2011–12 Calgary Flames season

Jay Feaster, who had served as interim general manager following the departure of Darryl Sutter in December 2010, was named to the position on a permanent basis on May 16, 2011,[1] and Special Assistant Craig Conroy accepted a four-year contract extension.

[3] The deal was made hours before the Flames would have lost the rights to Erixon, as he refused to sign with Calgary despite being offered the maximum salary and bonuses available under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The magazine argued that the team had too many players who under-performed in all aspects of the game the previous season and that they could not afford similar performances and still hope to qualify.

However, given organizational changes following the departure of Darryl Sutter, the team opted against the trip, preferring to avoid the distractions of traveling to Finland to open the season.

The 4–1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on October 13 was Kiprusoff's 263rd as a Calgary Flame, moving him past Mike Vernon to become the franchise's all-time leader in wins.

[13] Continued struggles in November gave rise to speculation that the Flames might trade captain Jarome Iginla, who himself had failed to meet expectations during the first part of the season.

Feaster finally put an end to the speculation in early December, clearly stating that the team was not looking to move the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

[16] However, Calgary entered the Christmas break with three consecutive wins, each over a top team in the Western Conference: 2–1 over the Northwest Division leading Minnesota Wild, 3–2 over the Detroit Red Wings and 3–1 over the Vancouver Canucks.

[18] The game against Vancouver was also the first of a season-long, seven-game road trip, during which the Flames' home arena played host to the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

[23] Adding to the Flames woes, seven regulars ended the trip out of the lineup due to injury, including three defencemen and first-line winger Alex Tanguay.

[25] Iginla reached a major NHL milestone in the Flames' first game back in Calgary, scoring his 500th career goal in the third period of a 3–1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on January 7, 2012.

[27] A Flames victory over the New Jersey Devils on January 10, 6–3 despite being outshot 38–14, was Calgary's seventh consecutive win on home ice and moved them back above .500.

Tanguay returned to action in late January, but Curtis Glencross and Lee Stempniak were sidelined with a knee injury and high ankle sprain, respectively.

[35] The team did not remain in a playoff position for long, as the Flames returned to the Saddledome and lost all four games of a homestand in the lead up to the February 27 trading deadline.

[36] Feaster ultimately chose to make no trades at the deadline, hoping that the return of Glencross, Moss and Smith from the injured list would be enough for the team to qualify for the post-season.

Ryan Getzlaf scored the deciding goal for the Ducks in the final minute of a 3–2 victory that extended Calgary's regular-season losing streak in Anaheim to 15 games.

[44] These games were part of a four-game winning streak that brought the Flames into a four team tie for eighth place with 78 points, one back of Phoenix in seventh.

[45] The winning streak reached five games, before losses to non-contenting teams in the Oilers, Blue Jackets, Wild – the latter two in a shootout – and to the Avalanche, whom the Flames were battling for a playoff spot, left the players disappointed in their performance.

Head coach Brent Sutter's three-year contract expires on June 30, 2012, and while he expressed a desire to return for the 2012–13 season, it was unknown if the team would sign him to a new deal.

Feaster denied the allegation, stating that he had "full and complete responsibility for the hockey operations of the club including personnel" and added that his reporting relationship in Calgary was no different from when he was the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the early 2000s.

[56] MacInnis was an eight-time all-star with the Flames and was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as most valuable player of the playoffs with the 1989 Stanley Cup championship team.

[57] The Flames parted with two veteran leaders over the summer, first shipping alternate captain Robyn Regehr to the Buffalo Sabres along with Ales Kotalik for two young players, Chris Butler and Paul Byron, at the end of June.

[75] Two months later, Daymond Langkow, who had missed all but four games the previous season due to a neck injury, was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Lee Stempniak.

general manager Jay Feaster had been working with his Montreal Canadiens counterpart Pierre Gauthier on a deal that would revolve around the Flames re-acquiring Michael Cammalleri in exchange for Rene Bourque.