Quote:
Originally Posted by return to the red
the Flames have one thing that they haven't had for many years and that's competition, No roster spot is secured.
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True — and not many roster spots will be secure even after the season starts. Looks as if there will be a fair number of guys ineligible for waivers. That means the fear of being sent down to Abbotsford will motivate a lot of players. And the hope of being called up to the NHL will motivate the guys in Abbotsford who are on tap to replace them. I expect to see an unusual number of call-ups and demotions during the season.
That extra roster flexibility will give the coaching staff some wiggle room. In years past, if a player went cold, they had to play him anyway and hope he snapped out of it. This year, if a player goes cold, they can demote him and replace him with a hot AHLer. That alone may help them squeeze out a few extra points in the standings, which could be the difference between 30th and, say, 26th.