[browna]

As other posters have said, have to be pretty weary of guys putting up good stats the final few months of the “lost“ season, as injuries crept in, and of course after the shuttling out of day to day players at the trade deadline. Backlund and Colborne both benefitted from Jones and Hudler leaving, and Frolik injured, and got the ice time they got and pp opportunities.

Good for those player as individuals, they took the extra ice time and role and ran with it and made the most of it to have things look good on the peice of paper they bring into contract negotiations with the Flames or whoever is willing to pay them.

From a long term team aspect though for the Flames, there is enough history there with those players over previous years that it's really hard to project that the spike in overall stats is going to continue long term. Or is it easy to assume that the seemingly improved play in general is more then a direct effect of that increased ice time in garbage time" for a lower tier team, playing out the string.

Especially if the team replaces and retools more than just then Hudler and Jones replacements (which they need to, to avoid picking 6th worst in the draft again) as these guy may well be back to the role that they were for the first 6 unspectacular months of the season and prior seasons... and that's not yet factoring in the new coach who these, and all players, have to re-impress and show what value they bring over someone else on the roster (or available from another team)