Additions: LW Jiri Hudler, C Roman Cervenka, D Dennis Wideman
Subtractions: C Olli Jokinen, RW David Moss, RW Tom Kostopoulos
UFAs: D Scott Hannan
Promotion candidates: LW Sven Baertschi, RW Akim Aliu, RW Greg Nemisz
Though
the Flames are getting a fresh start and change of pace under
Hartley, there is a need for more gamebreaking talent up front. Last
season Calgary finished 24th in goals per game (2.43), 26th in shots
per game (26.5), 30th in faceoff win percentage (46.2), and most
glaringly, recorded the second-worst record in overtime and shootout
games (5-16). A look to their youth for help scoring likely will be
in order if Hartley cannot get his veterans finding the back of the
net in a more often and timely fashion. The team will wait a few
seasons for promising forward Mark
Jankowski to develop at Providence College after trading down
from the 14th selection to No. 21 and selecting him at the 2012 NHL
Draft. Near-immediate help from 2011 first-round pick Sven
Baertschi could make a difference, but Feaster turned to free
agency to nab a pair of Czech-born forwards – and as it turns out,
friends, former Detroit
Red Wings player Jiri
Hudler and Kontinental Hockey League star Roman
Cervenka. Hudler received a four-year, $16 million deal and will
be relied on heavily for secondary scoring. He finished fourth among
NHL shooters who played 64 games or more last season with a 19.7
shooting percentage, which led to 25 goals. Cervenka is a low-risk
signing for Calgary, but the expectation is he can step into a
top-six forward role and produce. The 26-year-old had 39 points in 54
games for Avangard Omsk last season, and really turned it on with a
league-best 21 points in Omsk’s run to the Gagarin Cup Final. His
presence gives the Flames a new look, but how much his talent shows
in the North American game will help determine how different their
attack will be from previous seasons. The biggest on-ice addition for
Calgary is defenseman Dennis
Wideman, whose booming shot and offensive abilities were highly
desired among unrestricted free agents. The Flames pounced before the
July 1 free agency period began, trading a 2013 fifth-round pick and
defenseman Jordan
Henry to the Washington
Capitals for Wideman’s rights, then keeping him off the open
market with a convincing pitch from Iginla, plus a lucrative
five-year contract. Adding Wideman to a top-four of Mark
Giordano, Jay
Bouwmeester and Chris
Butler on the blue line deepens an area the Flames hope will
generate more offense with the change in style, especially if
high-priced Bouwmeester stays and excels under Hartley. Then there is
always consistent goalie Miikka
Kiprusoff, still likely a lock to play 70-plus games at 35 years
old, but who may benefit from more spot starts from a backup battle
between newly signed Irving and Henrik
Karlsson. Kiprusoff must improve in the shootout – or the
Flames must win more in regulation – to keep Calgary from enduring
the exasperation of missing the playoffs by a few points again. If
health is not an issue, and the free-agent trio of Cervenka, Hudler
and Wideman fill up the scoresheet with regularity to help spread
their offense, the Flames should enjoy some improvement under
Hartley. It still will be a challenge to make the playoffs in the
West.
Though
Calgary Flames
general manager Jay Feaster has been at the helm for a short
period of time, he is not eager to break up the team and start a
rebuild, which has been a common refrain by some fans and
observers for a few years now. With Scotiabank Saddledome always
packed, and a not-quite-good-enough 118-90-38 mark over the past
three playoff-free seasons, 2012-13 will be pivotal for the Flames
organization. All of the team's key figures will feel the pressure
to end the Stanley Cup Playoff drought and put off any thoughts of
a roster makeover. There are aging players and large contracts to
juggle, and the Flames also need to see if any prospects can
contribute now and in the future. They also will find out if they
simply had been lacking the right man behind the bench. New coach
Bob Hartley's pressuring style, and a clean slate for the
returning players, are cause for optimism, and the additions of
Dennis
Wideman, Jiri
Hudler and Roman
Cervenka might help the Flames improve on an offense that
finished 24th and 29th in goals per game in two of the past three
seasons.
The
former Avalanche bench boss, Bob Hartley, has not coached in the
NHL since the first six games of the 2007-08 season with the
Atlanta Thrashers (he's the only coach to get that franchise to
the playoffs). Hartley inherits a team that played a grinding
style of hockey under Brent
Sutter, and one not rife with the immediate talent to fuel the
up-tempo style he wants. But Hartley's knack for communicating and
his success at multiple levels is what Feaster is banking on. The
two won a Calder Cup in 1997 when they teamed as coach and GM for
the Hershey Bears when the American Hockey League team was
Colorado's main affiliate. Hartley then won a Stanley Cup with the
Avalanche in 2001, which was Flames winger Alex
Tanguay's finest season of four he played for Hartley. The two
have remained in contact ever since. "He's demanding for all
the right reasons," Tanguay told the Flames' website. "He
wants everybody to play the way that he thinks they are capable of
playing and playing attention to detail. He's a very, very good
coach behind the bench. He knows the matchup he wants; he knows
how much guys have played." Hartley's Avalanche teams had a
similar mix of veteran core stars (Joe
Sakic and Patrick
Roy) and emerging young forwards (Tanguay and Milan
Hejduk) that the coach blended into a contending squad.
Calgary is hoping for similar results with a team built around
veterans Jarome
Iginla and Miikka
Kiprusoff. An infusion of some youth to the forward lines, and
the addition of Wideman to the defense, can work in the Flames'
favor. Two players they want to see Hartley get more out of are
young forward Mikael
Backlund and defenseman Jay
Bouwmeester (five goals, 24 assists, minus-21 in 82 games last
season). The fiery Hartley likely will not be happy just to make
the playoffs, nor bow out in the first round. With the Minnesota
Wild and Edmonton
Oilers set to improve dramatically, and a perennial
Presidents' Trophy contender, the Vancouver
Canucks, in the mix, Hartley will have to get the Flames out
of the gate quickly in order to stay near the top of the Northwest
Division and in the playoff hunt. Any success the Flames have,
though, likely will start and end with captain Iginla, who said he
is looking forward to working with his new coach. "His
reputation and accomplishments are very impressive,"
Calgary's all-time leading scorer said on the team's website. "He
has had success at every level. I've also heard good things about
him from other players. I have heard he is a very detailed and
passionate coach, and from our initial conversation, I'm looking
forward to learning from him and getting better as a team."
With
respect to recent top-line pivots Craig
Conroy and Daymond
Langkow, this role continues to be one that hasn't been filled
by a premium player for years in Calgary. Feaster acknowledged
Mike
Cammalleri, who normally plays left wing, played center last
season because the team had to put him there. It may have to
happen again. Olli
Jokinen is gone, but the Flames have another option to try
between Tanguay and Iginla: Roman
Cervenka, imported from the Kontinental Hockey League. Also on
hand via free agency is 25-goal scorer Jiri
Hudler, who effectively replaces Jokinen and has played center
before. It is more likely Hudler skates on the wing of compatriot
Cervenka on the second line to help the latter adjust to the North
American game. It is clear, though, that Cervenka is expected to
produce. "What is important to me is that they want me to
play a lot and they are going to give me a chance in their top two
lines," Cervenka told NHL.com's Michael Langr. "That is
what I need in order to use my creativity and break through in the
NHL." Matt
Stajan played top-line minutes for the Toronto
Maple Leafs, but has just 65 points in 164 games with the
Flames. A fresh start under Hartley may jumpstart Stajan into
producing more, especially with young playmakers including Max
Reinhart not far from vying for spots with the big club. Then
there is 2007 first-round pick Backlund, who took a pay cut
signing a one-year contract following an injury-plagued 2011-12
that saw him score 11 points in 41 games. His struggles were
evident enough that Calgary considered transferring him to
Abbotsford, though injuries necessitated him staying in the NHL.
Feaster has high hopes that under Hartley, Backlund can step up as
the team envisioned when the Sweden native was placed between
Tanguay and Iginla to start training camp last season. "Mikael
needs to work on his consistency and his focus in order to break
through in a top-six role and start to define his role on our
team," Feaster said on the team's website. "[Backlund]
is a guy who has a lot of work to do." Should any of
Cervenka, Stajan or Backlund not seize the top-line center role in
training camp, it would be no surprise if Cammalleri reprises his
role as the top pivot from last season. "We
think with the up-tempo style that [coach] Bob [Hartley] wants to
play that [Dennis
Wideman] can be up the ice, he can be involved in the offense
and still do a good job in the neutral zone," Feaster said.
"I think the fans will see us playing a different style of
hockey, and I think Dennis will fit into that nicely."
Perhaps the same terms can be applied to Jay Bouwmeester, whose
smooth skating and offensive abilities may stand out more in
Hartley's go-go game than Sutter's gritty one. Bouwmeester carries
a hefty contract and has not cracked 30 points in three seasons
with the Flames. Still, the minutes-munching defenseman might
attract trade offers from teams with salary-cap space and in dire
need of his skill set, as some pundits have reported. Some
pressure might be off the 28-year-old with the arrival of Wideman,
but it will be interesting to see how Hartley approaches the
team's No. 1 defenseman. If he returns to anywhere near the
15-goal plateau he reached twice in his days with the Florida
Panthers, while reversing his minus-21 from 2011-12, it would
be a huge bonus for the Flames.
Sooner
or later, there will be an influx of recently drafted talent
performing regularly at Scotiabank Saddledome. There are a number
of prospects still in college who need seasoning, but Sven
Baertschi has a great chance to make the team, with precious
few spots after that. The Flames lost 382 man-games to injury last
season, and the Abbotsford express ran nearly daily for frequent
call-ups Paul
Byron, Brett
Carson and Roman
Horak. This season, though, the Flames at some points will
want to see what they have on their farm ready to contribute,
especially if the team does not perform for Hartley. Akim
Aliu is a reclamation project who impressed in two NHL games
and could inject skill, toughness and a scoring touch. Recent
picks Max Reinhart and Greg
Nemisz will be knocking on the door.
Quick,
name the only two players to score an overtime winner for the
Flames last season? It may be less shocking to hear role players
Blair Jones
and Matt
Stajan performed the feat than the fact Calgary had two wins
in the extra five minutes all season long. With the two-time
Presidents' Trophy-winning Canucks in the division to chase, the
Flames simply cannot afford to miss out so consistently on gaining
an extra point for an overtime or shootout win. Tack on three
shootout victories, and that is a total of five wins past
regulation against 16 combined OT/SO losses. Improvement from
Kiprusoff in the shootout would be welcome for sure, given his
.625 save percentage (15 goals allowed on 40 shots against) was
35th in the League, which is unexpected from a goaltender with
seven straight seasons of at least 35 victories. Kiprusoff is the
active all-time leader with 35 shootout losses. If anyone can help
the Flames turn more one-point losses into two-point victories, it
needs to be the 35-year-old workhorse.
Jerome
Iginla, who has 11 straight seasons of at least 30 goals, is an
unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season, and Miikka
Kirprusoff will be unrestricted after 2013-14. Should Calgary fade
from the playoff picture come February, it would be awfully
tempting for Feaster to try to deal either player for inexpensive
young talent who can deepen the lineup and relieve salary. Iginla
has a no-trade clause, while Kiprusoff's ran out after this past
season. Both players are popular and hold multiple franchise
records, but save for their 2004 Stanley Cup Final berth, the
Flames have missed the playoffs 10 times and lost four first-round
series since Iginla's rookie season in 1996-97. Feaster has
publicly pledged he will not break up the team, and showed in his
tenure as GM of the Tampa
Bay Lightning he won't trade a star player (Vincent
Lecavalier) because pundits say he should. But Feaster has
declined to discuss re-signing Iginla, preferring to keep that
discussion in-house. It's hard to imagine the Flames' all-time
leading scorer in another sweater, unless the team and contract
negotiations falter. Kirprusoff is a somewhat different story.
With a tepid market for goaltenders, and one year remaining on his
deal, a reliable, often flashy former Vezina Trophy winner can
still fetch pieces who could strengthen the Flames' growing young
talent stock should Feaster consider a new direction.
For
the third consecutive season, the Calgary
Flames just missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They also
haven't won a playoff series since reaching the Cup Final in 2004.
General manager Jay Feaster has stated the franchise remains
committed to competing in the present, and isn't interested in a
full-scale rebuild like the one up the Queen Elizabeth II Highway
in Edmonton. While Feaster was hamstrung a bit when he first took
over as GM, he had more flexibility this offseason and wasn't shy
about spending to try to get the Flames back in the postseason
party. Toss in a January trade for Michael Cammalleri, and it is
possible that four-sixths of the team's top two forward lines on
opening night weren't with the Flames in December. There is a lot
of depth, and new coach Bob Hartley, as the Flames try to get back
into the playoffs.
Forwards
Alex
Tanguay - Michael
Cammalleri - Jarome
Iginla
Sven
Baertschi - Roman
Cervenka - Jiri
Hudler
Curtis
Glencross - Mikael
Backlund - Lee
Stempniak
Blake
Comeau - Matt
Stajan - Tim
Jackman
Blair
Jones
Defensemen
Jay
Bouwmeester - Chris
Butler
Mark
Giordano - Dennis
Wideman
T.J.
Brodie - Cory
Sarich
Anton
Babchuk
Goaltenders
Miikka
Kiprusoff
Henrik
Karlsson
NOTES:
Baertschi set Red Mile hearts aflutter in a five-game emergency
call-up, and he'll have a chance to earn a permanent spot in
training camp. Calgary is pretty deep up front, with Comeau,
Backlund and Jones trying to hold off challenges for roster spots
from Akim
Aliu, Lance
Bouma and Roman
Horak, who played 61 games for the Flames last season.
Glencross has scored 50 goals in the past two seasons, and he
could easily move into the top six if Baertschi isn't ready.
Calgary has eight defensemen on one-way contracts plus Brodie, so
he could end up in the minors. Derek
Smith and Brett
Carson are not listed, Smith is just starting a two-year,
one-way deal. There is a lot of depth, and just like with the
forwards there should be plenty of competition during camp.
For
an organization that once thrived with homegrown Stanley Cup-winning
stars Joe
Nieuwendyk, Theo
Fleury, Gary
Roberts, Al
MacInnis, Gary
Suter and Mike Vernon, the Calgary
Flames have not had much fortune recently in developing and
keeping high-impact players. Assistant general manager John
Weisbrod has furthered the team's drafting philosophy from what
Darryl
Sutter's regime began a few years earlier: identifying and
snaring players with high hockey Iqs. "Sometimes you draft a guy
that's a great skater or [has] great hands and all this, but then
when he gets up to the next level, where everybody's a better skater
and everybody has better hands, if they don't have the brain to
figure it out and still maximize what they bring to the table, then
they struggle," Weisbrod told NHL.com. The Flames have started
to accumulate some interesting pieces who seem to possess a healthy
dash of brain power that is able to mesh with the instinct needed on
the ice. The hope is a pipeline of productive players who give the
franchise a much-needed jolt. "I always use examples with our
staff like Logan
Couture in San Jose or Jeff
Skinner in Carolina, or even Patrice
Bergeron from my time with Boston," Weisbrod said. "These
were guys that were downgraded [before they were drafted] whether it
was their skating, their hands or some physical element, and they
ended up rising above where they were projected just based on their
hockey IQ and feel for the game. I would certainly say that is one of
the more distinct changes we've made, to really prioritize people
that have hockey sense the way we define it, and have the ability to
think and feel the game so that if their skills are in order, they'll
have the rest of the pieces they need to compete at the highest
level."
No comments:
Post a Comment