario. It\u2019s kind of where I thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he also loves Calgary, loves the room, loves the life he\u2019s built here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other half of me was also really wanting to stay,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Calgary, and our family loves it here. I have a lot of great friends in this room. Staff\u2019s awesome.\u00a0At the end of the day, I was very clear with Connie that, I’m happy to go to a contender if it helps this team get the pieces that they need, but I’m also extremely happy here. I left it in their hands, and it took me about an hour or two to just get the mindset right for where I am and where we’re going.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no time to mourn in NHL dressing rooms.<\/p>\n

He gave himself an hour to process the shock of staying put while so many close friends packed their bags. Then he went out and had a goal and an assist Saturday night against one of the NHL\u2019s best teams, Carolina.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a new reality, it\u2019s a leadership role, helping this team grow and get better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s how can I bring my best to the rink to make this team better and make these players better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether he expected it or not, Coleman is now the bridge between what was and what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n

Mikael Backlund remains captain, but he\u2019s never been the loudest voice. Joel Farabee wore an A at home Saturday. Zach Whitecloud will wear it on the road (assuming he\u2019s able to join the team for a five-game roadie Sunday after leaving with an upper body injury Saturday). Ryan Lomberg, beloved and relentless, will lead too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a ton of opportunity here now, and guys have to step into bigger roles and show that they belong in that role. It\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hardest part wasn\u2019t staying. It was watching others go.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost a couple good buddies \u2014 they\u2019re two good friends,\u201d he said, voice softening.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The Weegar trade) kind of hit us all hard. Such a good guy and such an important piece of our team and our room.\u201d<\/p>\n

As tough as it was for Weegar, he bounced back with an assist and a team-high 23:21 of ice time in an overtime-winning debut with Utah Saturday.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s game at the Dome wasn\u2019t the funeral some expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Strome\u2019s debut included a goal and an assist, Maatta had a nifty helper and both Farabee and Frost had three points apiece.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their 5-4 win was a testament to the culture they\u2019ve walked into, a group with a tireless work ethic that represents their biggest weapon as the team develops.<\/p>\n

With one year left in his deal, Coleman won\u2019t be here forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And for a franchise that just detonated its leadership core, that matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rebuild will take time, new leaders will emerge slowly, and the wins will be hard to come by.<\/p>\n

But Coleman will show up. He\u2019ll work. He\u2019ll lead. He\u2019ll teach. He\u2019ll compete. He\u2019ll keep the standard alive until someone else is ready to carry it.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t ask to be the last man standing.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s standing anyway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CALGARY \u2014 Wearing the kind of tired smile that comes only after a storm has passed and you\u2019re…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-526671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}