A look at 3 available goaltenders for the Calgary Flames

Marc-Andre Fleury

The NHL definition of a desperation style goaltender. Marc-Andre Fleury will sometimes have happy feet and lose his net but he more than makes up for it with a lightning fast glove hand and ability to battle. He’s a guy that has played a lot of important minutes from the World Junior Championships to 2 Stanley Cup rings, albeit with varied success.

Fleury is a real leader on the back end. He’s been through the best of the best and the worst of the worst, nothing seems to rattle him anymore. He’s 32 now, which is still fairly young for a goaltender and signed for 2 more seasons at a reasonable cap hit for a starting goaltender. (5.75 mill)

He lost the crease to young Matt Murray last season, though not through any fault of his own. More due to the fact that Matt Murray seems to be some sort of Goaltending Jesus. However, Murray has missed all of these latest playoffs with an injury and Fleury stepped into a situation where he had to start on no notice and has since guided the Penguins to within 1 win of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Perhaps the goaltender who best signifies Calgary’s desire to start being a cup contender.

Jonathan Bernier

The youngest player on the list and possibly the most tantalizing. He has yet to establish himself as a legitimate starting goaltender, spending the season in Anaheim trying to get his career back on track as their backup. He’s played in 39 games this season going 21-7-4 with a 2.50 GAA and a .915 sv%. He actually took over the Ducks crease towards the end of February for about a month and played very well.

Bernier, when on, is a very sound positional goaltender who takes away the bottom half of the net very well and like another French-Canadian goaltender on this list has a quick glove hand in his arsenal, but he has struggled with inconsistency over his career.

The question becomes “Is he a goaltender who’s just entering his prime, who was rushed and has struggled with consistency, but is turning his game around and starting to live up to his potential?”

Or

“Is he another overhyped junior who’s best suited to be a backup?” Albeit a very good one.

Only time will tell but I will say I really like Bernier’s game and would be happy if the Flames brought him in to be “the guy”. He could be a very good starter for a long time. He also has a history with Flames President of Hockey Ops Brian Burke so there’s a connection there and as a pending UFA could be had for as little as contract offer come July 1^st.

Mike Smith

For me Mike Smith is the most interesting name on the list.

Smith tends to act like a 3^rd defenseman on the ice. When he’s on he can really stonewall another team and he has the ability to help move the puck up the ice which is an ability I think has some untapped offensive potential that has failed to show itself in Arizona due to their ability to be a hard working group of not a whole hell of a lot.

I’m not saying that Smith is good for 40 assists or anything, he just adds another strong outlet pass. The Flames are a team that has shown the ability to use the stretch pass to their advantage (i.e. the entirety of the 2014-2015 season) but they are also a team that shied away from it a lot of last season in search of adding more structure to their system.

In my opinion the stretch pass play is a very important play, the problem with the Flames old system is it relied too heavily on it. If you rely on the stretch pass for a majority of your offense other teams will eventually adapt and start abusing you. This is what happened to the Flames last season and this is the reason Bob Hartley was fired.

This season the Flames started to play a much stronger 5 man puck support system that the players started to have some success with after a rough start. However, if got to a point where most teams would stand 5 guys up in the neutral zone and create havoc while the Flames fumbled and turned the puck over.

The difference between these 2 systems is in a system that relies heavily on a stretch pass, a turnover creates an odd man rush going the other way more often.

If your team has the speed to get in behind the other teams defense and has the ability to stretch the neutral zone and your team is smart with how they use it then  teams will have to respect the stretch pass and defend against it resulting in more time and space in the neutral zone for your team to work the puck up the ice.

Mike Smith is one of a handful of guys in the NHL, and the only goalie on this list that has that type of ability. At his best he’s an absolute game changer on the back end. Not only does he have that shutdown ability, he adds another dynamic to the Flames outlet game, something they actually really could use to help them grow their system.

At his worst he’s probably a lot like Brian Elliot in the sense that when he’s on, he’s amazing and when he’s off he’s terrible. He always seems to play well against the Flames and has had some really great seasons behind some very stingy Arizona Coyotes teams. On the other hand 2 seasons ago he lost 42 of 62 games he played in. He’s also 35 and while that may not be too old for a goalie, he still has 2 seasons left on his contract (5.67 mill) and lately it seems like once a goalies game starts to fall, it falls hard.

Honestly I’d be happy if the Flames brought any of these 3 goalies in. They’re all very capable goaltenders who bring their own unique style. Since Mikka Kiprusoff retired in 2013 Flames fans have seen about 1 good month of goaltending. Mostly from Brian Elliott right before the Flames got into the playoffs and he imploded.

It honestly couldn’t get any worse than it has been, it can only stay super shitty. So from that aspect I’ll be excited for whoever the Flames decide to bring in but if I had to choose one then I’d probably go with Bernier just because of his age and the long term potential factor. But all 3 have really high potential and none of them are sure fire bets to solve the Flames goaltending problems.

Hopefully whoever the Flames do bring in, be it a sexy name or someone we’ve never heard of before, will come in and consistently make the saves they need to make.

That’d be a nice change of pace. 

5 Reasons June Could Be a Very Busy for the Flames

1. The NHL Draft

This one is first because, quite frankly, it's the only thing on this list that is 100% guaranteed to happen. The Flames scouts and management got together recently to hammer out their final draft ranking, and the Flames are going to need it with 4 picks in the first 2 rounds and 9 picks total. The Flames head into the draft with the 6th overall pick, and while it's unlikely they will find someone who can step in and fill a need right away(unless they can find a way to maneuver themselves into a higher pick) finding the Best Player Available is going to be crucial for the long term success of this team. If they can find the right guy, they'll have themselves a very good NHL player on their hands, and another young player for Flames fans to salivate over.

Probability: 100%. Baring something catastrophic, the NHL draft is happening June 24th-25th.

2. The Time is Right to Find a Goalie

Speaking of the NHL draft, and all the picks the Flames hold in the first 2 rounds, I'd say the draft floor is the perfect storm for the Flames to walk away with their new number 1 goalie. Regardless of whether NHL expansion is green lighted or not(we will find out on June 22nd), there seems to be a plethora of teams that will be looking to shed their extra goaltender. (Namely Anaheim and Pittsburgh). While I have reservations about the Flames 6th pick being in play, I could see them package up one or two of their second round picks for "their guy".

Probability: 85%. There's an off chance that Flames delv into the free agent pool for their goaltender, but the free agent class isnt a strong one and I personally think the Flames will take advantage of the goalie market and make a trade.

3. The Coaching Search Should Be Coming to an End

This is not something that I have any inside information on, it's just me trying to connect dots.

With the Draft just a couple weeks away, I'm sure the Flames would like to bring in their new head coach, even if it's just to shakes hands and forge relationships with any new draftees. However, this is not imperative. 

For me, the reason I think the Flames will hire their guy before the draft, or maybe just after, is because a week after the draft the new head coach will be running a prospects camp. The organization would be doing themselves, and their new coach, a disservice by not rounding out the coaching staff and giving them enough preparation time heading into it.

Probability: 75%. Flames brass constantly talk about how they'll wait till training camp if it means finding the right guy. I have no doubts they'd do it too, but I really don't think they have too. The sooner the better, so I have to believe the Flames will have a new coach before the end of the month.

4. Locking up the Future

It's no secret that the biggest item on Treliving's agenda this off season is signing his 2 young stars, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, to long term deals. While, like hiring a coach now, signing these guys right now isn't imperative, it's definitely something that you'd think Treliving would like done sooner rather than later.

I'm sure there's a group of free agents (although I doubt anyone with a big price tag) Treliving would like to try and sign on July 1st, and doing so will be much easier if he knows exactly how many dollars he has to work with. In that sense, signing Johnny and Mony now makes a lot of sense.

Probability: 50%. It tough to tell where they're at with negotiations. Treliving has shown a tendency in the past to get his big work out of the way quickly (ie the Gio extension) but I'm not sold that these deals will be done before July 1st hits.

5. More Activity?

Listening to some of the talking heads and insiders of the NHL, one might be under the impression that there are some teams looking to make more changes than usual.

I have no doubts that the Flames are one of them.

And there's no better time to try and make things happen then when all 30 teams are represented under one roof.

The Flames are a rebuilding team that are trying to transition into a playoff and,eventually, a Stanley Cup contender, but there are holes on the roster and cap issues creeping up.

The good news is that the cap issues are short term (lots of money coming off at the end of next season), and holes may very well be filled internally(a number of young players will hopefully push for spots sooner rather than later), so the Flames don't need to desperately go out and do something.

Still, I'm sure the Flames would like to rid themselves of a couple older, overpaid defenders in Wideman and/or Smid, and free up that cap space for another spot on the roster.

Joe Colborne is an interesting case as well. The big bodied winger/center had himself a career year, yet there doesn't seem to be a big appetite by management to hand him a big deal. (Burke's commented on how they are not going to pay Colborne 3.6 mill, which they feel he will get in arbitration). The Flames would probably like to keep him, as they like wingers with size who can go to the net and put up points.

Still, Colborne's somewhat soft for his size and the Flames want to get more physical. That, combined with the contract situation and his inability to be consistent offensively, means you could see Colborne on the move, but only if the Flames can't get him to sign a bridge deal and feel they are heading to arbitration.

Probability: 10%. Any big money deal could take some time to come to fruition, and Colborne himself isn't guaranteed to move.

A Look At Canada's 4 World Cup Defenders

I’m always interested to see what people’s reactions are when Team Canada releases a roster, be it for a Summer Camp or for the Olympics.

Here in Canada we are absolutely spoiled with an embarrassment of high priced talent at every single position. No matter who ends up on the final roster it will be a roster full of stars. It will also be a very controversial roster as there isn't enough space for everyone, and people will be left wondering why their favorite hockey players may have been overlooked, or snubbed, from the final roster.

However, I always feel like there’s a bigger story than the players that get overlooked. Looking at the players that did end up making the team, their abilities and the way they play the game, can give you some insight to the type of team that management is trying to build.

It may also bring some answers as to why your hometown hero didn’t make the final roster.

Teams are rarely just a collection of the most talented players. I remember a time in the late 90’s when the New York Rangers continually bought some of the most talented player’s money could buy, only to miss the playoffs 9 years in a row. It’s risky and can be a recipe for disaster.

I find a team will usually try to find the right players to fill a certain roles on the roster. It’s not always the most talented players, or the sexiest names, or even the right decisions, but that’s why they play the games.

Take Jeff Carter for example. For me, he’s the guy who sticks out like a sore thumb as far as Canada's group of forwards go.

Now don’t get me wrong. Jeff Carter is an extremely talented player. He’s a first line center on probably 2/3rds of the teams in the NHL and has represented Canada very well in the past. But if Team Canada was assembling the 9 most talented forwards with a Canadian passport, then I can think of a few players who, in my opinion, are more skilled than Jeff Carter that were left off of the roster.

So what does Jeff Carter’s addition to the roster mean?

Jeff Carter is a strong candidate to be shifted to the wing, with his size and ability to protect the puck. He plays a strong two-way game and can play a shut role that would complement someone like Jonathon Toews very well. He also gives the team flexibility in case injuries arise or the team ends up feeling more comfortable moving a player like Tyler Seguin on the wing.  (Right now, for me the 4 centers are Crosby, Seguin, Toews, Getzlaf)

So while Jeff Carter isn’t the most talented player available with the sexiest stat-line, he gives Team Canada flexibility with their last 5 forward spots, while filling an important role on the team.

Is he the right player for the role? I’m not sure, but we are definitely going to find out. 

I, personally, would have picked Claude Giroux as I feel he brings a lot of the same qualities in his game that Carter brings, however, he brings it in a smaller package. What Giroux gives up in size he more than makes up for in skill. But I can see why Doug Armstrong and co. went the direction they did. After all, Jeff Cater is a damned good hockey player.

Let's turn our attention to Canada's group of defenders. I’m going to start with the top 2 because they’re the easiest to analyze.

Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty are, by far, Canada’s 2 best defensemen. Their potential to show up in big games is immense and their ability to shut down the oppositions best players while still being among the top point producers for defensemen is flat out fucking impressive. Honestly if you don’t think these 2 are Canada’s best defenders right now then me and the 5 Stanley Cup rings that these 2 players have combined for over the last 6 years are just going to have to disagree with you.

See, that was pretty easy.

Which brings us to the next 2 on the list. 

A surprise to some, Marc Eduard Vlasic was named as one of Canada’s top 4 defenders.

He is one of the most, if not THE most, underrated defensemen in the league. If I had to use 1 word to describe him it would be ‘steady’. This is an elite defender who regularly shuts down some of the best, and biggest, players in the league. He gets the job done in a calm and efficient manner. He's not a sexy pick and he's not without his weaknesses but he plays a versatile, mistake free game and is a player who can compliment any number of defensemen. He's also a left handed shot and gives Canada flexibility on the back end.

I would also like to remind everyone that Vlasic was in Canada's top 4 at the last Olympics. A team that is arguably the best defensive team that Canada has ever iced.

Next you have Shea Weber. His addition to this list is a surprise to no one. The man is a big, nasty defender with a monster shot from the point. One of the best defenders in the game today, he has easily earned his spot on this team with years of consistent, elite level play.

Now that we've looked a little at what each defenseman brings, I want to take a look at one of the more controversial names that was left off of the list.

P.K. Subban.

The biggest complaint I hear from P.K supporters is that he's more talented than Marc Eduard Vlasic, so how could Canada bring Vlasic over Subban?

I don’t think that’s a fair question and I honestly think you’re barking up the wrong tree if that’s the question you’re asking.

Canada’s management team has shown that they want to have a balanced roster. 2 of the defenders named are righties (Weber and Doughty) and 2 are lefties(Keith and Vlasic). Between Weber and Vlasic, one is a big, powerful defender with a cannon of a shot and the other is a smart, versatile two-way defender who plays a clam defense first game.

And so I ask you, which one of those descriptions sounds more like P.K. Subban?

It’s not enough to just say that P.K. Subban is a more talented player than Vlasic because Vlasic isn’t fulfilling the role on Team Canada that Subban would fill. Shea Weber fills that role. Vlasic is the perfect partner to pair with a Weber or a Subban that allows them to fully embrace their game and take some chances.

P.K. Subban wear’s his heart on his sleeve, plays with a ton of emotion and passion and leaves it all on the ice. I have a lot of respect for players who do that. But one also has to admit that he plays a high risk game, and with that kind of style comes the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

I really like P.K. Subban but if I had to choose between him and Shea Weber for a 2 week tournament I would take Weber over him 10 times out of 10 at the moment.

That's not a knock against Subban. It's just extremely high praise for Weber. 

Canada is extremely deep on defenders, especially with right handed defenseman. Which is funny because there are a lot of NHL teams who would give their left testicle for a right handed top 4 defender. But Weber is the steadier of the 2 defenders defensively while bringing a lot of the same traits that P.K. brings offensively. Weber may not be as dynamic as P.K., but he can be just as effective.

I understand feeling like your home town hockey hero may have been overlooked when they don't make the final roster. Hell, I'm a big Flames fan, so you bet your ass I want to see Brodie and Giordano representing Team Canada. I'm already really excited to see Gaudreau, Monahan and Frolik play for their respective teams. But there are a lot of very good hockey players in this country and it's completely understandable if 1, or both, don't end up on the final roster.

The fact that Brodie and Giordano are even being mentioned in the same breathe as these elite defenders is very exciting and it brings me a lot of hope for the future of the Calgary Flames.

No matter who Canada decides gets to represent our country, this is going to be a very fun tournament to watch, and I can't wait to take it all in.

The TDP

With the NHL Trade Deadline just 1 week away, and some small trades starting to take place and set the market, I figured now would be a good time to have some fun and write up some Flames predictions.

I have no inside information within the organization, as you will soon see from some of these proposals. I’m just a guy who follows the Flames and likes to watch hockey, but I think there could be an opportunity this year for the Flames to do more than just ship out expiring contracts for picks.

It’s getting to the point where the Flames need more immediate help if they want to take advantage of their young core. Adding a pick that won’t be able to help until 4-5 years from now, if ever, isn’t the worst thing in the world but it definitely shouldn’t be the Flames top priority. If they can find a couple pieces now that they see as longer-term solutions, now’s the time to grab them. Get new players introduced to the system and their new teammates early, and try to get a head start on next season.

This could be a very important Trade Deadline for the Flames in the long run.

1. Kris Russell is traded to Pittsburgh

Up until now I truly believed that the Flames would actually re-sign Kris Russell. Not that I think re-signing him was better than trading him or anything, it was always just my gut feeling on the matter.

With how hard it is to find defensemen who can play well at this level, with Russell being an Alberta boy, and the Flames wanting to solidify their defense-core long term, I figured that there very well could have been a deal to be made here. Heck, there still could be. Who knows what happens between now and July 1^st, but I’m starting to believe that Russell will be traded.

So what’s changed?

Well the Wideman suspension is one thing that’s changed. Even without his 20 game suspension a Dennis Wideman trade was going to be hard to hammer out. Now that he is suspended it’s almost a certainty he will, at the very least, finish the season as a Flame.

Ladislav Smid has also taken another trip to the IR and, depending on the severity, that could be the end of any trade value he had created with his solid play throughout the season.

The Flames have too much money tied up defensively, and signing Russell commits even more money to the blueline for next season. With them having a limited ability to trade other large contracts clogging up their bottom 3 defensive spots, it doesn’t make sense to sign Russell now.

Where could he go? I have my eye on the Penguins personally.

Kris Russell to the Penguins for Matt Murray.

Why the Penguins do it: Pittsburgh is an interesting case. Jim Rutherford has shown in the past that he is willing to trade futures to help the Penguins win now, and it makes sense as they have 2 of the best players in the world in Crosby and Malkin. The team needs another top 4 defender and has reportedly contacted the Flames about making a trade for Russell since as early as last year’s trade deadline. This might be the year they get him.

For the Flames this could be their opportunity to grab a young, top notch goaltending prospect in Matt Murray. According to most out there, this year’s draft isn’t nearly as deep as last years. If I’m the Flames then I'm going to try to start squaring away my goaltending duo for next season, instead of adding more picks.

2. The Flames ship out Deryk Engelland

As I mentioned earlier, the Flames already have too much money tied up in the blueline. Ideally the team would probably want to ship out Wideman and Smid to alleviate that pressure, but with Wideman’s status up in the air, and Smid taking another trip to the IR, moving Engelland may be the only course of action for Brad Treliving.

Engelland is a solid defensive defender who is slightly overpaid but only has 1 year left on his deal after this year and is a solid bottom pairing guy who can slip into the top 4 in times of crisis. The Flames may try and target a goalie with a larger salary and maybe even longer term. Grabbing a young guy like Matt Murray goes a long way to solving some goaltending questions, but you can’t put all your eggs into one, unproven, basket. The Flames would probably still like 1 more guy who can act as a buffer for their young goalies.

Flames send Deryk Engelland to the Jets for Ondrej Pavelec.

Why the Jets do it: The Jets have young goaltenders Michael Hutchinson and Connor Hellebuyck ready to, at the very least, be a 1A/1B tandem in the crease. They also have Pavelec signed for another year at a $3.9M cap hit, but have to pay him $4.75M in actual salary. The Jets are a budget team and would probably like to avoid paying that if they can.

Engelland is a big body for their bottom pairing who can step into the top 4 if needed. He also has some experience playing forward in the team ever needs to dress 7 defenders.

3. The Flames make a legitimate hockey trade

The Flames seemingly have a log jam of similar forwards in a bottom 6 role that are young and still have potential, but have yet to consistently put it all together. Guys like Joe Colborne, Mikael Backlund, Markus Granlund, and Josh Jooris have all show flashes of brilliance while struggling to consistently put up points.

My guess is that the team will part ways with Markus Granlund. He is the youngest of the group and probably has the most potential, but for me he’s a lot of what this team already has.

He’s a center but is probably better suited on the wing since he is bad at face-offs. He’s speedy and smart, has good hands and uses his line-mates well. He has a good motor that gives, but he is still rather inconsistent and can get pushed around easily. The Flames have lots of those guys, so I could see the Flames ship out a package around Markus Granlund for a similar value prospect who brings something a little different to the table.

Flames trade Markus Granlund to the Stars for Brett Ritchie.

The Flames have been linked to liking Ritchie in the past. He also happens to fill a big need on the Flames team as a big, right handed Power Forward with top 6 potential. On paper he looks like the perfect guy to pair with Johnny and Mony.

Why the Stars do it: The Stars in general are just a very deep, and young team so they shouldn’t feel pressured to move anyone. However, adding Granlund would add another smart versatile forward who can play in any and all situations. They may even be able to get the Flames to add to the deal, giving them more incentive to consider a swap of prospects.

Update: Flames have traded Markus Granlund to Vancouver for Hunter Shinkaruk.

4. Hudler will end up in California

Jiri Hudler has been an absolutely amazing professional ever since joining the Flames and he has taken on a leadership role for them since the rebuild started. He is a very good professional who the young guys can come in and emulate.

I’ve been a big fan of Hudler since he joined the Flames and watching him leave is going to be sad. But life goes on, and this is a business and *insert more clichés here*. Simply put the Flames are in no position to give Hudler the type of contract he will be looking for and with the Flames well outside a playoff spot and Hudler a UFA at seasons end, a move just has to be made.

Over the years a handful of teams within Calgary’s division have gotten to see Jiri Hudler up close and personal. Namely the Kings, who Hudler had a monster game against last year to eliminate the Kings from playoff contention and clinched a playoff berth for the hometown heroes. The other team is the Anahiem Ducks, who the Flames battled against in the second round of the playoffs last year.

With the Kings losing Gaborik for the rest of the regular season, and the Ducks struggling offensively for most of the season, I suspect these 2 teams will be right at the top of the list of teams who are interested in adding Hudler at the deadline.

It’s hard to say what the return for Hudler would be. The market for top 6 wingers still hasn’t been set yet, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Flames are able to acquire a decent young prospect OR a couple of picks in the top 90 of this year’s draft.

So there you have it. My completely uninformed, ignorant, and soon to be proven wrong Trade Deadline Predictions. Now that I’ve built up a busy deadline for the Flames, they’ll probably sit on their hands and do nothing.

Different Philosophies

The Calgary Flames coaching staff has taken some heat recently over their reluctance to play freshly called up Jakub Nakladal in the wake of the Dennis Wideman suspension. People see a last place team who have struggled with inconsistency all year, and feel that it's time for the team to start playing young guys, and I don't necessarily think they're wrong with that notion either.

However, the Flames locker room has to believe they can make the play-off's until the day they are mathematically eliminated.

First I'll address the Nakladal situation. For most of the season there have been people clamouring for Dennis Wideman to be benched, as he has had an awful year, and for the team to play both Deryk Engelland and Ladislav Smid, who have both had very solid seasons alternating as the 6th defensemen. Now that Wideman is in the pressbox due to suspension, and Engelland and Smid are both drawing into the lineup, there's animosity towards the coaching staff for their lack of desire to just throw Nakladal into the fire.

So this proves a couple things.

One is that you seriously cannot please all of the people all of the time, and in some cases you can't please someone no matter what you do.

The other is that the coaching staff still believes this team can make it, and they should. They are playing the 6 best defensemen they have, and 6 guys that most would agree have been good for most of the season. (First month of the season excluded where almost everyone was awful)

Belief is an invisible force. You can't touch it or see it, but you can feel it. It has the power to get the best out of people and that's what Bob Hartley is trying to do with this team. That's what he is paid to do. They've dug themselves a rather large hole and they'll only get out of it if they believe that they can because, quite frankly, no one else will.

The team and the coaching staff need to focus on the here and now. Believe in themselves, go out and get some wins. Who knows, maybe they'll catching lightning in a bottle and make a run out of it. Regardless of the outcome this team needs to finish the season off with some pride.

Management, however, doesn't get that luxury as they have to keep the bigger picture in mind.

Here's the bigger picture.

The Flames goaltenders have, on most nights, been the second best goalie on the ice. The Flames special teams have been god awful. The Flames have been owned in the faceoff dot on most nights and their offense has been completely inconsistent all season.

The Flames brass have to be intellectually honest with themselves.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Fuck you Rye, I thought we've moved on past these bullshit cliches."

Don't worry, I don't plan on bringing up "post apex" or "truculent"...yet...

But it's completely true. This is a young and flawed team. With the exception of Mark Giordano, this team's best players are also some of its youngest players, and I doubt any of this is a surprise to management. Some of the answers will come from within, as some of the young players grow and get better. Some of the answers will have to come from outside the organization.

If the Flames catch lightning in a bottle and find a way to make the playoffs, does that mean that management should change the plan? Hell no.

If the Flames find a way to make the play-off's should they hand an extension to the goalie who gets them there? Hell god damn no!

Hiller and Ramo have been battling in the crease for close to 2 years now, and since joining the Flames neither of them has proven to be: a) Better than the other and b) Capable of being a true number one over the course of a season.

Time to move on and find someone who will give Calgary more consistent goaltending.

The other night the Flames played against the Columbus Blue Jackets and completely outplayed them, only to lose 2-1.

"But Rye" you might say, "the offense only scored 1 goal. The goals that Ramo let in were the result of defensive zone breakdowns and not his fault at all! You're not going to win games scoring only 1 goal and giving the other team quality chances."

Hey, I agree with you. But here's the thing. Hockey is a game of mistakes, and had Ramo not been the second best goalie on the ice that night the Flames probably walk away with at least one point. It's as simple as that.

The Flames need to find the goalie that will give them the best chance to win every night, and that probably isn't going to be Hiller or Ramo, and so it's time to move on. If management can somehow find a way get a goalie before the deadline and  get him some playing time heading into next season then this team will put themselves in a much better situation for next season than they did heading into this season.

Calgary's special teams have been awful this year and if this team had the ability to score some more PP goals while keeping a couple out of their own net they'd probably be in a very different position right now.

Management needs to get the best assets it can for expiring contracts. Hudler and Jones are almost guarantees to be gone. There's talk that the Flames would like to re-sign Russell, but it's hard to tell if that's just lip service to extract the most value or if the team truly thinks it can add another long term money deal to a team that have 6 defenders already making 3 million dollars or more for at least another season.

And just because the Flames move on from their pending UFA's at the deadline doesn't mean the door is closed forever. Teams have traded UFA's only to re-sign them in the off-season.

Get some value for these guys, see if you can find a long term fit on RW or in net, find a couple bodies who might help on the PP, move some defensive dollars around, and see if there are any answers within the organization. I suspect this will be managements philosophy between now and the beginning of next season.

But until the Flames are officially eliminated from the play-offs, the locker room and everyone in it still has to believe.

Zero Tolerance or Double Standard?

Imagine for a second that you're a hockey player. A good one. One good enough to play in the NHL.
One day during a game you go to play the puck along the boards in your own zone, and end up taking a hit and smacking your head on the boards. Head throbbing, shoulder on pins and needles, you get up off the ice, tap your stick to let your team mates know you're coming for a change and start heading for the bench. You see your team mate sitting on the boards waiting for you to get close enough for him to change, so you put your head down and labour to the bench as fast as you can.

Then, when you're head is down, the linesman cuts into your path. You don't see him till the last second, try to side-step, and when a collision is unavoidable you instinctively throw your hands up to protect yourself, as you've been taught to do since you were a child just learning how to play.

This is the life of Dennis Wideman.

Today Dennis Wideman was suspended for 20 games for this this incident.

From that angle the hit looks pretty bad. Much has been said since the hit happened, with most people on one side of the fence or the other, and very few in between.

Some people seem to think that Dennis Wideman, in a fit of rage and frustration, skated up behind the referee and cross checked him. I don't for a second believe that Dennis Wideman purposely tried to hit a referee from behind. Mostly because the man has been nothing but even keeled since he's been here. He never gets to high, never gets too low. I've seen him take big hits before and I've never seen him show any sort of frustration.

This hit happened in the first game of last season. Wideman was having himself a particularity shitty game when that hit happened. He skated to the bench after that hit, sniffed himself some smelling salts, and collected  his breathe. While he did these things I remember thinking to myself "Maybe that'll wake your ass up". It didn't, and the Flames lost that game.

The worst thing about Wideman is he has a serious lack of emotion in the game, but that can also be the best part of his game. He remains calm when under pressure and that helped turn his season around and helped make him one of the Flames better defenders as he helped lead the Flames to the playoffs. In fact the most emotion I've ever seen from Wideman on the ice is when they determined this was a goal. (His celebration is around 1 minute.)

That calmness also leads me to believe that Wideman in fact did not get up in frustration and run the ref over.

There are other reasons why I believe he didn't do this on purpose. Since joining the Flames Dennis Wideman has carried himself with class and has been one of the most respected leaders in the Flames dressing room. He has never once been suspended in his 11 year career. He has only had more than 40 PIM's in a season once since 2008-2009 season. There's also this alternate view which looks a lot less deliberate than the angle from behind.

OK, so we've established why I believe that this was an accident and not a predatory hit. What about the punishment?

Personally, after the hit I figured the NHL would suspend Wideman 10 games. I figured the NHL would come out and say something along the lines of "Yes, it was incidental contact but players have to be aware of everyone on the ice and you cannot run over a ref like that." There may have been some moaning and groaning, not from me mind you, and everyone would have just shrugged and moved on.

The skinny of it is Wideman has been absolutely terrible this year, as have the Flames for the most part, so when he was pegged to be suspended I started to get excited about the playing time that would be made available for younger players. (The Flames have recalled Nakladal to take his place on the roster.)

But 20 games? I have a serious problem with that. To me the NHL suspending Wideman for 20 games means that they feel that Wideman purposely and maliciously hit an vulnerable referee from behind.

Dennis Wideman's is a good person, who found himself at the wrong end of a hit and then not long after that in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he has had his name and reputation dragged through the mud and he is being thrown under the bus by the NHL, and that, quite frankly, is not fair.

One argument that I hear is "zero tolerance" for hitting a referee, and hey, you won't get any argument from me for that! I completely and whole-heartedly agree. Which is why the NHL suspended Yannick Weber for this incident, Jannik Hansen for this incident, and Jake Muzzin for this incident. Milan Lucic punched a ref right in the mouth the same night that Wideman ran over a linesman, he's a superstar and even he had to face the music of NHL justice...

Oh, wait. They didn't? Not a single one of them got a single game for their incidental contact of the referee? What about zero tolerance?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that any of those guys went out of their way to hit the ref. I mean they're all accident's of course. Only Dan Carcillo is dumb enough to intentionally attack a referee.

But zero tolerance is clearly not a standard that has been set by the NHL and I don't see why they have to over-reach and hand someone who has been a model NHL citizen a 20 game suspension for an accident.

Todd Bertuzzi almost killed someone on the ice and got a 20 game suspension for christs sake.

But perhaps I'm just viewing this with my Flames coloured glasses.

Training Camp Battles: The Forwards

Does anyone have an extra roster spot? Anyone at all? No? Well that's a shame because the Flames are currently 17 deep as far as NHL forwards go so.

For arguments sake, and so I am not sitting here till 3am going over every player who many not be here come opening day, let’s just assume that:

Johnny Gaudreau            Sean Monahan                 Jiri Hudler

Michael Ferland              Sam Bennett                    Michael Frolik

Lance Bouma                  Mikael Backlund             Joe Colborne

Josh Jooris                       Matt Stajan                      David Jones

Are the top 12 forwards with Brandon Bollig being one of the extra’s. In my opinion those 13 players have a better chance of being on the opening night roster than not being on it so we will exclude them from this brake down 

That leaves the Flames with 1 forward spot open, baring injuries, and 5 guys left battling for it.

Those 5 guys are Garnet Hathaway, Paul Byron, Mason Raymond, Markus Granlund, and Drew Shore.

Let's get Garnet Hathaway out of the way first as I think he is the easiest to dissect. Hathaway signed with the Adirondack Flames after finishing his collegiate career in 2013-2014, and impressed Flames brass enough last season to earn himself an NHL contract. Picked by many to be this year’s “Josh Jooris”, the energy forward wears his heart on his sleeve, giving 100% every shift, and doing whatever it takes to win.

Guys like Hathaway are going to be very important to the Flames success in the future, but he doesn't look ready quite yet. He is also waiver exempt so it will be easy for the Flames to stash him away in the AHL.

My guess as to why he is getting an extended look at camp is that the coaches probably want to give him a little extra work, but also want to reward Hathaway for the hard work and continued progression over the last calendar year. Hathaway may not make the opening night roster but once injuries crop up his strong training camp will probably make him one of the first call-ups.

Paul Byron is fast. Like, really fast. He’s so fast he just forced me to go valley girl on your ass. The diminutive forward is a quick thinking two-way player who likes to create turnovers defensively then use his speed to turn the puck up the ice and create odd-man rushes. So what is the problem? Well let’s just say he was snake bitten last season, and that’s putting it politely. He also got a late start on training camp as he needed some extra time to rehab his wrist after having wrist surgery in the off-season.

With all that said Paul Byron is a player that Bob Hartley trusts and relies on. Byron isn't the sexiest name on the list, nor is he the most talented player on the roster, but he sets the energy level for the rest of the team. He goes all out on every shift and when the bench see’s 5’7” Paul Byron flying around, using his speed to create chances and surprising the opposition with strong physical play, it's contagious and you can see the play of the team pick up. I suspect he will be on the opening night roster unless he suffers a setback in his injury.

Mason Raymond has become somewhat of a whipping boy for Flames fans over the last year. It’s unfortunate because Raymond is still a decent player. At first glance you’d think that the skills he possesses, very fast, strong two-way play, decent shot, would make him a perfect fit with the Flames. While Raymond hasn't lacked 'try' since donning Flaming C, he hasn't fit in like management thought he would, looking more like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole.

The trouble comes in with Raymond’s contract. He has this season and next at 3.125 million and I don’t see too many teams lining up to take on that deal. If he doesn't make the Flames roster, and it doesn't look like he will at this point, he will be exposed to waivers and sent to Stockton. He could very well be a prime buy out candidate next off season. (He would have a cap hit of just over a 1 million for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons if he is bought out next summer.)

Markus Granlund is making it very difficult for the Flames brass to send him down with his play during training camp. The Flames second round pick in 2011 is thought of as the Flames most NHL ready prospect, after Sam Bennett, and can play in all situations. This preseason he has seemed to find his scoring touch as well. 

The young Finn just has 1 thing going against him. Waiver status. Granlund doesn't need to clear waivers to go down to the AHL, so with all the depth in front of him, barring an injury, it seems unlikely that he will be on the Flames roster on opening night. It’s not a bad thing either. Brad Treliving has been preaching since he took over that you can’t over ripen a prospect in the AHL, but you can rush them. Treliving is also a man who likes to have as many options open to him as possible, so look for Granlund to start the year in the AHL and be the first call up when a forward goes down to injury.

The man who throws a wrench into the Flames forward group is Drew Shore. A 2009 second round pick of the Florida Panthers, he was traded to the Flames last season for Corban Knight. He spent some time in the AHL with the Heat before being promoted to the Flames. He only ended up playing 11 regular season games for the Flames and 1 playoff game, and while he didn't exacty light the world on fire he also didn't look out of place. Flames management also seems pretty high on him.

So what’s the problem? The big bodied, right handed centre has to go on waivers if they try to send him to the AHL and he is almost guaranteed to be claimed. He either needs to be on the Flames roster, or he will be shipped out for a mid round pick. Either that or they will lose Shore for nothing, and I have a hard time seeing Flames management doing that. There’s also a possibility that the Flames could swap Shore to another team for a defenseman who is in a similar situation. As I covered yesterday, the Flames have a lot of options with their young defenders and Flames management seems to covet defensive depth.

Out of the blue: The Flames trade David Jones. I'm not saying that because I don’t like Jones. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Jones was acquired from Colorado in the Alex Tanguay trade and, despite a few injuries, he has been a valuable member of the team. He has scored 23 goals and amassed 47 points in 115 games playing a secondary scoring role for the Flames. He brings a physical presence to the small and skilled Flames squad, while possessing the speed and hands to play with them. He is also a right handed shot, which the Flames didn't have a lot of when they acquired him. Plus the man has one of the best smiles in hockey. It’s hard not to like David Jones.

But the Flames have a bunch of younger cheaper options now. Josh Jooris and Drew Shore are both right handed shots who fall under this category. Joe Colborne is also a left handed shot who plays on the right side and is one of a couple Flames players who do this (primarily Jiri Hudler and Michael Frolik). 

Jones is owed 4 million this season, which is definitely a bit of an overpayment, but his contract is up at the end of the season so it isn't impossible to think someone would take it on. It would also allow Calgary to continue to accumulate assets for expiring contracts, even though this isn't a move they would be able to make while in the middle of a play-off race. If the Flames made this move it would open up a roster spot and allow the Flames to keep both Paul Byron and Drew Shore.