[Cali Panthers Fan]

Goaltending has already leveled out.

As far as the rookies go: Granlund is just as good as he was last year, meaning he belongs in the NHL. Jooris is a surprise, but I've seen no drop in his play at all so far, which you would expect after the first few games. Gaudreau had his struggles to start the year, and he's still learning the pro game, but I don't see him falling too far off because his natural abilities are so high. Baertschi hasn't been impressive at all, so I'd argue the team is probably worse with him in the lineup right now.

You have to remember that at the time of the injuries, Colborne led the Flames in assists and Raymond led the team in goals. Those are two key offensive contributors that aren't available during the last stretch where they've gone 4-1 and scored a lot of goals.

The one thing the Flames can't afford is long absences from either Giordano or Brodie. We just don't have a lot of depth to be able to compete without those two. Wotherspoon is the only d-man that looks NHL ready.