Here's what I want to see from the special teams units this year.
Powerplay 1:
Versteeg - Hamilton
Gaudreau - Monahan
Ferland
--opposing net--
Versteeg clearly works at that position, as we saw last year when he led the Flames in powerplay goals. Hamilton, I feel, is a better offensive defenseman than Brodie, and has a better shot. Ferland should replace Brouwer in front of the net, as he seems to have more sandpaper and scoring touch at this point.
Powerplay 2:
Stone - Giordano
Bennett - Backlund
Tkachuk
--opposing net--
Tkachuk would be a really intriguing net-front presence. We all know that he's chippy, and he has good skills in tight. Bennett NEEDS powerplay time this year and playing him with two really good offensive forwards in Backlund and Tkachuk should give him ample opportunities to contribute. Stone and Giordano both provide cannons from the points.
Powerplay 3:
Hamonic - Brodie
Frolik - Jankowski
Brouwer
--opposing net--
I feel like Hamonic and Brodie have styles that suit each other well, but aren't perfectly suited to the powerplay, so I'll put them on a "third unit". Brouwer goes in front of the net by default, because he is large. Janko would be an interesting powerplay experiment, and Frolik is a good distributor and shooter who can provide offense.
PK 1:
--Flames net--
Giordano - Hamonic
Frolik - Backlund
Hamonic should seamlessly replace Engelland in his old role. The two forwards are obvious, as is Giordano.
PK 2:
--Flames net--
Brodie - Hamilton
Stajan - Lazar
This is where it gets less obvious. Stajan is obviously a very good two-way centre, and Lazar is perhaps being bred into that mold. It'd be interesting to see how they perform together.
PK 3:
--Flames net--
Kulak - Stone
Bennett - Tkachuk
Might as well throw Kulak on a special team if he's in the lineup and earns a permanent spot, which he certainly could. Stone is bruising and physical a positive attribute for the PK. Bennett and Tkachuk would be fun to watch together.