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Here are my in-depth thoughts on the roster / lineups after all the free-agent signings.

Forwards:

Gaudreau - Monahan - Neal
Tkachuk - Backlund - Lindholm
Bennett - Ryan - Czarnik
Frolik - Jankowski - Brouwer

13/14th Forwards: Lazar / Hathaway
Wildcards to take a spot out of camp: Foo, Mangiapane, Dube

Notes:
- The first line is pretty self-explanatory. Give Gaudreau linemates who can shoot the puck like Monahan and Neal and the rest will solve itself.
- The second line sees Lindholm slot into the RW spot. I believe this line will have the ability to shut-down other team's top line while also driving play. Lindholm over Frolik here I think will add some more scoring to this line. Tkachuk will be even better this coming season and I believe he has the potential to pot 30 goals this season.
- Third and fourth line are the tough lines to project as there are so many combinations that I can see working out. I think that we don't sign Czarnik and especially Ryan to July 1st deals without seeing what they can provide for the team, hence why I slotted both on the 3rd line. As well, maybe new linemates will give Bennett some jump. If Brouwer is not bought out by season's start, he will probably slot in on the 4th line. He will and should be on a short rope however. If any of the young guys can show they belong over Brouwer which is probable, I think Peters is the type of coach who won't think twice in icing the most competitive team possible and will bench vets who don't perform.
- I see the 3rd and 4th line sharing ice-time depending on which line is going on a given night which is an option that is nice to have. Both should have the ability to chip in offensively which would be a huge contrast to last season.

Defence:

Gio - Brodie
Hanifin - Hamonic
Kulak - Stone
Prout

Wildcards to take a spot out of camp: Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, Juuso Valimaki, Marcus Hogstrom

Notes:
- Brodano back together again. I fully believe that anyone who plays with Gio just instantly plays better. Gio is like King Midas or something. Although Hamilton's shooting ability will be missed, I think Brodie can play a better transition game and maybe this works better for Peters' system of playing fast.
- Hanifin is still growing and learning as a young D-man but the potential to break out is exciting. I like the potential of Hanifin being able to showcase his offence while Hamonic plays a shut-down role. Here's hoping that there is better chemistry between the HaHa's than Brodie showed with Hamonic last year.
- Again, the wildcard for the defence is the bottom pair. I'm unsure whether or not Stone gets traded before the season starts to make room for Andersson to start playing some consistent minutes in the NHL. If Stone doesn't get traded, I don't see Andersson cracking the lineup. But if Stone does get traded, would we be comfortable running a Kulak and Andersson pairing? Maybe some growing pains here but could prove fruitful if Andersson develops as he has been these past few years. However, this maybe risky if some injuries occur on the backend. Really a toss-up but maybe the signing of Hogstrom and Prout can provide some minutes for us should anyone get injured. I envision Valimaki playing top pairing minutes in the AHL and maybe getting a call-up at the end of the season to get a taste.

Goalies:

Smith
Rittich

Wildcards: Gillies, proven backup acquired via trade or signing

Notes:
- I'm hoping for a lesser work-load for Smith in the regular season (~55 GP) should the Flames be comfortably in a playoff position. However, if the Flames are fighting tooth and nail with other teams for a wildcard spot, I see something happening like last year where Smith plays a ton of games and maybe isn't as good down the stretch due to wear and tear.
- I've slotted in Rittich over Gillies for now as the backup simply because Gillies is waiver-eligible. Both guys are solid in the backup role but if Smith gets injured similarly to last year, are the Flames confident that Rittich and Gillies can hold the fort? There may be some merit to signing a proven backup goalie with experience, trading Rittich for assets, and running Gillies and Parsons down in Stockton. Will be interesting to see this play out.

My key takeaways:
1) We have significantly improved scoring depth on all lines. Treliving identified last year before the season started that he was concerned if we would score enough goals. I think he really did a great job addressing it this off-season by adding key forwards in Neal, Lindholm and Ryan. Not only this, but we should see more improvement from our young guys like Jankowski, Tkachuk, and (fingers crossed) Bennett. Lastly, we are giving an opportunity to a player in Austin Czarnik who has shown he can score at all levels he's played in but hasn't had the chance to really get going in the NHL. His numbers are similar to Yanni Gourde from the Lightning who just had a 64 pt season playing on the second line after putting up solid numbers in the AHL for 6/7 years. If we can give Czarnik a real shot, maybe he becomes something. If he doesn't turn out, it would have been a low-risk play anyway and we have enough prospect depth that could come in and fill the void.

2) Hanifin vs Hamilton: Of course Hamilton is a superior player compared to Hanifin right now but what is key here is that in my opinion, Hamilton has hit his peak whereas Hanifin is still developing. Hamilton has shown over the last 3 years with us that he can score goals, get pucks through from the point to generate scoring chances, and, of course, he skates like a deer. But has he really improved all that much? And more importantly, what was his impact on the defensive side of the ice? When diving into advanced stats and analytics, Hamilton is rated as one of the best D in the entire league. But to what extent does having a D partner like Gio contribute to Hamilton's underlying numbers? I think we will know these answers after Hamilton plays a season with the Canes. Again, IMO Hamilton has reached a peak in his career. I see him as a solid 40-50pt offensive defenceman but one that has troubles in his own end.

Hanifin on the other-hand has potential to develop into a top pairing D-man. This is a 21 year old who just put up 32 points and was an all-star last season (although that was because of an injury to Aho). It is very improbable that Hanifin just stops developing and has hit his peak as a defenceman. It is much more likely that he continues developing and learning the game and will improve year over year. The question now is whether he can have an impact like Dougie offensively but be more responsible in the d-zone. Only time will tell.

3) Goalie situation will likely be the same in terms of who's in net but I believe there will be a shift in how many games Smith will play in the regular season. If the coaches and management believe that Rittich can handle more games and if they are in a comfortable playoff spot mid-season, then I imagine Rittich will draw in for more games to make sure Smith is not overworked come playoffs. I am hopeful that this scenario plays out.

4) I should go to bed because it is 3:01am. What am I doing with my life?