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Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano is “pretty optimistic” there will be a National Hockey League season in the new year.

Speaking with TSN this week, the longtime Flames defenceman – who is second on the franchise’s career games-played list with 893, behind only Jarome Iginla (1,219) – is hopeful he will add to that total in a few weeks.

TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli reported Tuesday that the league and the NHL Players’ Association have opted to put aside their CBA economic framework differences to focus on getting safety protocols in place for training camps and the 2020-21 season amid a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This week is going to be really important I think with negotiations as far as protocols and all those different things of getting back into the rinks,” Giordano said.

Giordano said that the Flames’ NHLPA reps, Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk, have kept the team informed on the progress of season start-up discussions between the NHL and the NHLPA.

“There’s still probably a lot of work to do but I’m pretty optimistic we’re going to get some games in. I’m happy they’re going to try to get as many as possible.”

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported Monday that the two sides are targeting a Jan. 13 start to the season with a 56-game schedule.

Currently, 11 Flames who are expected to earn roster spots for the upcoming season are in Calgary. That includes a group of seven (Giordano, Christopher Tanev, Josh Leivo,  Milan Lucic, Rasmus Andersson, Mikael Backlund, and Dillon Dube) who have been practising and training at the Saddledome for the past few weeks, plus recent arrivals Jacob Markstrom, Elias Lindholm, Joakim Nordstrom, and Dominik Simon.

“We’re working out in small groups,” Giordano said. “We’re following all the guidelines. Our medical staff and trainers deserve a lot of credit for a lot of different protocols that they have to follow.”

Among those protocols are regular temperature and coronavirus-symptom checks as well as limits on the number of players allowed on the ice and in the weight room.

When Giordano and his teammates officially reconvene, they’ll be joined by several new faces.

During the off-season, Flames general manager Brad Treliving spent more than $50 million to upgrade a roster that won its Qualifying Round series against the Winnipeg Jets, but again failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs thanks to a six-game loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars.

In the decisive game, Flames goalies David Rittich and Cam Talbot combined to allow seven goals on 24 shots. Fresh faces Markstrom and Tanev are expected to make up for the departures of Talbot and blueliner T.J. Brodie, one of Giordano’s most-frequent defence partners and a close friend of the 37-year-old captain.

“[Markstrom], in my opinion, was probably the Canucks’ most valuable player last year,” Giordano said. “He’s a huge addition to our team. We all know how important goaltending is.”

Giordano also lauded the addition of veteran blueliner Tanev, who he called “really underrated.”

“The way he can moves the puck and can skate and jump into the play, but probably the No. 1 part of his game is how well he is defensively,” he said.

Giordano said Treliving’s off-season moves should help the Flames in their search for postseason success. Since their run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, the team has won just one official playoff series, when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in six games in 2015.

“It’s no secret here that we’re looking to be a contending team,” he said. “A team that, obviously, has a lot more success in the playoffs and goes deeper.”

For Giordano and the Flames this season, the road to that long-coveted deep playoff run will potentially go through an all-Canadian division due to current border restrictions. It’s a setup he anticipates to be just as competitive as any other season.

“It’s going to be a tough division, that’s for sure,” he said.

“I think there’s a lot of great teams in Canada. It’s going to be exciting. Any time you play a Canadian team, there’s a certain buzz in the atmosphere in the building. I know probably to start, we’re not going to have fans in the building, but you still feel those rivalries. You still feel that you know everyone’s watching on TV. I think there will still be that buzz in the air for the players.”

Giordano is hopeful the logistics and health and safety protocols will soon be in place to make the new season a reality.

“It’s trending in the right direction I think and hopefully something gets announced in the near future,” Giordano said.