[dammage79]

I believe these Flames are at the very least, a team that is going to fight tooth and nail for one of those playoff spots. They may or may not make the playoffs but you cannot discount the depth they have to carry momentum through.

They have competent depth in Goaltending, we're witnessing the depth of the forward ranks right now and have yet to see how strong the top two or three D-men on the farm can hold up in the NHL (Wotherspoon not withstanding as I feel he is the Granlund of the D-corps).

I'm sure we're going to go through some rough patches this season but from what we've seen so far they won't be nearly as long or painful to endure as last season.

I think the big tell will be the next few games after TB where there will be games that the Flames should win. Panthers, Canes, Yotes and Sens should get at the very least some loser points. If they take a few games off here and there and allow a little controversy to creep into the room, then maybe the wheels do fall off, but then again there's far too many bodies to toss out there. Still too much competition for a roster spot. I don't think this depth will allow for bad habits to set in.

I get why people are going to sit and wait for the bubble to burst on this beautiful stretch of hockey we have witnessed lately but I truly believe that if it does, it's not going to be nearly as dreadful as some are expecting.