[Cali Panthers Fan]

The two things I'm most excited for this year are the two things that single-handedly ruined last season for me.

1) Goaltending: I can't wait to see what competent goaltending looks like again. We haven't had it since before the last lockout, and stable/excellent goaltending makes a very big difference with young teams as they work out how to play top notch defense. Having someone back there to save you when you don't make the best defensive play will go a long way to adding some more wins.

2) Coaching: I felt that Bob just didn't have them ready to start last year. You could see it in training camp and the first few weeks of the season. Nobody knew what to do/where to be, and nothing looked cohesive. I'm hoping that Gulutzan and crew will work a lot on that cohesion, as well as creating a responsible defensive game that can also move the puck out of the zone quickly and put it where the strength of the Flames lies: the offensive zone.

If those two things are corrected to the appropriate levels, we can expect the Flames back in the playoff picture this year.