For me, the difference in the core lies in how much we will need to depend on it.
Over the last 2 seasons, our depth was weak, as was our goaltending, and we relied almost solely on the top 5 forwards - the Flames were as good as those guys could carry them.
Not only is the goaltending solidified, but so has the depth. Adding Leivo, Simon and Nordstrom will help. But maybe even more importantly, Dube, Mangiapane and Bennett continue to grow as players.
This team is MUCH deeper and the lineup no longer has any holes.
I think that if the big 5 are only as good as last year, the Flames are a better team. But if they can rebound at all, and be somewhere in between what they were over the last 2 seasons, the Flames will be closer to VGS than they are to EDM or VAN.
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