'It'd be special': Flames' Coleman motivated to hit 30 goals for first time

It’s that time of year for the Calgary Flames.

As mathematical playoff elimination looms, the Flames are playing out the string. And in situations like this, teams need to find different things to stay motivated. Some are playing for jobs while others are focused on setting a high standard going into the summer.

And some are chasing down special individual accomplishments.

That’s the case for Calgary’s Blake Coleman.

At 32, he sits one goal away from his first-ever 30-goal season. And, knowing how much he means for the Flames on and off the ice, you get the feeling he’s got an entire team focused on getting him to that milestone.

“Sometimes you’ll see Jonathan (Huberdeau) in these games down the stretch try to set him up a little bit too much when I’d rather see him shoot,” head coach Ryan Huska chuckled earlier this week.

“But I think you’ll see a little bit of that because the guys appreciate what Blake does day in, day out. (He) plays through injuries, he makes sure that he’s committed to being one of the hardest-working guys every day. He just does things right.

“For me as a first-year head coach, having someone like that around to lean on and work with has been a really good thing.”

Now in his third season with Calgary, Coleman has cemented his status as a heart and soul member of this team.

He’s as consistent as they come on the ice, even while enjoying a career season with 29 goals and 23 assists in 74 games. Along with his frequent linemate Mikael Backlund, Coleman takes on the team’s toughest head-to-head matchups while being hammered with defensive responsibility. And, as per usual, he’s among the team leaders in five-on-five possession rate, on-ice expected goals, scoring chance ratio, and more.

And what rubs off just as much is Coleman’s approach off the ice. His work ethic and preparation are unquestioned. Despite being a veteran of more than 500 NHL games, Coleman goes about his business with nothing taken for granted. After all, it took him more than five years to make his NHL debut after being a 2011 third-round pick of the Devils.

That’s why Coleman admits hitting 30 goals would be more than just another number.

“It’d be special,” Coleman admitted on Saturday’s Flames Talk postgame show after scoring his 29^th of the season in a 4-2 win over Los Angeles. “You try to just focus on playing a good game, but obviously being that close it’d be nice to get there.

“You know, I had to scratch and claw to get into this league and scratch and claw just to stay here and make a name. Anytime you can find some success that nobody really saw out of you it’s a good feeling. Whether we get there or not obviously it doesn’t make too much of a world of difference but for myself it’d be a pretty special milestone.”

Coleman’s goal splits are fascinating. He leads the Flames with 22 even-strength goals, which is always a telling number. He also leads Calgary with six game-winners, including Saturday’s, and four shorthanded markers.

Oh, and then there are those seven empty net goals, which is two off the NHL record of nine set by Alex Ovechkin (2021-22) and Pavel Bure (1999-00). In Coleman’s case, those empty netters are a direct result of earned ice time. Knowing he excels as a winger in his own zone, Coleman is an automatic decision to be out there protecting leads in the dying moments.

These are just some of the reasons Coleman stands to be one of Calgary’s most important players as they embark on a retooling mission. While getting younger and building for a few years down the road, the Flames are adamant about creating a winning and accountable culture.

With two Stanley Cups on his resume, Coleman is at the forefront of making that happen, even as Calgary plays out the string.

“It’s a new challenge,” Coleman said earlier this week. “I haven’t been in this position in a while. It can challenge you when you’re in this spot to be a better person, leader, teammate.

“You still have to show up and leave it out there and (it’s) on me and the rest of the guys who have been around for a little bit. It’s more just about showing the culture that we expect from ourselves. At the end of the day, you don’t want to have a losing attitude.”

Coleman has been here before, but not in this role. Instead, he was on a couple of struggling Devils teams in his first few NHL seasons. That’s when he learned some important lessons about what it takes to be a pro, regardless of the situation.

“I always was lucky to have Travis Zajac as a teammate in New Jersey. He was in a similar spot in the sense that he had been to a Cup Final, he had had success. He was about my age (now) when I was coming in the league. He was just the ultimate pro. He showed up, he worked hard, I never heard him complain once.

“There were a lot of things I admired about him and I probably didn’t tell him enough how much I did (admire him). But it left a pretty lasting impression on me and that’s what you can hope to do for younger guys.”

It’s hard to think Coleman hasn’t already left his own lasting impression on a Flames team in transition.

That doesn’t mean 30 goals wouldn’t mean a lot, though. To both him and his teammates.

“We’d like to see him get there,” said Huska. “It’s not who he is, and he would probably never tell you that it matters to him, but it would be a nice feather in his hat if he were able to get that milestone this year.”