The forward group looks really exciting this year. The infusion of Reinhart, Ferland, Eddy, and Street is going to make things very interesting.
The loss of Desbiens and maybe Laing is a blow to the Heat's leadership. Players like Laing are very important to the team, so I hope he's back. He brings energy, hits alot, and is a great penalty killer/shot blocker.
The defense is kind of questionable for me. McKelvie I know anything about so he's a wait-and-see kind of player. Carson was the sh*ts for most of the season and was a healthy scratch on numerous occasions. I'm looking for Martin to step in and play full time this year. Lamb, Breen, and Piskula will be the "Steady Eddies" on the blue line while Wilson does what Wilson does. Looks like there won't be any offense coming from the blue line this season
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The goaltending situation is very much up in the air. Right now, the Heat don't have a goalie. Irving is expected to be the favourite for Kipper's backup this season. Karlsson will be fighting for his Flames career this camp. If he doesn't get the backup job, I can't see him wanting to play in Abbotsford. When I watched him here on his conditioning stint, he looked completely disinterested, lazy, and careless. He'll probably ask for a trade or go back to Europe if he doesn't stay with the Flames.
I would love to see Taylor back in Heat colours. He'd be a great starter or backup, but I don't know if he'll even get signed. I could see the Flames management taking a really long, focused look at Bakala this development camp. He could be with the Heat this season since he's not returning to Bemidji State.
The Heat need to address leadership and goaltending big time. And to a lesser extent, the defence could be a problem, but that remains to be seen. I would also like to see them pick up a goon or re-sign PL3 for this season. Otherwise, that's alot of work for Ferland, Eddy, and Martin.
I don't think the Heat will have any problem scoring goals this season. Lots of smart, skilled players have been added in addition to the ones we already had.
Man, I'm getting excited for next season. The Heat and Flames look quite a bit different from last season.