Quote:
Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen
...Again, the problem with the Flames this year was forward depth. They don't have forward prospects that are expected to make a difference next season. Without some major shakeup, I don't have a ton of faith in the Flames. However, I do believe we'll see some major shakeup so I'm far from writing them off...
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Forward depth was a problem, but I am not convinced it was THE problem. There were plenty of things that contributed to the Flames's disappointing season. From my perspective, most notable were:
1. the terrible powerplay
2. the terrible team-shooting percentage (which also includes significant, inexplicable reductions in shooting percentages for several key players)
3. the terrible record on home ice.
I think all three of these are fixable without adding new players. Furthermore, I would warrant that an improvement in all three of these areas in which the Flames dropped 17-, 15-, and 9-places respectively from their previous season would result in a playoff berth.
Of course, upgrading the forward group is also a key area of need, but there are numerous problems that need to be addressed beyond personnel, and which on their own are likely to improve the team.