1. Gas Ken King. Enough said.
2. Re-sign Treliving under direction to disregard Burke's truculence obsession
3. A starting goaltender. Money is going to be tight in the next few seasons so we have to resist the urge to overpay to compensate for the last few seasons as desperate as we are. Should be a few options with the expansion draft looming. Prospect as backup, or cheap Johnson.
4. Shore up the defence:
- Ignore the PDO hot streak and treat Michael Stone as what he is: a bottom-pairing defenceman. If he costs more than bottom-pairing defencemen are worth, walk away. You can't have Stone playing in the top four or be paying him top four money. I know people like him but you need to watch tape with goals for and against edited out - he's basic and does not drive play. Let someone else make the mistake, like we did with Brouwer.
- Find a legitimate top-four partner for Brodie. There are a couple bargains available every year (Cody Franson, for example)
- Fill the bottom pairing with Stone and a prospect and/or two cheap veterans who drive play (also a few available every year). You simply can't have either Engelland or Bartkowski playing on the team.
5. Find a RW who can move up and down the lineup. Pickings in free agency are slim but hopefully Treliving can work his trade magic if need be. Justin Williams is getting up there in age, and isn't a great skater, but he's one of the top 10-foot passers in the league which fits great with the style Johnny and Mony play. A one- or two-year fill-in? Or find another option.
6. A possession driver or two for the bottom six, if they are cheap. Enough wasting roster spots on intangibles all stars like Bouma, Brouwer, F. Hamilton, etc. Get a couple cheap guys who move the puck in the right direction so the big lines can get some offensive zone starts and put the puck in the net.
The Flames are setup great for a few years moving forward. An average or better goalie, a top four defenceman, and a top six winger and they are legitimate contenders. Add depth D and F and they are on the cusp of an elite team. Exciting times.